I studied abroad both to learn languages and experience new cultures. First I worked in France as a baker (really fun! terrible hours though) and learned a whole load of French from some students as well as my mostly Senegalese co-workders. Next I studied in Virginia, USA for a while for college which was great since I am from Scotland; their way of life is surprisingly different even though we share a common language. People often experience culture shock when going to places like the US since they expect everything to be exactly the same, and its not! I spend a semester abroad in Hong Kong and learned some things about Chinese culture and some Cantonese and also found my favorite city in the world. Every single country I visited for work, study or travel was unique and I cannot recommend study abroad enough. The insights you gain from spending a proctracted period of time abroad far outlive the experiences accumulated through transient holidays and nomadic travel. 

No worries about trivial things which could happen in the future really . Most of them can be overcome by your perseverance and you will gain a lot by way of conquering difficulty ahead  .

I have studied abroad! I went to Thailand for ten months when I was in secondary school here in the USA. I am a native English speaker so I had to learn Thai from scratch. When you study abroad, learning about and adjusting to your new culture is quite difficult, but you are always rewarded with new friends, new memories, new stories to tell. You might even find a second place in the world to call your home.

If you are wondering whether or not to study abroad, DO IT! It will be a wonderful experience. Any money you need to spend to go abroad is 101% worth it. You can message me or reply if you want to ask any questions. I'd love to share anything you want to know.

Have you applied to a Confucius Institute via Hanban?

Did it last year, and as long as you have HSK level 2 at the very least it usually pays for your tuition and accommodation, as well as giving you some money every month, nearly 2000RMB.

I studied in Moscow for a semester. It was fun but I hated being stuck in one place... Backpacking is a lot more fun if you ask me :p