1) I feel the same way about speaking Mandarin. I get very nervous, and I do not know enough words, so it is difficult for me to speak properly. However I find it much easier to chat online using Skype. It feels much more comfortable. You can find lots of friends here on italki, and some of them might be happy to help you with English, if you can help them with Chinese. It will take some time, but you will find good people here. ------------ 2) I have personally found that most Chinese people have good English reading and writing skills, but sometimes the speaking skills need to be improved. The only way to get better is to practise speaking out loud (or on Skype). It might be scary at first but soon you will become very good at it, and you will have more confidence! Also, speaking correctly might require learning to move the mouth in different ways. ------------ 3) Also, another idea is to go and participate in events where Chinese people and Aussies mix together - for example badminton. In Australia there are some badminton "social clubs" where everyone meets on a certain night of the week to play badminton. However a little bit of talking is required (but not much). At some badminton clubs there are many Mandarin speakers and also English speakers, so you can feel more comfortable having both languages in the same environment at the same time. ------------ 4) Your writing skills are great. I cannot see any mistakes in your writing.

As said above, your English writing abilities seem to be pretty good. You just need to be able to chat to others and not worry about making mistakes! You will improve over time :)

i think the biggest problem is your fear. you already have a great enviornment, as long as you feel free to talk in English, you will have a great progress,, just relax