[WanderingWarrior]

I agree a lengthy visit would be beneficial for some things you may not initially think of such as possible difficulty buying groceries, ease or difficulty of traveling etc. When I visited I was with a group so those things were not necessarily issues for me. But all in all I dont believe it's a necessity. If you can, it's a great asset but I dont think it's a deal breaker. Because even visiting for a month doesn't necessarily give you the same experiences as living for a year or more. There is too much to experience in just a couple weeks so you'll never really know until you can make it happen.

Best of luck!