Teach English & Study Arabic in Palestine (1-13 Weeks)

My time in Hebron has been pleasantly and proufoundly insightful and enjoyable. From the staff and students at the Excellence Center, the local people and the host family, the people of Palestine are extremely hospitable and welcoming.
I have learn't a great deal about the education, medical and human rights presence as well as the cultural values. It has raised awareness in a differenet perspective and I hope to visit Palestine again and stay connected with the countless beautiful people I have met.

I was on the Volunteer Teaching English and Learning Arabic programme for two months at the Excellence Centre. Part of my activities involved assisting some of the local teachers at the centre. The local teachers would teach English grammar rules through Arabic, to ensure that students had a good foundation and understanding of the grammatical rules before I would begin a practice session with the students. This was a helpful experience as I came to the centre with little teaching experience, and I believe that this helped increase my confidence in the classroom. I also enjoyed learning Arabic, and Marwa was a fantastic teacher.
At the centre I was able to participate in some activities such as, a tour of the old town in Hebron, I got to visit Ibrahim Mosque. The centre also organised a trip to Dar Saba Monastery near Bethlehem. I got to meet many international people and local people during my time in Hebron and friendships were formed. During my time at the centre, I was able to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah. I was able to see and do so much and it was an experience of a lifetime.
During my time in Hebron, I stayed with a host family. This was an interesting experience, as I could really experience Palestinian family life first hand. I would like to thank the excellence centre for everything they do, this is such a vital community centre for the people of Hebron and so many children, young people and foreigners benefit from the centre. Marwa, Osama and all the teachers at the centre do an amazing job. It’s clearly not just a ‘job’ for them, they genuinely care about what they do. I would like to thank them for all their help and support, and I hope to return in the

Hi! I’m a medical student from the UK and just spent the last 2 weeks in Hebron, Palestine with the Excellence Centre. I was involved with both the Teach English Study Arabic (TESA) and Medical Healthcare Programme.

On the TESA programme, I spent a week travelling to a nearby village (paid for by the centre) to teach 2 classes of around 20 kids aged 7-13. Although varying in levels, being able to build a bond with the kids and try and make their lessons as fun and useful as possible was very rewarding. Most of the kids were very eager to learn English which certainly helped make the class environment more fun. Teaching them basic words/phrases also gave me a chance to improve my own very basic conversational Arabic.

My Medical healthcare programme was shorter. In my 5 or so days, I was able to visit 2 hospitals, a nearby refugee camp and listen to a couple of presentations about the healthcare structure in Hebron and Palestine. The visit to the nearby Al-Alia public hospital was the most memorable experience of this programme. The hospital was rammed pack and was certainly in need of additional funds/staff and supplies. It was an eye opening experience but the doctors and staff from each ward were very friendly and happy to take time out to answer any Q’s we had.

The people in Palestine, particularly Hebron were super friendly. I read a lot of people say the same thing before I travelled to Palestine, but having been through it myself I cannot overstate how friendly Palestinians truly are. From teachers/students at the EC to taxi drivers to even street sweepers. Everyone was super happy to talk to foreigners and help out in any way possible. This also means a lot of coffee offerings and even 1 wedding invite from a particular taxi driver lol. Marwa and Osama (the people who run the centre) were extremely accommodating in my short time there. I felt reassured that I could raise any concerns with them at any time. Marwa even cooked a local favourite dish (Mansaf) for my flatmates and I - for which I am super grateful!

Due to the nature of the course and having weekends off, there is also a lot of scope to travel around Palestine which was something I really enjoyed. In just 2 weeks at the centre, I combined my free time and visited Jerusalem, Ramallah and Nablus with a few friends that I made from the centre.

One concern I had going into Palestine was safety. It’s completely understandable given the media portrayal but I am 100% convinced when I say Hebron is safer than London in every way possible. The people are incredibly funny and cannot remember coming across/witnessing anything confrontational at all. The only sense of tension I got was when visiting the occupied areas near Ibrahimi Mosque.

Some things I would tell volunteers to expect before they come would be to be prepared for the surprisingly high cost of living in Palestine. Due to the political and economic situation in Palestine, costs and prices alike have gone up. It’s not uncommon to pay £15-£20 for a meal. However, I would still urge to do so and help out the local communities who are still struggling very much. Another things would be not to expect a 5* hotel accommodation. I think I got quite lucky with a very nice apartment for my accommodation, but I heard of less fortunate situations. Do not have your expectations for living arrangements through the roof, especially considering the very reasonable price of the course. Lastly, if you are planning on coming it would be in your own best interest to learn as much Arabic as possible beforehand - this will make your lessons and interactions with locals a lot more enjoyable and fruitful.

