I am just coming to the end of a 5 week Human Rights Internship with the Excellence Center. It has been a fantastic experience from start to finish. The center was extremely welcoming and efficient in helping us get setup with regards our arrival and accomadation. The course consisted of several lectures on the human rights sitaution on the ground here in the West Bank. These classes were highly informative and helped us get a better understanding of the plight of the Palestinian people. We are regularly brought out on trips to refugee camps, hospitals, schools and elsewhere which has provided futher important insight into what is going on in the ground. My favourite trips were into the Old City of Hebron which gave us an 'up-close' look at Al-Shuhada Street and the Tel Rumeida settlement, a historical but tense area of the city. The course also included numerous Arabic classes throughout each week which really helped me with the basics of the language and made it easier for me to get around the city by myself. Overall, the experience has been second to none, and I will most certainly be back.

i spent the last 6 weeks doing the Human Rights program with the excellence centre Palestine, over the 6 weeks we learned about the history of Palestine Maamoun i found it very interesting and moving to learn about the horrific history the Palestinian people have delt with. The irish history is quite similer as asides to being colonized by a foreign power, This is why i found the histories classes to be one of the most interesting part of my stay here.
We also learned Arabic with our teacher Duha , we had 3 one hour classes and week and very it very helpful with day to day interactions with the locals and we are all considing to continue our lessons online with excellence centre after our stay.
Our course coordinator Osama had daly trips organized for us we had trips all around the WestBank it was amazing way to see the city and get to know the very welcoming people of Palestine. It was also very eye opening as you see the struggle the people have to endure by the Israeli soldiers.
Over all i had an amazing experience here at the excellence centre, Meeting some of the nicest people of my life who I will never forget. I would highly recommend the excellence centre for anyone considering travelling to Palestine.

I spent the last three months as a Human Rights volunteer/intern with The Excellence Center, and will depart with one of my most significant life experiences. I came to Palestine,with a special interest in the political situation, both on a personal level, and a national level, coming from Ireland - a country that strongly criticises the human rights violations committed by Israel upon the Palestinian people.

I am grateful to the dedicated coordinators of The Excellence Center Marwa and Osama, for making my time here so valuable by providing many opportunities, and catering to my requests so that I could I have a vastly informative experience about the Israeli occupation, from the local to the national level, as well as an insight into the bureaucratic, legal, economic, social, healthcare systems; and the media.

The first week, Ma’moon hosted the Human Rights in Palestine Lecture, and he covered everything from memory. He recalled specific dates, and intricate details from memory. Ma’moon is a very skilled teacher, as well as a wonderful person, with whom I became very good friends.

The inclusion of Arabic lessons in the programme is a vital aspect, and my teacher Marwa made the classes very enjoyable and easy to learn. Marwa was patient, and always so kind even when I was struggling with the alphabet at the beginning, because I found it tedious to study! I was fortunate enough to have one on one classes, and so we tailored my classes to learn as much vocabulary and language as possible according to my learning capacity. Marwa is really open minded and approachable, I could confide in her about anything, and have definitely made a friend for life!

There is always a relaxed, easygoing, fun, vibrant environment in the Center. With such a diverse, international family from Palestinian to Irish, British, Australian, German, Norwegian, Danish, Filipino/a, everybody was so kind and friendly.

During my time in Hebron, I travelled around the West Bank, visiting Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho, Jerusalem, Nablus and Masafer Yatta.

I always felt very safe in Palestine. Palestinian people are one of the kindest and hospitable I have ever met, I was surprised to see that Osama even leaves his car unlocked! During my first week, I also lost my phone temporarily in a “service” and the taxi driver went completely out of his way to track it down and retrieve it for me.

I stayed with a Palestinian host family, who are so generous, kind and hospitable. However, as I am thirty years old, and used to being very independent, I found it hard to really mix with the family, as it is not in my nature to stay home all the time. I enjoyed being involved with other local human rights organizations, so while I was fairly independent, I did not feel as quite independent as I would do, when I am usually abroad. I think it would be worthwhile to stay with a host family for possibly one month, however I think it would be in The Center’s advantage to open a shared accommodation for female volunteers, perhaps from age twenty-five upwards. As a vegetarian/vegan living with a host family, particularly a very traditional one, it was awkward for me to cook hot food.

