I can also add this as a resource for you. They are American English conversations.

http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/research/santa-barbara-corpus

I love your discussion. :)

You know, when it comes to listening, naturally TV shows and movies will help you to understand colloquial speech, but if you want to improve your listening skills, try listening to your podcasts at 1.5x or 2x speed. Real speech is fast (not 2x level usually, but maybe). I find videos and podcasts   s  l  o  w. Definitely give it try. It's a struggle at first (even for native speakers), but it becomes natural after a while.

My diary

Last Monday, I had a sore throat. I thought that I ate too much barbeque, so I went to the pharmacy to buy some throat lozenges. But my throat got worse on last Wednesday. That night I went to a traditional Chinese medicine store and got some medicine. I alway thought that I was internal heat(?) because last year I had a checkup and the doctor told me that I am as strong as a teenage guy. So since than I have been very proud of that I have a health body. Last Friday, I want kill my coworker when he told me the truth that he caught a cold two week ago, so I got it from him. This weekend I was struggling with a runny nose and seriously sore throat, thanks to my dear coworker. Today I bought some steam fried boazi and red bean cake. I think if I eat these some delicious food, I will kill the virus quickly and feel better soon.

Teacher here! I thought I'd add my two cents.

As a professional teacher, I try to keep my schedule as accurate as possible, but italki isn't the only place I, and many professional teachers, teach. Many teachers have a day job. I'm a freelance teacher per my visa in Germany and I must keep my in-person students to keep my visa. These lessons are quite unpredictable, and to be honest, these classes pay a lot more than italki sessions. Italki's calendar needs to be updated through their system, so when you're on the go, it isn't so easy to do. Teaching also requires us to be connected to the student in front of us and not our computers, so response times can vary with our schedules. As for being online and not responding, I can't really speak to this, except sometimes I leave my computer on when I'm out of the house or doing something else; italki usually stays open in my browswer.

Hope this helps and gives you some insight. 

The limit is your mind!

Many times, you take a moment for thinking, and you begin ask yourself, "What do I want to do in my life? Did I take the correct way? Did I follow my childhood dreams? Am I happy with what I do? Where do I imagine myself in ten years?"
The answer is simple, you are alive and you should trust in God.
The limit of you dreams is your mind, Every day you should fight for your dreams, of course. First you should have clear what you want and what you want to achieve.
For me, the most important is to trust in God. Together him you can achieve you what want it. If your heart and dreams are clean, you can get it.
Many people waste their lives waiting for the right moment. Do you want to be one of them?

Thanks for read my writing, I hope that you like it. I await your corrections.

Imaginary story

Yesterday, I met one of my high school friends on my way home from school. She looked so different that I didn't realize at first. She was pretty in a white, fancy dress with a long blond hair and light skin. She said that she worked for a famous beauty salon downtown, but she was going to start her own business. I was invited to her ceremony to open her shop, but I couldn't make it. I was super bummed about it. Speaking about Susan, her name, she was not an intelligent student. In fact, she was listed on the list of "top 10 bad students" in my class. After graduating from high school, most students signed up to go to college, but she didn't. She decided to follow her passion and became a beauty specialist. People laughed at her as they thought that was a terrible idea. In my hometown, there is a traditional thought that the way to succeed is to enter college. Now, she proved that they are totally wrong. She went against tradition and she has everything that girls dream of: beauty, success, doing the job that she loves.
I am so happy that she made the right choice and I am sure that she will live happily ever after.