My name is Nate Long and I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the State University of New York at Geneseo. Currently, I am earning a Master of International Affairs degree from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

During my two-month stay in Hebron, I participated in the Excellence Center’s Human Rights Program. This program allowed me to participate in weekly visits to government ministries and international and local non-governmental organizations. I also had the opportunity to visit with local artists and with Palestinians affected by the occupation. I visited many different organizations and offices, including the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Halhul, the Governor of Hebron, the Office of International Affairs of the Hebron Municipality, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, and the Human Rights Defenders group in Hebron.

In addition to weekly human rights visits, I also taught English to children in Al Fawwar refugee camp and in a few other communities in the Hebron governorate. I also had the chance to learn Arabic through weekly classes at the Excellence Center. I came to the Excellence Center with no knowledge of Arabic and I came to learn the alphabet and gained the ability to engage in small conversations by the end of my two months here. I feel like I have a solid foundation to build off of now thanks to the Arabic classes that I was able to participate in. This will greatly benefit my career aspirations in international relations and my desire to study the politics of the Middle East more in-depth.

The Excellence Center staff were some of the kindest people I have ever met. The center staff is very welcoming and eager to assist volunteers as they get accustomed to living in Hebron. The international volunteers were all very friendly and I made many good friends here from all over the world. My students in the villages where I taught were great and they were very eager to learn English. During my time in Palestine, I lived in an apartment with two other volunteers. The apartment was owned by a family that we had limited interactions with, but they were very nice and welcoming. My living accommodations were good. The only thing I wish I had more of was cooking equipment so that I could have cooked some more food on my own. Other than that, I had a great living experience in Hebron. The people of Hebron are some of the nicest I have ever met while traveling. They are eager to show foreigners their shops and the inviting nature of Palestinian culture. I was invited over to multiple dinners during my time in Hebron where we enjoyed classic Palestinian dishes such as Makluba and Mansaf.

I also traveled extensively throughout the West Bank and the 1948 lands during my two-month stay in Palestine. I traveled to Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Tel Aviv. I managed to visit most of the religious, political, and natural sites in Palestine, including the Dead Sea, the Mount of Temptation, the Church of the Nativity, Al Aqsa mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives, and the beaches of Jaffa. My favorite experience while traveling was going to Jerusalem during Eid and watching the sunset over the Old City from the Mount of Olives with my friends.

I would definitely recommend the Excellence Center to others. I had a great time and learned a lot about the situation here, especially how the occupation affects the daily lives of Palestinians in Hebron and the greater West Bank. My lasting impression of Palestine is the resiliency of its people and the kindness of those I met throughout my time here. I have never felt more welcomed and wanted somewhere in all my life. I truly think Palestinians are some of the kindest people you will ever meet.

Hello, my name is Alexia Malaj, I’m 23 years old and I’m form Italy. I have a bachelor’s degree in international Cooperation and Conflict Management and right now I just finished my first year of Master in Human Rights and Multi-Level Governance.
Here at the Excellence Center I participated in the Human Rights Program for 1 month.

The program is very broad and i did a lot of activities. First of all, many stimulating visits to human rights organizations and associations, meetings with activists to talk about the occupation in Palestine and meetings with people and families in refugee camps and occupied territories who have told us their stories. In addition, at the center I also had the opportunity to study Arabic, 3 hours a week, and to teach English to the children in the surrounding villages.

After a month in Palestine I certainly learned some Arabic. I didn't know anything Arabic before arriving here but thanks to the lessons of the excellence center I can have a basic conversation with the Palestinians (introduce myself, explain what i study and what i do, ask directions, studied a lot of verbs to use while communicating).

The staff at the center is very welcoming and kind. They will help you a lot! Also the teachers are amazing. The environment is really nice, it’s a big family where you can have the opportunity to make new Palestinian friends but also international friends who share your same interests!

While staying here I had the opportunity to visit many places! From the old city of Al Khalil to the desert of Masafer Yatta. I also visited Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus and the Dead Sea. Palestine is beautiful and it’s absolutely worthy to come here. The people are so nice and they will welcome you and make you feel part of their families, tell you their stories, invite you to parties and family gatherings. Families here treat you as you were part of them and act like they’ve known you forever! The feeling is amazing.

During my stay in Palestine I felt very safe. The people are lovely and they help you a lot. There is no danger, everyone is nice to you. I personally had no safety problems.

In Palestine I loved everything, from the food to the people to the culture. But one of the things that impressed me more is the hospitality.

I loved Palestine and i’m willing to come again. I really had an amazing experience and I recommend this to anyone.

I am Rizwan from the UK. I study International Relations at University and just finished my first year. I participated for 1 month in the Human Rights program, During this time I visited and met many organisations and individuals involved in contemporary palestinian human rights issues. Including the UN, Red Cross and a number of other reputable organisations.

During this time, I also had the privilege of improving my Arabic through the 2 lessons a week provided by the centre, and I saw a considerable improvement during my time here. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful people. And being at the centre gives you the chance to meet likeminded participants. For example, I visited Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Jordan with other people I met at the centre.

Living in Hebron was a great experience, the people are very hospitable and kind. I felt very safe in the day to day life at the centre. My favourite experience in Palestine was meeting so many great people who taught me so much. My lasting impression of Palestine is almost wholly positive and I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested.

My name is Sofia Hollowell, and I am 21 years old. I am from the United States however I am currently studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. I participated in the Excellence Centre’s Internship in Palestine program for 2 months this summer.

During my time at the Excellence Centre, I participated in a wide variety of visits. These trips included meetings at the Mayor and Governor’s office; a visit to a Bedouin village, tours of the Hebron Old Town; visits to the Department of Education and a local Kaffiya factory. These trips allowed me to further educate myself of the current political situation as well as gain a greater appreciation for Palestinian history and culture.

