What Life Will Be Like for Your Child While in China

The First Week in China
For some students studying abroad, the first week is the hardest part of the entire experience. During the first week, your child can expect to be surrounded by a completely foreign culture. In most cases, he or she won’t know anybody there. The language will be unfamiliar for most students. Even those students who have studied Chinese before coming to China will have some difficulty understanding others at first when they find themselves surrounded by it day in and day out.

Next Step China goes above and beyond to make sure your student has access to representatives who speak English and Spanish, but being immersed in the Chinese language is an important part of the experience of studying abroad, and your student will be encouraged to use the Chinese language to the degree that he or she is able.

Dealing with Homesickness
Your student will deal with homesickness. This is perfectly normal. Most students feel fairly intense homesickness for the first week or so, followed by intermittent periods of homesickness throughout their stay. The best way for your student to deal with homesickness is to stay busy and to interact with other students, including both Chinese and international students.

As a parent, you should encourage your child to hang in there when he’s feeling blue and missing the familiarity of home. These feelings pass, and he will be fine. While it can seem, both to you and your child, like the study abroad experience is endless, it won’t be long before he has returned and realized that it really wasn’t so long after all.

Culture Shock
Most students understand on an intellectual level that they are going to live in another country, and that the lifestyles and customs of the people are considerably different there. But it isn’t until your student is actually in the other country that the culture shock will set in. As important as it is for your student to prepare himself by studying about the Chinese culture, there is only so much one can learn out of a book.

It isn’t easy being immersed into a different culture. There will be new foods to try, new expressions to learn, cultural habits and customs to get used to, and more. For the first couple of weeks, your child will be in a period of adjustment. Again, this is perfectly normal. While culture shock can be frustrating at times, it also represents one of the most amazing parts of being involved in studying abroad. Through learning to cope with the differences in culture, most who study abroad gain a greater appreciation not only for how different we are, but also for how much our people and cultures are alike.

Social Life While Studying Abroad
Your student will make many new friends while studying abroad, and will probably become very close with some of them. You will very likely find that over just a few months, the young person who had a great deal of difficulty adjusting to life in a new country for the first few weeks is now anxious about coming home and leaving behind all of her new friends. Building relationships should be encouraged. One of the greatest joys of studying abroad is found in the lifelong friendships which can be forged in the host country.

One word of caution: it is best to encourage your student to avoid getting too involved in romantic relationships while studying abroad. While it is inevitable that young men and women will be attracted to one another, and there is nothing wrong with casual dating, long term or serious relationships can be problematic for those studying abroad, largely because they will have to return to their home country at the end of their program.

With that said, however, you will want to encourage your student to become involved in as many social opportunities as he or she can. Encourage them to meet new people, to experience new places and activities, and to spend the time in China developing a lasting bond of friendship.

How to Handle the Unexpected
There is sometimes no way to avoid the unexpected. A loved one may fall ill while your child is abroad. Circumstances back home may become difficult due to an unforeseen situation occurring while your child is in China.

The best way to deal with any situation is to remain calm and rational. Keep the representatives of your study abroad organization abreast of anything serious. They are in the best position to help you if your child needs to come home suddenly for one reason or another. Because they are experienced in dealing with the various situations that crop up in the lives of international students, they are highly qualified to help you and your child work out any details regarding unexpected situations and circumstances.

Support Systems Available for Your Child
It is important to maintain support systems while your child is abroad. Encourage her friends from home to e-mail, instant message, or write letters while she is studying in China. Chances are, your son or daughter has a network of friends that she has built up over the entire course of her life. Suddenly, she is in a foreign country without easy access to them, or to her relatives, or anyone else she knows. Fortunately, communication is much easier, quicker, and cheaper today than it has ever been. Those studying abroad are able to maintain support systems much better in today’s world than ever before.

One note of caution is in order here, though: Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. While you do want your child to maintain contact with friends and family from home, the main point of studying abroad is to immerse the student in the foreign culture. Encourage your student to set reasonable limits on the amount of time spent communicating with people back home. Encourage her also to develop new support systems among new friends and acquaintances in China. Be there for your child, but be willing to back up and allow your child the freedom to experience the culture of her host country as well.

Next Step China has created the following guide to help parents feel comfortable about having their child study abroad in China. Please view the topics below for more guidance.

Studying Abroad in China: A Guide for Parents

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

Why and Where in China to Study Abroad?

Where to Start: Choose a Program for Studying Abroad

Is Next Step China the Right Study Abroad Program for Your Son or Daughter?

Student Responsibilities While Studying in China

Before the Student Departs: Preparing Your Student to Successfully Study Abroad in China

In China: What You and Your Child Can Expect

Other Opportunities While in China

What Life Will Be Like for Your Child While in China

Studying Abroad With Next Step China