Overall, I couldn’t recommend the Excellence Centre enough. If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to see Palestine and visit the Excellence Centre - please do it!

My name is Nizar Farsakh. I am a seventeen year old Palestinian American who has
participated in the Volunteer and Teach English program at the Excellence Center. The
Excellence Center has given me an extremely positive experience here in Hebron. Thanks to the Excellence Center I have been given the opportunity to participate in a large variety of activities during my stay in Hebron, such as insightful lectures given by staff, introductions to Palestinian art forms, and community bonding events. These activities centered around establishing a deeper understanding of Palestinian culture and their current situation under occupation. In addition to these multiple activities the Excellence Center provided me with
many opportunities to practice my spoken Arabic with staff members, which greatly helped
improve my Arabic during my stay in Hebron.
The environment of the Excellence Center is extremely positive and constructive. During
my time volunteering I worked with the most wonderful students who truly wanted to learn
English and learn more about the multitude of volunteers working them. These students helped sculpt a very positive environment for both students and volunteers. In addition to this, staff members and other volunteers created a positive working environment by taking time to know each other outside of the classroom. Often, I have found myself conversing with other volunteers and staff members for hours after the center closed and lessons ended. The
Excellence Centers positive environment greatly contributed to making my stay in Hebron
extremely enjoyable.
Besides the multiple activities planned by the Excellence Center for volunteers, the
Center prepared multiple trips for Volunteers. These trips included trips to Palestine market places, tours of the Old City of Hebron, and other adventures in the Hebron area. Overall, these trips where extremely insightful and gave volunteers the opportunity to see first hand what life is like in Hebron. In addition to these Excellence Center planed trips, volunteers often got
together on their own to plan their own trips over weekends to places like Jerusalem and
Bethlehem.
Living in Hebron was extremely enjoyable, I lived in a small apartment with two other
volunteers who where extremely pleasant to stay with. Over the first few days of my stay in Hebron many misconceptions of the place where easily dismissed. The people here where extremely nice and I even made friends with many of the shop owners on the street we lived on. In addition to this, I had absolutely no concern over my safety while I was In the Palestinian sections of the city.
Over the course of my stay I found that my favorite aspect of Hebron was its people.
The people here are extremely nice and love to talk to you and get to know you. The hospitality of the people of Hebron is unmatched and you’ll often find yourself invited for a cup of coffee by shop owners as you go exploring in the city.
As for my favorite memory of my time here in Hebron, I believe it was when I was given
the opportunity to visit the Al Fawwar refugee and get teach English to the amazing children there. These children where extremely nice and loved learn about us volunteers and play fun games with us. I greatly enjoyed teaching in Al Fawwar and other villages near Hebron, and they are among my greatest memories from my stay in Hebron.
After visiting Palestine and working in the Excellence Center my lasting Impression of
Palestine and Its people is of an extremely gentle and kind people living under a harsh and brutal occupation. I recommend the Excellence Center to everyone as I believe that through working in the Excellence Center you are given the opportunity to truly learn about the people here and the state of Palestine.
Overall, my experience at the Excellence Center was extremely eye opening and I
recommend for everyone to visit Palestine.

.

Hello, my name is Audria, and I am from the United States. I have two bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures from Indiana University. During my time at the Excellence Center in Palestine, I participated in the Teach English & Study Arabic program. As an English teacher, I gave multiple private lessons and taught large classrooms with students of all ages and levels. In addition to preparing for lessons and teaching certain classes, I gave a presentation on the experience of teaching for other English teachers at the center.

As for my Arabic courses, I had one or two lessons per week with an Arabic instructor. These courses helped me learn more about the Palestinian dialect and Ammiya Arabic as a whole.

I visited a few sites with the Human Rights Program, including a trip to the Governor’s Office and the Hebron Municipality. Additionally, I went on a few trips with the entire Center, which included a site visit to a mountainous area where we ate dinner together.

The Excellence Center’s environment is very open, caring, and easy-going. The staff and faculty are always willing to answer your questions and take care of your concerns. The Center is quite lenient with your schedule and available to your suggestions and recommendations. Other volunteers are nice and tolerant, as most of them come to Palestine with a similar sense of curiosity, adventure, interest, and respect.

Throughout my time in Palestine, I visited several cities and places. I traveled to Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus, and Bethlehem. I visited more southern parts of Palestine with my host family. The host family I stayed with was lovely and very welcoming. Through living with a family from Hebron, in Hebron, I was given a full immersion to the culture and the language.

