Survey on Studying Abroad

Author: Lin Xue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: A senior visa officer from the British Embassy in China once disclosed an incident. A Chinese child said during the visa interview, "I don’t want to go to the UK, nor do I want to study abroad, but my parents force me to. Officer, please refuse my visa." Parents’ good intentions drive their children abroad. However, the journey of studying in the UK is far from a smooth ride. On this path of studying overseas, many children sacrifice their happiness, sunshine, and precious time. The fantasy of finding a savior in education quickly shatters in the face of harsh reality. When a father learned that his son’s study abroad in the UK was essentially playing video games for three years, and when a mother couldn’t help but burst into tears after embracing her daughter, who returned empty-handed and in distress, she couldn’t help but ask: "Child, do you hate us?" China’s long-term isolation from the outside world has made it inevitable that we must pay a price to catch up with the world, but what we didn’t expect is that this price would have to be borne by our children. The peak of studying abroad has brought endless problems and reflections. More and more people are starting to ask: what exactly has studying abroad brought to our children? The author traveled to London, meeting and interviewing students of all ages in the UK to witness their living conditions and academic situations. Each story is real, and these children’s lives abroad are recorded authentically. The author is not here to criticize or praise anything but simply to share with everyone the true stories of these children, which their parents could never witness with their own eyes. What the author can do is use words to give voice to the hearts of these children.