我妈问我随她搬去中国工作生活感觉如何 [美国媒体]

My mom asked me how I felt about moving to China for her work

我妈问我随她搬去中国工作生活感觉如何



I didn't know how to feel about it at all. It would be such a huge change in my life. For reference, I'm an American moving into my junior year of high school (I'm 16). I don't know a lick of Chinese.
She told me it wouldn't be likely that it would happen, but in the case that it does, how different would life and school be?
Thanks in advance. I haven't posted here before, so I hope I'm not breaking any rules with this post.

我根本不知道对此有什么感受。这将是我生活中巨大的变化。参考说明，我是一个刚进入中学的美国人(今年16岁)。我一点也不懂中文。
她告诉我这不太可能发生，但如果是这样的话，生活和学校会有多大的不同呢？
先谢谢了。我以前没有在这里发帖，所以我希望我没有违反这个帖子的任何规定。


timlarsSweden（瑞典）
I moved with my family and did my senior year of High-School in an international school there. Afterwards I stayed a year extra (my family still lived there though) and studied Chinese at the university. I have zero regrets about moving. You'll make friends from all over the world, you'll learn a new language (the basics, at least), and get to really see a and experience a foreign culture. Visiting is one thing but living there is another. If you're going to go there as part of some company's expat program it's going to be sweet beans. It depends on her job ofc but at least for me and most of my friends in that high school had drivers, housemaids, and great apartments with a relocation office to help with moving, visas and stuff life that.
Honestly, I'd urge her to take it. I don't think I know anyone who regrets moving there. And even if you don't like it that much it'll only be for a couple of years and you'd be back in wherever and realize nothing has changed at home and you're an experience richer.

我是和家人一起搬来的，之后在那里的一所国际学校读高中。后来，我又多住了一年(我家人还住在那里)，在大学里学中文。我对搬家毫不后悔。你将得到来自世界各地的朋友，你将学习一种新的语言（基本知识，至少），并真正看到和体验一个外国文化。拜访是一回事，但住在那里则是另一回事。如果你打算去那里，作为某个公司的外派计划的一部分，这会很美好。当然这取决于她的工作，但至少对我和我高中的大多数朋友来说，他们都有司机、女佣和很棒的公寓，有一个搬迁办公室来解决帮助搬家、签证和其他生活问题。
老实说，我会劝她接受的。我不知道有谁会后悔搬到那里去。即使你不喜欢它，也只会持续几年，你就会回到任何地方，并且意识到家里什么都没有改变，但你却获得了更丰富的体验。

justinchina
/u/timlars is offering some good solid advice, and great perspective. It will be hard, it sucks to feel like you are leaving your existing friends (and possibly the kids you have grown up with) right when you turn 16. you are walking away from a lot of quintessential American Teenage things. Driving, prom, etc. that being said, all your friends now, will be going their separate ways in a few years to college, so you are just doing it a little earlier. Assuming you are headed towards an international high school, you will have tons of fun, tons more freedom, and will expand your horizons in unimaginable ways. that's not to say that it's an easy decision or position for a teenager to make, but it's a cool, unique opportunity. The people I've met who grew up here, and went to US college and came back, are all very mature, distinguished young adults. but I know it sucks...trying to put myself in your position, I'm not sure if I would have been able to be objective enough to pull the trigger and make the plunge, but as an older person, I hope you are able to make the jump, and do it with enthusiasm and get the most out of it that you can. Good luck OP! come back and let us know what you decide!

楼上提供了一些好的，坚实的建议，和很好的前景。当你16岁就要感觉你要离开你现有的朋友(可能还有和你一起长大的孩子)的时候是件很难的事。你正在远离许多典型的美国青少年的事物。驾车、舞会等。话虽如此，你现在的朋友们，几年后就会各自去上大学，所以你只是稍微早了一点离开而已。假设你正走向一所国际高中，你将有无数的乐趣，更多的自由，并将以难以想象的方式拓展你的视野。这并不是说对于一个青少年来说，这是一个容易的决定或位置，但这是一个很酷的，独特的机会。我遇见过的在这里长大（中国），然后去美国上大学再回来的人，都是些非常成熟、杰出的年轻人。但我知道这很糟糕……如果把我自己放在你的位置上，我不知道我是否能够足够客观地做出决定，然后投入其中，但是作为一个年长的人，我希望你能投入进去，热情地投入，并尽你所能从它之中得到最大的收获。祝你好运帖主，记得回来，让我们知道你的决定！

