[Ayrahb]

I know a guy from Cameroon who had to go and learn English in order to learn Mandarin for his Master's all in one year. He was successul and did well in both his courses and in defending his thesis in Mandarin.

Back on the topic, I know quite a few people who speak Mandarin. One of my clients is an electronics engineer from China who speaks enough English, but would like to improve it further to get a decent job. Maybe you can find a person like that and practice English with them in exchange for teaching you Mandarin.

You probably don't want to waste too much time in Chinatown--I think most people there speak Cantonese and may not be able to provide you with the type of Mandarin instruction that a mainland professional can.