travelingo

Hey all! Of course my first post would be a question... as I'm still undecided/scared to decide whether I should just stop around this point in my academic career or really try to go further and pursue that phd. I am about to get my masters degree in English literatre from an okay university in a non-English speaking country (Asia). If I were to go on studying, the best thing for me would be to try and get into a university in the U.S. However, I am truly anxious as to whether I would be able to stay in the U.S. for 5 + how many more years it takes without having a breakdown, giving up, and running back home. I am worried because I have health problems, and also because I really do not wish to be away from my family for that long. I worry over my parents. I think the prospect would be significantly less bleak if I could come visit home every summer, at least. So my question is, what's summer like for phd students in literature? Is full summer residency normally required? Could I get some names of schools that allow prolonged breaks during summer? How long can breaks be? Any comment would be a great help, thanks in advance!