In regard to safety, I felt very safe in Hebron and Palestine at-large. Other than normal uncertainties and moments of hyper-awareness that are expected with any travel experience, my time in Palestine was safe and secure.

My favorite thing about Palestine is the people, the Palestinians. Of course, the food and the environments are delightful, but the people are what make Palestine great. My favorite stories are simply of the many laughs and moments I had with the friends I made through the fellow interns and volunteers at the Center.

Overall, my experience in Palestine and with the Excellence Center was beautiful and lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed my time. I highly recommend this experience to others, especially those that want to fully immerse themselves in the culture, language, and the environment.

Hello, my name is Audria, and I am from the United States. I have two bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures from Indiana University. During my time at the Excellence Center in Palestine, I participated in the Teach English & Study Arabic program. As an English teacher, I gave multiple private lessons and taught large classrooms with students of all ages and levels. In addition to preparing for lessons and teaching certain classes, I gave a presentation on the experience of teaching for other English teachers at the center.

As for my Arabic courses, I had one or two lessons per week with an Arabic instructor. These courses helped me learn more about the Palestinian dialect and Ammiya Arabic as a whole.

I visited a few sites with the Human Rights Program, including a trip to the Governor’s Office and the Hebron Municipality. Additionally, I went on a few trips with the entire Center, which included a site visit to a mountainous area where we ate dinner together.

The Excellence Center’s environment is very open, caring, and easy-going. The staff and faculty are always willing to answer your questions and take care of your concerns. The Center is quite lenient with your schedule and available to your suggestions and recommendations. Other volunteers are nice and tolerant, as most of them come to Palestine with a similar sense of curiosity, adventure, interest, and respect.

Throughout my time in Palestine, I visited several cities and places. I traveled to Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus, and Bethlehem. I visited more southern parts of Palestine with my host family. The host family I stayed with was lovely and very welcoming. Through living with a family from Hebron, in Hebron, I was given a full immersion to the culture and the language.

In regard to safety, I felt very safe in Hebron and Palestine at-large. Other than normal uncertainties and moments of hyper-awareness that are expected with any travel experience, my time in Palestine was safe and secure.

My favorite thing about Palestine is the people, the Palestinians. Of course, the food and the environments are delightful, but the people are what make Palestine great. My favorite stories are simply of the many laughs and moments I had with the friends I made through the fellow interns and volunteers at the Center.

Overall, my experience in Palestine and with the Excellence Center was beautiful and lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed my time. I highly recommend this experience to others, especially those that want to fully immerse themselves in the culture, language, and the environment.

I was on the "Teach English and Study Arabic " program at the Excellence Center in Hebron for 2 weeks in July 2022.
I had a really good, enriching experience. My Arabic teacher, Rana, was excellent, with a good pace to the lessons, a variety of materials, relevant topics, pitched at the right level, and fun.
I was in a class with one other student, who was a very similar level. I had previously studied "fusHaa" Arabic, and I had a few words of Maghrebi Arabic, but I was new to the Levantine dialect. The fact I had some knowledge of Arabic before I started meant I was able to make the most of being in an Arabic-speaking environment from the start.
The teaching side was not too demanding, and mainly consisted either of helping local teachers or team-teaching with other volunteers. The timetable was flexible, and on average I just taught a couple of hours a day.
There's a great community atmosphere at the Center (the "Merkaz") and I spent many enjoyable hours chatting and finding out not only about Palestine but also many other countries in the world.
There were lots of trips and activities, and the social side was great. The centre organised a day trip for everyone at the Excellence Center in a big coach to Mar Saba, Battir, the wall at Bethlehem (for a small 40 NIS charge), and a trip to old Hebron. One of the highlights of the whole trip was a supper organised in a garden near the Merkaz. There were also films, and presentations/ talks on various topics related to Palestine.
There was also free time available to do your own thing, and I visited Jerusalem for one weekend, which was amazing.
I stayed in a flat about half an hour walk away from the Center, with 3 other guys from the Excellence Center. The flat had hot water, fridge, cooking facilities, a washing machine and a nice balcony. The owner dropped by from time to time to check we were fine, as did the Merkaz managers. A couple of the other male Merkaz students dropped by to do laundry.
Palestinians in the street in Palestine make you feel welcome all the time, and always want to practise their English or help you out. There is tension around the Ibrahimi Mosque and the old city between the settlers and the Palestinians, but these are still definitely places to see.
I stayed for 2 weeks but some on the program are staying for months. There's a wide range of different levels of Arabic among students at the Center.
My main memories of my stay in Hebron will be of the friendly people, great Arabic classes, fun times, long chats and amazing trips, especially to Jerusalem.