[deleted] （美国）
Excuse me for this long ass comment:
My dad got a job in china when i was 9.
Initially i was pissed, depressed, and hormonal but it got better. The original plan was to stay one year, then one more, then screw it lets finish elementary school in china before moving back, this time its a promise they said. A year later, nope we're staying for middle school too. And then high school. Thank god my mom dragged my sister and I back to the states. I missed home. Currently in high school here and there really is no place like home.
But at the same time, I miss china too. It grows on you and if you actually integrate yourself successfully into chinese society, its a great place (i obviously failed). Transportation if you live in a big city is just amazing. Food is amazing. All the interesting shops, people, and places. The big cities are extremely diverse and modern. Smaller cities let you experience a more authentic china.
Where you live and what school you go to really matters too. As an expat, most people live in kushy white neighborhoods with white neighbors or at least english speaking wealthy neighbors. Most companies pay for international schools for the kids too which is great. Personally i love international schools. Theyre basically preppy rich kid schools exclusive to foreigners which sounds terrible but isnt really that bad. Sure there are stuck up snobby kids who treat chinese natives like shit but most kids grew up normal in suburbs and just happened to get relocated. The extracurriculars activities, facilities, teachers, staff, and just school in general are usually top notch (youre paying quite a lot too). Compared to an american public school? Theres no comparison. At the same time i have also gone to a completely local school and lived in poorer neighborhoods. My neighborhood convinience stores ripped me off money, children pissed right on the ground, people smoked and littered everywhere. It wasnt violently dangerous, but it was filthy... and the rich/poor gap was appalling.
All in all china was an amazing experience and while i wouldnt say it was the best place on earth, it was certainly memorable. Sometimes i wish i hadnt gone and other times im glad i did. It really opens your eyes to how big and different the world is versus this american dream illusion that we all live in.

抱歉，我的话有点儿长：
当我9岁的时候，我的爸爸在中国找到了一份工作。
一开始我很生气，很沮丧，荷尔蒙激升，但后来好多了。最初的计划是在中国呆一年，然后再呆一年，然后他娘的在中国完成小学学业，然后再搬回来，这是他们的承诺。结果一年后，我要留下来把初中也上了。接着是高中。然后谢天谢地我妈妈把我妹妹和我拖回了美国。我太想家了。目前在美国上高中，没有比家更好的地方了。
但与此同时，我也想念中国。它在你的身上留下了印记，如果你真的成功地融入了中国社会，它是一个伟大的地方(我显然失败了)。如果你住在一个大城市里的话，交通真是太棒了。食物也很棒。到处都是有趣的商店，人和地方。大城市是极其多样化和现代化的。小城市则能让你体验一个更真实的中国。

你住在哪里，上什么学校也很重要。作为一名外籍人士，大多数人住在白人邻居或至少会说英语的富裕邻居的白人社区。大多数公司也为孩子们支付国际学校的费用，这很不错。我个人喜欢国际学校。他们基本上都是预科富家儿童学校，只对外国人开放，听起来很糟糕，但也没那么糟糕。当然，也有一些傲慢自大的孩子，他们把中国本土人当狗屎对待，但大多数孩子都在郊区正常成长，只是碰巧被重新安置而已。课外活动、设施、教师、教职员工以及一般学校通常都是一流的(你也付出了相当多的代价)。和美国公立学校相比？没有可比性。同时，我还去了一所当地的学校，住在贫困的社区。我附近的便利店骗走了我的钱，孩子们在地上撒尿，人们到处吸烟并乱扔烟蒂。这并不是非常危险，但它是肮脏的...贫富差距是可怕的。

总之，中国是一次令人惊叹的经历，虽然我不认为它是世界上最好的地方，但它确实令人难忘。有时我希望我没有去过，而其他时候我很高兴我去了。它真正打开了你的眼睛，世界是多么巨大和不同，与我们正在生活的美国梦是多么的不同。

xiefeilaga
Sounds like a great opportunity. One thing to keep in mind is that preparation for college might become a bit more difficult, as you'll have to chase down transcripts and other stuff remotely. Hopefully if you get into a good international school in China, they will have experienced counselors to help out with that.
Speaking of which, I want to second what a lot of other people have said: your mother needs to figure out now what her company is offering in regards to your schooling. International schools can be very expensive (several tens of thousands a year), and if her company isn't covering that, it could wipe out any other financial incentives they are offering.
Chinese schools basically aren't an option for you, unless you are already a native-level speaker of Chinese.

听起来是个好机会。有一件事要记住，准备大学可能会变得更加困难，因为你将不得不远程追查成绩单和其他东西。希望如果你能在中国进入一所好的国际学校，他们会有经验丰富的辅导员来帮助你。
说到这一点，我想重申很多人说过的话：你妈妈现在需要弄清楚她的公司会对你上的学校提供些什么。国际学校可能非常昂贵(每年几十万)，如果她的公司不承担这一费用，这可能会抹平他们提供的任何其他经济激励。
中文学校基本上不是你的选择，除非你已经是一个母语为中文的人。

lumloon
AFAIK usually companies and governments completely cover the bill for the international schools. If the employees on the expat packages had to foot the bill for the schools it would be unpalatable.
There are some Chinese schools that have "international sections".