I personally have forged a very strong bond with Palestine, and am very sad to leave. I would really like to come back in the future and possibly stay for at least six months. Palestine is one of the most beautiful, culturally rich places I have ever visited, with the most incredible, kind, funny, resilient people, and I wish to continue learning Arabic so I can return and converse like a Hebronite!

My favourite experience to date is visiting Masafer Yatta. Thanks to The Excellence Center, I was introduced to this enriching place, with breathtaking scenery, and some of the most sorrowful situations I’ve seen, where houses and schools are being demolished. After I returned more than five times, to stay with the local people and their children, appreciate the magnificent landscape and document their stories that so desperately need to be heard and broadcast.

I truly had one of the most enriching, enlightening and productive three months of my life, and I’m so thankful to my Excellence Center family for giving me this opportunity. I know it will not be the last time that we shall cross paths!

شكراً كتير

Rachel Farrelly

Marhaba my name is Angela and I’m from the United States. I recently graduated with a degree in political science and the program I participated in at the Excellence Center was the Israel and Palestine in Context Internship. I stayed at the Excellence Center for one month and did various activities everyday. There were frequent visits to offices around Hebron that dealt with different aspects of society. They ranged from governmental offices to local artist studios. Throughout each of these visits, we were able to inquire about their work and how the unique situation of Palestine affects their work. The Excellence Center also provides Arabic lessons so that everyone is able to master basic communication that is vital for moving around Hebron and Palestine as a whole. Because of this I hope to continue my lessons in Arabic back home. The staff and teachers at the Excellence Center are passionate about their work and are especially helpful to the international volunteers. They are eager to teach us Arabic and about the complexity of their daily lives. The students at the Excellence Center are sweet and enthusiastic about learning English and practicing with the internationals. Since the location of Hebron is ideal within the West Bank, I was able to travel every weekend to Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nablus. The Excellence Center also provided great information about traveling to these areas and the types of activities we can do. However, I greatly enjoyed my time spent in Hebron due to the hospitality and generosity from the host family. This was one of the best parts of my time in Palestine because I was able to fully immerse myself within the beautiful Palestinian culture and even practice my Arabic. Not only did my host family make me feel protected but Hebron as a whole is a very safe city. Internationals do typically stick out but it is not a bad thing since many Palestinians are eager to speak with us and invite us over for coffee. I am grateful to the Excellence Center for providing such an amazing experience to me and all the internationals

I spent 2 weeks as a volunteer, with the intention to learn more about the Palestinian culture and struggle. I also wanted to learn some Arabic and contribute in any way I can. My experience was amazing and surreal. I was hosted by an very sweet family. The staff at the Excellence Centre are VERY supportive and it was refreshing to be with volunteers who are passionate about similar things. Through the centre I was able to safely open channels of communication with the local community in Palestine.

My name is Aran and I have come to Al Khalil from the UK. I have a degree in history and a masters degree in geopolitics and conflict.

I have come to the end of a two and a half week stint in Hebron and can honestly say that I have loved every minute of my time here. I have spent time meeting local people, visiting cultural sites, learning about the history of Palestine and of course eating loads of great food. These experiences were informative, moving and will definitely impact the way I live on my return to the UK.

In addition to this I have received some basic Arabic lessons. These lessons were fun and useful in day to day life. Hebron is a brilliant place to come to learn Arabic as the local population are so welcome and always keen to connect with new comers to their city. That means there is ample opportunity to practice the language skills you are learning at the excellence centre, and even learn more Arabic from the street.

An unexpected joy at the EC has been the other international participants in courses. I have had a great time meeting others from around the world who are interested in learning Arabic and about Middle Eastern culture. People are always up for exploring the city, the rest of the region and generally spending time together. In my time here is have visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho with other participants I met at the centre.

