One point I don't completely agree is

about interaction with other Chinese. I have lived in the US for almost 12 years and studied English for more than 20 years. But this is the first time in my life that I am hearing the differences between sounds and I acquired the skill to tell why someone's English pronunciation sounds better. Now when I look back, I was DEAF before I landed on this forum! The first time I submitted my recording, I asked a native speaker to listen to it. He said it sounded good. It's 小千 who pointed out what both that native speaker and I were missing, for which I am eternally grateful. So I value the interaction with my Chinese friends here, although I have to admit, I waste too much time on the forum. xixi. That's just a flaw in my personality: I get obsessed easily.