How about trying to some part-time job or even volunteer to help those foreingers who just come to Taiwan and need some local living information/ tips... You could both earn some money and practice your English in nature way.. ※ 引述《wvss (养猫的金鱼(M))》之铭言： : OK, first of all let me introduce myself. I was born in Taiwan, but I lived : in Canada/USA for about 13 years. I rarely came back to Taiwan until now. : In fact, I did not come back to Taiwan for the first five years when I was : aboard. This is the first time I stay in Taiwan for so long after 13 years. : Well, I am currently preparing GRE (yes, this is tough even for native : speakers) for my PhD application. : Anyway, my problem is that it is quite difficult for me to find opportunities : to speak English in Taiwan. I have been using Mandarin way too often (well, : it’s Taiwan). I tried to go to pubs that foreigners like to hang out, like : Carnegie and Brass Monkey. However, most foreigners are male and they are : primarily interested in talking to girls, except some with different sexual : orientation. Most Taiwanese girls are interested in foreigners only, too. : Yes, sometimes I did meet some nice people and chat about sports and stuff, : but most of the times, I found myself at the bar alone. : This problem became more obvious when I phoned service representatives in the : states for personal matters. I found that my English is not as fluent as : before; I know what I want to say, but I cannot enunciate some words as I : used to be. : Practicing English with Taiwanese students who want to practice oral : communication actually benefits them more than me. One major problem is that : they speak slowly and I talk too fast for them. I have to constantly try to : understand what they really mean by forcing me to think in Mandarin and : translate back to English. (Usually, I think in English when talking). : I am not blaming them; what I want to say is that: imagine if you are teaching : a foreigner Mandarin, you cannot really improve your Mandarin skill by : having a conversation with him. : Personally, I enjoy stand up comedy a lot, but I rarely find people who enjoy : those comedy shows (e.g. Chappelle's show, Mind of Mencia, Daily Show With Jon : Stewart..etc.) in Taiwan. Anyway, this almost sounds like complaining than : really asking a question. Does anyone have any suggestion? --

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