And there are a hardy few who manage to reach native speaker level without setting foot in a country where that language is spoken.
Oh, If I become from these hardy ones, No one will believe that I didn't go there or my mother is from there :-D
I swear yesterday I watched last minutes of a programme in Nile TV ( an Egyptian TV channel in English) I was sure that the interviewer was a big hired British interviewer because her accent was British exactly, But I was surprised when I saw on the titre of the programme " Presented by Mervat Hesham" ....What?!!! She is Egyptian woman!!! I wondered how did she become like that? she isn't spy
or her features were caucasian (mother genes lol) even I know alot studied in the Britsh Councils but didn't become like that, she was helping the guest in some phrases completition .