I agree with you on all points. Cultural diversity is especially important for the spiritual and economic development of a nation. Having access to an array of minds and ideas is incredibly valuable, it broadens our own reality and extends our possibilities, it improves the way we treat other people and the way we solve the problems of our own country. And I don't know why I sound like a textbook.

Studying Chinese in Sofia University, for example, was quite a bizzare experience for me. There were some really competent Bulgarian teachers, who had an admirable grasp of the language and a profound knowledge of the written culture, but us and them were always on the same level for one thing: we were the "normal" people examining this new, different, VERY different, unimaginably strange, rich and foreign culture. Hence, there was a lot of insecurity and unstability, typical for every culture shock, in all of us, students and teachers, and this somehow allowed a silent racism among us, we could sneer at everything the Chinese did differently from us and just label it "weird" instead of trying to understand. We had the privilige of being the majority after all. Or, of course, we could pretend that what we did was merely studying some foreign language, ignoring any cultural differences altogether, as if language and culture were two separate things. Which is the easiest and the silliest thing to do. But I myself tended to do it.

The only Chinese teacher in the faculty, the only carrier, acted securely and professionally. She was an amazing linguist and thaught us as much as she could, having in mind that our education started from infantry level. Her classes were a different thing. There were still those emotions, but standing face to face with her, we were more accepting. She was a person like every one of us, but she was also different. We discovered those differences and, yes, sometimes we sneered, or shrugged, or mowed, or ignored, but mostly, I think, we were unconsciously accepting, which cultivated tolerance of things we tend to label "foreign" or "weird". 

In perspective, I actually think that this Chinese teacher was the only one in the faculty who acted normally. I don't know if she was of any help for improving our language skills, I think first year students haven't much to gain on that aspect from a native speaker. I also think that the faculty misused her, having her teach subjects that weren't very productive and weren't very suitable for her potential. Nevertheless, she played a very important part in my mental education.

So I guess we have to ask what our prerogatives are. If we want to learn Englsih and get a job translating documents or guiding foreign tourists, then sure, Bulgarian teachers will do. But if we want to really enrich our culture, broaden our minds and expand our horizons, well, we'll have to expand our horizons beyond EU. Obviously. 

What interesting topics you always notice, Karolinka. Congratulations on your staying for another year.