Thanks for the suggestions and support. the reason for me wanting to do a year out here is that I don't want to go through some boring 9-5 life and have a stable job. Id rather be poor and have an adventure for life. That's just me.
as someone who has worked an 8-5 for well over a year now, there is a lot i would do to have the same opportunity as you. although i see figuring out the college credit/debt situation as a big issue