and I would say...being an international student means that the outside "distractions" are minimal--not that I think its right to think of family and friends as a distraction! But with family and good friends an ocean away, I don't have to balance those out in the way that people do as have them closer by. If I was home, it would be a very difficult balance to strike, as it would be important for me to have that time with them. Being a PhD student is isolating, and even moreso if you are not in your own home environment...and in my case, coming from a community that is pretty close-knit and where I have had the luxury of keeping close ties from childhood onward, you see people at the post office, the grocery store, etc, etc, to leave all of that has been a shock and a struggle. You do not replace those ties overnight, or at all, frankly, and having lived relatively cocooned by all that, being overseas has been at times a difficult adjustment. I suppose it teaches me better coping skills, and it also sure makes me have new appreciation for what I have at home.