As part of my time at the centre I have visited local hospitals, the chamber of commerce and met with officials from the education department. In these visits I learnt about the civil infrastructure of the city and some of the unique challenges the local population has to overcome on a daily basis in order live and thrive. Olive picking, visiting ceramics factories and watching traditional glass blowing were all highlights too. I also visited the Old City of Hebron and met families living on Shahada street in the shadow of Israeli settlers and human rights activists working there. To see how the introduction of checkpoints at the heart of the city has fundamentally altered the way in which Palestinians can exist within their own city has been particularly eye opening. So too visiting Al Fawar refugee camp and hearing the stories of families that had lived there since being displaced by the 1948 Nakbar will leave a lasting impact. These personal stories of perseverance in the face of long term suffering were helpfully contextualised by having also revived a series of lectures about the history of the region and the contemporary political situation of Palestine. These many rich experiences facilitated by the excellence centre will no doubt have a deeper impact on me as I process what I have heard and learnt here on my return to the UK.

Despite the gravity of the situation here, it has only been a joy to live amounts Palestinians here in Hebron. The warmth of there people here is something I will not forget, and hope to replicate in my own life if possible. The buzz of the city is infectious and it is incredibly easy to participate in life here, even as a foreigner with minimal Arabic language skills. I has been a genuine privilege to spent this short period of time in Hebron and I only wish that I could stay longer.

My name is Aran and I have come to Al Khalil from the UK. I have a degree in history and a masters degree in geopolitics and conflict.

I have come to the end of a two and a half week stint in Hebron and can honestly say that I have loved every minute of my time here. I have spent time meeting local people, visiting cultural sites, learning about the history of Palestine and of course eating loads of great food. These experiences were informative, moving and will definitely impact the way I live on my return to the UK.

In addition to this I have received some basic Arabic lessons. These lessons were fun and useful in day to day life. Hebron is a brilliant place to come to learn Arabic as the local population are so welcome and always keen to connect with new comers to their city. That means there is ample opportunity to practice the language skills you are learning at the excellence centre, and even learn more Arabic from the street.

An unexpected joy at the EC has been the other international participants in courses. I have had a great time meeting others from around the world who are interested in learning Arabic and about Middle Eastern culture. People are always up for exploring the city, the rest of the region and generally spending time together. In my time here is have visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho with other participants I met at the centre.

As part of my time at the centre I have visited local hospitals, the chamber of commerce and met with officials from the education department. In these visits I learnt about the civil infrastructure of the city and some of the unique challenges the local population has to overcome on a daily basis in order live and thrive. Olive picking, visiting ceramics factories and watching traditional glass blowing were all highlights too. I also visited the Old City of Hebron and met families living on Shahada street in the shadow of Israeli settlers and human rights activists working there. To see how the introduction of checkpoints at the heart of the city has fundamentally altered the way in which Palestinians can exist within their own city has been particularly eye opening. So too visiting Al Fawar refugee camp and hearing the stories of families that had lived there since being displaced by the 1948 Nakbar will leave a lasting impact. These personal stories of perseverance in the face of long term suffering were helpfully contextualised by having also revived a series of lectures about the history of the region and the contemporary political situation of Palestine. These many rich experiences facilitated by the excellence centre will no doubt have a deeper impact on me as I process what I have heard and learnt here on my return to the UK.

Despite the gravity of the situation here, it has only been a joy to live amounts Palestinians here in Hebron. The warmth of there people here is something I will not forget, and hope to replicate in my own life if possible. The buzz of the city is infectious and it is incredibly easy to participate in life here, even as a foreigner with minimal Arabic language skills. I has been a genuine privilege to spent this short period of time in Hebron and I only wish that I could stay longer.

My name is Cormac and I’m from Ireland. I have a master’s degree in political science and volunteered in the human rights program at the Excellence Centre. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Each day we met different political actors and learned a lot about the quotidian aspects of Palestinian culture and life in Hebron. The randomness of each day allowed us to immerse ourselves within the centre which gave me an understanding of the country I don’t think I could have gotten back home.
The site visits varied greatly from industries to commerce and also a number of human rights organisations. We also were taught by teachers in the centre about apartheid here in Palestine and I had the opportunity to learn Arabic as well. These lessons were taught by Marwa who took great care and was very encouraging throughout each class. The centre’s other teachers were also very accommodating and helpful.
As each weekend approached, I visited Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Ramallah, places I never thought I’d get the chance to go to.
My overall experience was one I will never forget and I will definitely be visiting again.