I decided to rephrase the question and start over. Sorry for the redundancy but I wanted to start the question title again, and edit some more.

This will be in English because my Esperanto reading is not up to par and it helps with clarification.

I am starting to question why I started Esperanto in the first place, because it is so difficult to find people to speak with. And we all know that being able to use the language is the ultimate goal ( at least for me it is), but it can be so hard to find other speakers. I’m not going to give up because I have already come thus far and it would be a lot of progress out the window. But I want to know other viewpoints and stories of people who are learning and why, considering the fact you might have known it would be difficult to find other speakers. I cannot find anyone for the life of it who even knows what Esperanto is, moreover put the effort in to learn a language. Im worried that once I have a C1 vocabulary that I will just forget it. So to all, how did you manage to find people to speak with , and what are your experiences with this?Also did you have to “advertise” Esperanto to other people to eventually find someone ? I also do not like being on video camera so online lessons would be difficult, but Im afraid it would be my only choice.

Let me tell my story.

Back in the 1980's when I was a teenager (did I just date myself?), I got a brown book, Paŝoj al Plena Posedo in my hands. I don't remember for sure, but I think someone gave it to me. I read something like ten pages and quited. Not because the text had been too hard, but because the book was boring. However it made me to buy a dictionary. There was and still is [read: it's hopelessy outdated] only one dictionary in my native language available. The dictionary had an appendix with a story in E-o. I read that. Then I headed for university and I put E-o aside.

Fast forward a few decades… A couple of years ago I decided to begin some sort of gymnastics. I found a course in qigong, the Chinese health exercises, and in the same folk high school they offered a beginner's course of E-o. Hey, I thought, why not brush up my skills, and I went into the course. Through the course I have met local esperantists, who helped me to get aware of national summer courses. I have attended two such courses, and foreign teachers on those courses has forced me to make myself understood only in E-o. That has been a valuable experience: make oneself understood to someone, who doesn't speak your native language and share the same culture.

So you're quite right, that finding people to speak with is important. What can I say? Take a look, what local folk high schools have to offer. Even if they don't have E-o courses, contact a language teacher there and ask, if they know E-o courses somewhere and/or could such be arranged here. Google for clubs and contact your national organisation.

At least Edukado.net runs a program called Ekparolu!, which offers possiblility to talk to someone in E-o. I also recommend watching Youtube videos by Evildea, an Australian chap, who speaks fluently and ,eh, talks about contemporary themes. (Yes, at least here many local esperantists are seniors, for whom email is the state-of-the-art.) I hope you find someone!

Thanks I watch evildeas videos nearly everyday. Do you think its possible to develop the level of fluency that evildea has just by talking to yourself, and not actually to someone?

I'm not a language teacher, but I would say, that you can reach that Evildea's level of speed by yourself, because you have time to rehearse and think ahead, what you say, but…

In a conversation will come up situations, topics you haven't necessarily rehearsed just now, so you need to improvise, which requires, that you have developed a language skill, so that you can speak yourself and understand what the other(s) are saying.

Also if you're just alone, there is a risk, that characteristics of your native language(*) will creep in, and you won't even necessary notice it. To become aware of those you need someone like I described above: someone who doesn't speak your native language and share the same culture, and you must make yourself understood to them.

*: I may be totally off, but I may have detected, that English-speakers put unnecessary ĝi-s in their speech (E-o doesn't need formal subjects) and they use different esti + participle constructs more often than actually needed (simple verb forms and oni carry a long way).