He's leaving for a YEAR??????

My partner and I have been together for about a year and a half. We are college aged, he went away to school last year and we did the long distance thing, which was ok! But now he is taking a break from school to teach English in China... FOR A YEAR. Since he will be teaching, flights are expensive and their holidays are different, he won't be able to come home often. And since I work and go to school full time I won't be able to afford to visit. I told him if he does this I need to know I'm not just going to be a girlfriend because waiting for a year is wife behavior. He says he plans to marry me (obviously not any time soon lol) I need advice, ya'll. Would you wait around for a year?