Greetings,
Instead of giving direct advice I would like to share two famous stories about Socrates with you.

Long ago, in Greece, young men from rich families were often sent on a tour of Europe.   This tour was the final step in becoming an adult.  (Sometimes in English we call this 'a rite of passage'). One day, one of Socrates' friends said to him in a frustrated  voice 'My student x travelled abroad. But, when he came back he had not changed at all!' Socrates replied 'Of course he didn't change. He went with himself!'

'He went with himself!' What do you think Socrates meant by that? I think what he was trying to say was that the extent to which we can benefit from anything depends on how open-minded one is. One can only really learn new things by suspending judgement and embracing the new idea. In other words, we need to completely immerse ourselves in the foreign culture. (Don't hang around with people from your own country at a language school!)

On another occasion, Socrates was out on a boat with one of his students. The student asked his master how he could become a great philosopher and intellectual. Socrates threw the student in the water and held his head under. Just before the student drowned Socrates lifted his head up into the air again.  The student gasped 'Master, why did you do that to me?' Socrates replied 'If you want something as badly as you wanted to live when you were drowning, you will find a way to get it!'

What can we learn from this? Well, obviously Socrates was a nasty piece of work. However, his point was good: If you want to get the most from studying abroad you need to show more passion and commitment to learning about that language and culture than you have ever shown in your life.

Cheers,
Buri
Rite of passage = つうかぎれい【通過儀礼】noun
suspend judgement= wait and think before you judge somebody or something
to gasp = 喘ぐ　アエグ
nasty piece of work=. A mean and unpleasant person (My ex-husband was a nasty piece of work)