I'm a bit afraid that my English is going to change in a negative way. My connection with the closest native English speaker to me has ended, and now I'm mainly surrounded by non-natives. One of the positives of living in an English-speaking country is that you pick up 'correct' English. I'm a bit afraid that I'm going to pick up their grammar mistakes since I'm living in a non-native English-speaking country and have no access to native-speaking countries. I have some friends who are natives, but that's pretty much it. We don't talk daily, only weekly.
Most of my friends are not local, so they communicate in English, but they are not native English speakers. Their English is generally good, but they have their own quirks like grammar, pronunciation, etc.
For example, one of my friends says things like: 'I has,' 'We has,' etc., pretty often, and I'm afraid that I'm going to pick it up.
Obviously, we don't make life choices based on how beneficial that choice is for our English. We don't choose people to hang out with based on their ability to speak English, but rather based on who we like, so I'd like to keep hanging out with these people.
Well your English is good, so I wouldn't worry too much about picking up those quirks if they stand out to you as wrong already. What do you enjoy? Maybe you can join an online community where everyone speaks English
For me, my English has changed even though it’s considered native. My speaking has gotten worse, and sometimes I don’t make sense when I talk. Luckily, my writing is still considered native-level. I’ve even stopped giving suggestions to others learning English because I doubt myself and worry if I used the right expression or wrote it correctly. It’s a bit scary, but I’d say it’s not too bad. It doesn’t go away, but it definitely changes, and practicing in any way you can helps. I’d also say listening to podcasts in English can help maintain your skills.
Why don't you try to find someone online who can exchange languages with you? I'm speaking English with these people almost every single day while living in Japan.
@yumiyumayume Because I'm a busy person. If I had more time, I would probably speak to friends like @CocoPop more and start learning Spanish. AAAND If I were a time millionaire, then I would do this for language learning purposes.