Very interesting: communicating with international student families, the kids are all determined to return home after graduation after studying for a few years

@北漂民工的日常：Very interesting: when communicating with families of international students, the kids are all determined to return home after graduation after studying abroad for a few years.

The reasons are quite similar:

1. Food. McDonald's and KFC are already decent options, and there are pizza places and the like, but you get tired of them after a while. Often, a meal is just settled with instant noodles because they can't get used to Western food. After a year of studying abroad, the kid lost over ten pounds by the time they came home for the holidays. Abroad, it's impossible to order takeout for just a few bucks in delivery fees. International students all have to figure out how to cook and go to local Chinese supermarkets to buy things like Lao Gan Ma chili sauce. Back in China, having two takeout meals and two cups of milk tea every day is pure bliss.

2. Living. If a lightbulb breaks, they have to fix it themselves, and all the furniture has to be assembled by themselves. Kids who were originally pampered max out their hands-on skills once they go abroad.

3. Scenery and environment. Sparsely populated with vast lands; you get tired of the good scenery after a couple of days.

4. Social circle. They still end up hanging out with Chinese groups. It's not uncommon to see someone study abroad for three years and come back still not speaking English very fluently.

5. Work. It's not very easy to find. Although it's also tough domestically, parents can't help at all with finding a job abroad.

Parents say that after going abroad, the kids become more patriotic, missing their motherland every single moment.
This generation of post-00s has essentially gone abroad and dispelled the illusion. Some post-80s might not have completed this mindset shift yet, but today's kids are extremely clear-headed.