"Have you ever been studied abroad?" - this means you were observed, perhaps dissected and even put under a microscope in a laboratory. In another country. ;)

"<em>Have you ever studied</em> abroad?" is what you mean.

I haven't, but I do know there are international student communities and networks (such as Erasmus), as well as expat and traveller networks pretty much everywhere, so don't worry about feeling alone. There are many others who would be in the same boat as you, so you'll find plenty of people keen to go out and do things.

However, spending time with other expats means you'd more likely find friends who speak your native language, and less friends who speak your target language. It's easy to sabotage yourself when you take a more convenient or more familiar option. It's possible to find "local" friends, but this means a bit more care and effort.

Yes, the "fear of feeling alone" can be a problem for some foreign students. Sometimes the result is you make close friends with other foreign students and reduce your opportunities for using the target language you are studying.

If this is a big problem for you, then it is best to stay in your hometown. You need to accept that, at the beginning, you won't have as many friends as when you were back at home.

You need to think about the purpose of your overseas language study. Won't the end result of your language study expand your horizons, and decrease your isolation? If you always want stay forever with your old acquaintances, then you need to re-evaluate your purpose for language study.

I know, ANDREA, that you probably don't have this problem, as you say " I love traveling and meeting other people," in your profile. :-)

I have traveled to two Asian countries before to take up language courses there. It's always difficult to live away from home in a country that uses a different language to yours. (Potential problems: food, pollution, noise, law, healthcare, finding suitable accommodation etc. etc.) These are the challenges that make it all exciting. Could the fear of these challenges be too great for you to handle?

I always found that all the positive effects of being in a different country and culture, and learning a foreign language, have outweighed the negative. If the negative effects outweigh the positive for anyone, then they should not do it.