据我所知，通常公司和政府会完全承担国际学校的费用。如果外派员工不得不为学校买单，那将是令人不快的。
而有一些中国学校有“国际分部”。

Porkius_MaximusUnited Kingdom（英国）
If your mum gets sent out to China, she will most likely be on a good salary and live in an apartment which will shelter you from the shittier aspects of Chinese life. I assume the company will also help with relocation etc so she won't have the hassle of looking for a place to live. As timlars said, living in China on an expat package is on a completely different level to that of living in China as an English teacher, student, or someone working at a Chinese company.
As for the language, I wouldn't worry about it. It is a lot easier to learn to a decent level than people would have you believe. The hardest part of trying to learn Chinese will be stirring up the courage to speak to the locals, no matter if your Chinese is shit or not. Don't let people always use you to practice English. I assume the top international schools are similar to schools in the US/Europe so you probably won't be studying night and day like the locals do.
Of course, the living conditions in China will be worse than those in a decent part of the US or a wealthy European country. There is not much care for hygiene and cleanliness so be prepared for a few bouts of explosive diarrhea. The rest you probably know about (pollution, food problems etc). As i said above, if your mum is on an expat package you will avoid most of the shit a lot of us here have to face on a daily basis and so it should be an enjoyable experience.
I would tell your mum to go for it if she has the opportunity. After you have graduated from high school with good grades you can go wherever you want (if you don't want to stay in China).

如果你妈妈被送去中国，她很可能拿着丰厚的薪水住在一套公寓里，这套公寓会让你远离中国生活中更糟糕的一面。我想公司也会帮忙搬迁等，这样她就不会有找住处的麻烦了。就像时代周刊说的那样，在中国生活在外籍人士的生活方式与在中国作为英语教师、学生或在中国公司工作的人的生活水平完全不同。

至于语言，我毫不不担心。这是一个比人们希望你相信的更容易学习到一个体面的水平。学习汉语最难的部分就是鼓起勇气跟当地人说话，不管你的中文水平是不是狗屁。不要让人们总是用你来练习英语。我想顶尖的国际学校和美国/欧洲的学校很相似，所以你可能不会像当地人那样夜以继日地学习。

当然，中国的生活条件将比美国或欧洲富裕国家的生活条件差。没有太多的卫生和清洁护理，所以要为几次爆发性腹泻做好准备。其他的你可能已经知道了(污染，食物问题等)。正如我上面所说的，如果你的妈妈在一个外派的计划里，你会避免大部分的垃圾--我们这里的很多人每天都要面对，所以这应该是一次愉快的经历。
如果有机会的话，我会告诉你妈妈去做的。高中毕业后，如果你成绩够好，你可以去任何你想去的地方(如果你不想留在中国)。

wilduu
Your experience will be very different depending on what city you move to. But at the end of the day, if i was you i would look at it like a great opportunity. You will get the chance to expand your horizons in a way that most people never have the luxury to. You will become a richer person for it.
I moved away from my home country when i was 4, and have since lived in several foreign places. I feel it has made me who I am, a true cosmopolitan citizen with connections all over the world.
Embrace it, and dive in headfirst!

取决于你搬到哪个城市，你的经历会有很大的不同。
但到了最后，如果我是你的话，我会把它看作是一个很好的机会。你将有机会以一种大多数人从来没有奢侈的方式来扩大你的视野。你会成为一个更丰富的人。
当我4岁时，我就离开了祖国，从此就住在了好几个外国地方。我觉得这使我成为一个真正的国际公民，与世界各地都有联系。
拥抱它，头朝下跳下去！

holyevilcow
I moved to the States around the same age from China, and that shit ain't easy. You may be the precocious type, but when I was 16 I was just developing my self identity, and changes like that threw me for a big loop.
But I turned out alright! Seriously, it would be great to learn Chinese (you will pick it up so fast), and have adventure stories at an early age. If it does happen, just keep a positive attitude, knowing one day this experience is gonna help you get laid.

我在和你差不多年纪的时候从中国搬到了美国，这可不容易。你可能是早熟型的，但当我16岁的时候，我只是在发展我的自我认同，而这样的变化让我陷入了一个大循环。
但我变得更好了！说真的，学习中文(你会学得很快)，并且在很小的时候就有这样的冒险，这真的很不错。如果真的发生了，就保持积极的态度，你会知道有一天这种经历会帮助你成长。

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