do it!

One of my best friends actually did something similar as well, not for a full year though, but she had a great time! Apparently the English being taught over there is at a similar level as over here; my friend told me that in general the classes weren't too hard or anything. So she had loads of time for meeting up with ppl, exploring the area and all sorts of activities. Sure you're going to miss your family and friends - but it must be a great experience ! And the internet is a great invention, it makes it much easier these days to go abroad for a while.