people!
omg people are so stupid. literally any time i talk about ex. studying abroad they go "yes but remember it's YOUR effort, if you don't try to fit in or learn the language blah blah..." yes, i think i know this, i've been living abroad since i was 18 and you can read all about it on my freaking blog profile (not on LJ but the site this took place on).
this came from me saying i want to go to a school with few foreigners, my top choice only has like 20 each year and 80 at absolute max. they were like "20 or 2000 foreigners, it doesn't matter". yes it does, it's a big difference if you're surrounded by them and/or everyone's used to them or using english with them. the more foreigners, the easier it is to end up "with them" in your own little clique (whether you want to or not) and spend all your time complaining about the country & speaking english instead of having a blast on your exchange & learning tons of japanese...