I actually think that for her not letting go of English is the biggest obstacle. You won't be properly immersed if any significant part of your live still happens in your native tongue.
In my student exchange year this was very noticeable: all of us Europeans decided to not speak our native languages among ourselves while the large group of Brazilians kept speaking Portuguese with each other. At the end of the year the their English showed little improvement and they also did not seem be well integrated with American friends and so on.
On the other hand, we came home barely able to speak our native languages. That is a really weird feeling when you try to speak to your parents in German and your brain just gives you English words and idioms.
So yeah, before you give up because of age try to not leave your brain an out to be lazy. Brain, there is only one language now and you'd better learn it quickly.
> I actually think that for her not letting go of English is the biggest obstacle. You won't be properly immersed if any significant part of your live still happens in your native tongue.
I agree. Despite Swedish and English being very similar, my experience is that native English speakers are among the slowest to pick up the language, and most reluctant to use it.
In my student exchange year this was very noticeable: all of us Europeans decided to not speak our native languages among ourselves while the large group of Brazilians kept speaking Portuguese with each other. At the end of the year the their English showed little improvement and they also did not seem be well integrated with American friends and so on.
On the other hand, we came home barely able to speak our native languages. That is a really weird feeling when you try to speak to your parents in German and your brain just gives you English words and idioms.
So yeah, before you give up because of age try to not leave your brain an out to be lazy. Brain, there is only one language now and you'd better learn it quickly.