Some people they have language exchange group. You can find on Facebook.
Okay clear, thanks for clarifying!
Pieter,
One thing you might want to keep in mind is how much toilet paper youâll need to bring!
Haha why is that?
Currently, Taiwan is experiencing a run on toilet paper⌠no telling how long it will last - Taiwanese can be a âlittleâ crazy at times. Should be able to find more info via Google. Cheers!
I always heard the fast and bestest way to learn was with a pillow translator.
Come again?
Yes, please.
Who knows.
I hope they have figured it out by September 
Bad experiences with that, and you wonât get the scholarship.
I am the tutor. 
Someone that speaks the local language and shares your pillow.
I donât think weâre the ones who needed the explanation.
Hi again,
Just did some research. Isnât there a very large aboriginal population in Hualien (9,000 people), and does this the ability to learn because less Mandarin is spoken?
Yup. Better pick another place. Not so much taiwanese or aboriginal language being spoken. How about taoyuan??? Super immersive!
No, theyâll speak Mandarin, just means that youâll see some cute aboriginal girls and that if youâre lucky, youâll get to see a tribal head-hunting and maybe even a tribal chief, but that would be the last thing youâd see beforeâŚ[whooosh!]
1:1 daily instruction with private tutor is good. The tutor makes more and you control the relationship. You can do visa runs to Hong Kong as needed. Additionally, find a gf willing to teach you as soon as possible. If you find one gf that will not, then find another that will. The smartest way to learn is to live in a Chinatown near you and study Chinese while pursuing more practical goals. That way your investment is more in line with expected return on investment. You will never be Chinese, so be careful before you spend 1 year of your precious life trying to join a club that will never accept you as a member. If you leave for Taiwan, then always have money ready, a way to go back home, and a place to land in NL with housing and maybe a job. Going to South Taiwan to find Taiwanese who cannot speak English is neither advised nor necessary. If you travel 3 MRT stops away from NTU, that is far enough, e.g. JingMei, to find locals with no English ability and they have never exchanged 2 words (in any language) with a Westerner.
True, but OP looks set on going to Taiwan, no matter the cost and if money is not a consideration, then definitely on-site immersion is better.
Pieter: do try and get a language exchange going with some local friend. Usually can find one on some bulletin board at whatever university you choose, or maybe from some random person you meet in the beginning. I did that in first few months when I began learning Mandarin and it helped so much, because I was asking all sorts of things about how to âsay this, ask thatâ and writing down the characters, etc. Stuff you sometimes wonât get to learn (right away) in class.
Huh⌠Crazy toilet paper⌠that is good one.