Living Abroad - not nearly as easy as traveling abroad!

I like to think I never expected living abroad to be easy. However, I've definitely been surprised by just how stressful it can be at times. The following have been the most difficult for me in the past few weeks:

- not understanding about 60% of what is said to me/not being able to express about 60% of what I want to say!

- trying to figure out how much money I have/will be making - will 520 euros a month pay for rent, groceries, a phone, student loans, and credit card payments? not even close . . . making one paycheck last for 8 weeks? not an easy thing to do . . .

- the time difference - it's not so easy to talk to friends and family when it's a 6-8 hour difference!

- the mentality of "i might not be here again, i need to see and do everything possible, regardless of cost" doesn't work at all . . . in reality, there's a lot we don't do because of money. it means we might have to spend the weekend doing not much at all . . .

- living life with amazing people, yet not your best friends who know and understand you. i've met the most kind, mature, wonderful people, yet they can't compare to my best friends because i've only known them a few weeks . . . i'm not completely able to be myself quite yet.