{"id":766,"date":"2026-06-16T16:23:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/?p=766"},"modified":"2026-06-16T17:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T09:09:17","slug":"the-madai-trilogy-we-met-we-parted-we-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/?p=766","title":{"rendered":"The Madai Trilogy: We Met, We Parted, We Grow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The interview transcript above does not cover our entire conversation, as my carelessness caused my phone battery to die \ud83e\udeab. Regardless \ud83e\udd13, I would like to first supplement what we discussed afterward.<\/div>\n
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To watch the Interview, please visit https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TmVHCS22uKs&t=982s<\/div>\n
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First, we explored the paramount importance of family in Mexican culture, and how studying abroad in China triggered their deep homesickness. Rodrigo shared, “There are so many things I want to do in China\u2014I want to travel to Beijing, visit Nanjing, and have fun in Changsha\u2014but none of that is more important than my family. If I could choose, I would rather be right back by their side.” However, he also admitted that to study abroad, acquire knowledge, and build a broader perspective, one must step out of their hometown to see the wider world. Experiencing the inevitable loneliness of leaving home is a necessary sacrifice to chase one’s dreams.<\/div>\n
Following that, I asked them how they had grown over the past year through the “loneliness program” Charles and I organized. Madahi told me that I was the very first Chinese guy she met. She still vividly remembers the day she and Rapha\u00ebl, a French model, crossed paths with me by chance, and I treated them to Monster energy drinks. That encounter made her much more open-minded; after exploring the Gusu District with us, she went on to visit many other places with her Chinese friends. To her, we served as the bridge connecting her to China. Rodrigo mentioned that being able to visit various places around Suzhou and engage in deep conversations with us made him feel incredibly warm and thankful. He noted that Luke, Charles, and I brought him immense warmth and confidence, which encouraged him to collaborate with Chinese students in his major classes\u2014where he was surrounded mostly by locals\u2014and build long-term connections.<\/div>\n
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What advice do they have for students who, like us, are about to study abroad in a foreign land? Both Madahi and Rodrigo emphasized that feeling lonely and hitting rock bottom is completely normal. What we need to do is proactively communicate and connect with people. By actively reaching out for friendships and resources, things will naturally get better and better.<\/div>\n
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From a chance encounter over a “Monster drink” to walking shoulder-to-shoulder through the ancient alleys of Gusu District; from the initial helplessness faced in major classes to later building long-term trust and cooperation with Chinese friends\u2014just as they said, we became their bridge to China, while they, with their utmost sincerity, warmed our youth.<\/div>\n
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While the camera captured our encounters and growth, beyond the lens, that post-interview fried chicken meal and those heartfelt conversations in front of the sofa and national flags have already quietly solidified into unforgettable milestones of our time together.<\/div>\n
This summer, they will fly back to Mexico, returning to the home they so deeply miss. Yet, we all know that some goodbyes are just preludes to a better reunion. As the old Chinese saying goes, “A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near.”<\/em><\/div>\n
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To Madahi and Rodrigo, who are about to embark on their journey home: Thank you for leaving your most beautiful memories of China here. Please always remember that on this land of Jiangnan, there is a group of friends who will always care about you. Suzhou will forever be your second home!<\/div>\n
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May every international student\u2014whether currently navigating loneliness or about to embark on a foreign journey\u2014carry the courage to proactively connect with the world. Even when sailing alone on a vast sea, may your journey bloom with flowers.<\/div>\n
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Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to our readers who have been quietly supporting us behind the screen. A year is neither too short nor too long. However, the story of two high school students has not ended, and our exchanges with international students from all over the world will never stop. Machiavellianism was never the original intent of our dialogue, and it never will be. May our friendship last forever and bloom all the way!<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The interview transcript above does not cover our entire conversation, as my carelessness caused my phone battery to die \ud83e\udeab. Regardless \ud83e\udd13, I would like to first supplement what we discussed afterward. To watch the Interview, please visit https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TmVHCS22uKs&t=982s First, we explored the paramount importance of family in Mexican culture, and how studying abroad in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,11,15,1],"tags":[292,41,18,96,97,25],"class_list":["post-766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-social-research","category-society","category-uncategorized","tag-international-students-at-suzhou-china-experience-loneliness-research-interview-high-school-student","tag-chinamaxxing","tag-international-student-china","tag-interview","tag-lonelysociety","tag-sociallonelinesssurvey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=766"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":786,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions\/786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthtorch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}