When I was a kid, I was an AF Brat. I had spent six years overseas by the time I was 17 (Okinawa, England and Spain). Combine that with living in the west, south, mid-atlantic and midwest and I can say I feel I have a much better time appreciating cultural differences and getting that my way ain't the only way.
That sounds like the kind of experience you should jump on with both feet because one way or another, it will open your eyes and broaden your horizons. While it's fascinating to learn how people live, it can be equally fascinated to see what weird and distorted global views people around the world have about America. With Hollywood as one of our chief ambasadors, it's widely assumed that we have seriously corrupt cops and police forces, that everyone is rich and drives 75K$ plus luxury cars, and that gang violence is the norm across all parts of the country.
In our globalized world, cross cultural communication is going to be the only thing that prevents pretty major problems within a 60 year time frame. Seeing someone else as a person makes it a lot easier to speak up on their behalf when it means giving away some of your group's resources, and conversely helps the other folks spread the message that we don't all deserve to be treated as imperialistic pigs, the infidel, or whatever the hate speech of the region brands us.
(TLDR version: Awesome opportunity. After living in foreign cultures for six years as a teen, it made a huge difference how I view people outside my socioeconomic/political center. And you'll have stories to tell that will have anyone who never travelled hanging on every word.)
