Well, the most difficult decision I’ve ever made was whether or not I should study abroad next year. Well, the most important conversation I had so far was with my parents about whether or not I should study abroad next year.

嗯，我做过的最困难的决定是明年是否出国留学。到目前为止，我与父母进行的最重要的谈话是关于我明年是否应该出国留学。

In the recent couple of years, there’s this growing tendency among high school graduates to embark on a study abroad program. I’ve always wanted to do the same, because it’s a good opportunity to see the world, to experience different styles education, and to improve my language skills. And for a girl who has never been far away from home, studying in a foreign country might bring out my independent nature. But I need to give it some careful thought before I could make the decision. I told my parents who are both open-minded about my plan, and they were pretty supportive, but they also pointed out some disadvantages. My mom told me that being in a new place by myself could be overwhelming sometimes, and it tests my ability to adapt to diverse situations. And it’s highly possible that I would feel lonely and helpless every so often, because all of my close friends and family members are on the other side of the world. I would be completely on my own, and basically everything I took for granted in the past would then be a challenge, like paying bills, opening bank accounts, communicating with fellow students, and the list goes on and on.

最近几年，高中毕业生出国留学的趋势越来越明显。我一直想做同样的事情，因为这是一个很好的机会去看世界，体验不同风格的教育，提高我的语言技能。对于一个从未远离家乡的女孩来说，在国外学习可能会让我的独立性格更加突出。但是在我做出决定之前，我需要仔细考虑一下。我告诉我的父母，他们对我的计划都持开放的态度，他们很支持我的计划，但他们也指出了我的一些缺点。我妈妈告诉我，一个人在一个新的地方有时会让我不堪重负，这也考验了我适应不同环境的能力。我很可能会经常感到孤独和无助，因为我所有亲密的朋友和家人都在世界的另一边。我将完全依靠自己，基本上我过去认为理所当然的每件事都将是一个挑战，比如支付账单、开立银行账户、与同学交流等等。

All of a sudden, I felt stuck. All those challenges sounded terrifying, but I really didn’t want to miss this great chance to broaden my horizon and learn more about other cultures around the world. I weighed up the pros and cons carefully, and after some serious consideration, I finally made up my mind to seize the opportunity to go abroad for study.

 

突然间，我感到被卡住了。所有这些挑战听起来都很可怕，但我真的不想错过这个扩大视野、了解世界其他文化的大好机会。我仔细权衡了利弊得失，经过认真考虑，我终于下定决心要抓住这次出国留学的机会。