Human Rights Program Review

Hi, my name is Oliver. I am from Slovakia and I am currently studying Middle Eastern studies. I have been at the Excellence Center Palestine for 4 weeks and I participated in the Human rights intership. This program consists of trips, visits, and presentations about Palestine. Namely visits to local families, schools, organizations, refugee camps and villages. You are able to get a sense of the situation in Palestine and of the daily lives and struggles of its people.
As for the Arabic classes, I chose to learn the levantine dialect. My teacher Duha was incredible, she created a positive environment where learning was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed my Arabic classes in which I gained knowledge of conversational Arabic and phrases used in the daily life.
The staff in the centre is very friendly and welcoming. I met many like-minded people and made a lot of friends among volunteers. We visited many places around Palestine together, like Ramallah, Betlehem and Jaffa.
As for the safety concerns, I personally felt very safe in Hebron. Palestinians are probably the most welcoming and nicest people I've ever met. They are happy to see internationals, and appreciate your interest in their country. They often invited me for a coffee or a dinner and some lucky ones even got invited to a wedding!
In general, my stay in Palestine was very enriching. I've met new people, gained sense of Islamic culture, learned Arabic, and most importantly, I'm leaving as wiser, more experienced person with many great memories.