DEAR ABBY: I'm a high school student who has the amazing opportunity to travel to Spain for a school year as a foreign exchange student. I know I am very lucky to have this opportunity to travel, but I am scared about the people there.
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I am a Mormon, so I will have to uphold my standards alone in a non-Mormon environment. I have never been away from home for this long, and that's hard enough as it is. I guess I just need some advice on how to be strong when I'm there. -- ALONE IN SPAIN
DEAR ALONE: I agree that you are being given an amazing opportunity to grow and learn. If you haven't spoken about this with your adviser, please do so. I assume you will be living with a host family. When you get there, consider discussing your concerns with the parents. I am sure you will be encouraged to stick to your standards and beliefs, and be respected for doing so if you remember to also respect others who may not think exactly the way you do.