During my time at the Centre, I was fortunate enough to have two different Arabic teachers. Both of my teachers were incredibly encouraging and supportive. I also really benefited from the small class sizes which enabled my teachers to tailor the class to fit my needs and allowed us to have productive conversations to improve my speaking skills.

I really enjoyed the environment at the Excellence Centre. The staff are all incredibly friendly and welcoming and instantly make you feel part of the community. They are also highly educated and informed individuals, who were very interesting to speak with to learn more about the culture and politics in Hebron. I was also able to make strong friendships with many of the other volunteers due to our shared interests in Palestine and the unique experiences we had living and traveling together.

Living in Hebron City and with a host family and Palestinian people.
Living with a host family was a special experience. My host family was very warm and welcoming. They were particularly eager to include me in all their family holidays and traditions, including several birthdays and celebrating Eid. I feel very grateful to have lived with a host family because it gave me a first-hand experience participating in Palestinian daily life and holidays.

Palestine is a very safe country. While undeniably there is a very tense and volatile political situation, the people are very friendly and helpful. This meant that throughout my time living in Hebron I felt safe and comfortable asking strangers on the street for help. I was also able to travel easily between different cities such as Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho and Nablus, without having to worry about my security.

After your volunteering or studying period, what is your lasting impression about Palestine and its people? What did you like most about Palestine?
My favourite and most striking thing about Palestinian people are their kindness and generosity. Having been fortunate enough to have travelled to many countries in the past, I can honestly say Palestinians are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. On top of this, I was constantly impressed by their happiness and optimism despite the difficult situation many people live in. This is something I found incredibly aspirational.

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to volunteer with the Excellence Centre. The experiences I had learning about Palestinian culture, politics, and history as well as teaching English in various villages around the country were incredibly valuable. I am very thankful for the staff of the Excellence Centre for the way they welcomed me into their homes and community and for giving me such a memorable experience here in Palestine.

My name is Linnea, I am from Germany and I am working as a marketing manager.

I came to Palestine for participating in the human rights program and study Arabic. I spent in total six weeks in Hebron.

The human rights program mainly consists of various visits to different organizations, institutions and meeting people who live under occupation in Hebron. I really enjoyed the human rights program because it helps to get a better understanding of the political and societal situation in the West Bank and especially in Hebron. At some point, it is also very challenging to process all the information and especially when it comes to meeting people living under occupation and hearing about their daily life in Hebron.

What I liked the most about Palestine are the people! This is one of the most hospitable society I’ve ever been to. Everywhere you go people invite you for coffee or lunch and make you instantly feel like part of their family. Although adapting to a new surrounding is very challenging in the beginning, Palestinians make it easy for you to feel at home. This also applied to my host family: from the first moment I was part of the family and they were giving me space but also invited for lunch or diner and kept their door always open for me.
And also I felt that especially the kids are amazing in Palestine: so energetic, open, interested, kind and warm-hearted. I really enjoyed being part of this society!

During my time in Palestine I also had Arabic classes. My teacher was amazing because it was a great mixture of being challenged but still feeling very comfortable during the course. Every time I felt like I was learning something new and the classes were also a lot of fun and great memories!

Besides the program the center also organizes other activities such as having dinner together at the center or visit other places in the West Bank. It’s perfect for a change and to get to know the staff and other volunteers/internationals.

Regarding safety - I felt quite safe in Hebron. You can easily walk alone in the main areas during the day time and most of the people are very helpful and supportive. If you keep in mind several things such as not walking alone at night in quite areas or when alone, sitting in the back of a taxi then everything is fine. These are precautions you mostly take in any other city in the world.

I’d definitely recommend the human rights program if you’re interested in learning more about the situation of Palestinians. Although after some time it also becomes tough to mentally process everything you see, hear and experience.

For me it was a life changing experience as I could experience and learn about a completely different life and circumstances which really made me value and appreciate the freedom and equality I have back home!

Thank you for this great experience and keep on bringing people together 😊!

Hi everyone here is Carol from Switzerland. I’m a physiotherapist and I chose the Medicine & Healthcare Programme of the Excellence Center.
During my Programme at the EC I had the chance to visit some places in Hebron, as hospitals, refugee camps, and local organizations. I participated in some presentations about the Healthcare system and they gave me the opportunity to organize a workshop about health topics.
The Arabic lessons give me the chance to communicate in a certain way with my host family and the people around me. Of course practice in everyday life was helpful for learning new words and repeating the others. I also learned useful idioms for everyday life.
The time spent at the EC was instructive and interesting, all the staff of the center was very kind and of course the Arabic teacher too. Getting involved in this Programme led me the opportunity to get in touch with others International Volunteers, we had time to share our experiences and to taste the local life.
During my stay in Palestine, on my days off, I visited some places like Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah also with my host family. Travelling around Palestine and its nature was suggestive, I had the chance to admire its amazing sunsets on the houses rooftops and go through its beautiful hills.
Living in a host family was the best part of the experience. This gives me the chance to practice and learn Arabic every day and to have a full immersion in Hebron's culture. We spent a lot of time together, I learned how to cook some typical dishes, how to dance on particular occasions like graduation parties and how people in Hebron live their life. Palestinian people in general are very kind and they always try to help you in all the ways they know.
I had some reserve before leaving home but I never felt unsafe in Palestine in general. Traveling from Ben Gurion to Hebron was easier than my expectations and all the people I met were very polite and they made my trip more comfortable. I felt completely safe also in Hebron of course as in every other place in the world you have to pay attention especially to the traffic and how to cross the street.
I really enjoyed my time in Palestine. The food and the nature around were amazing, of course the food was my favourite thing.
Getting in touch with another culture can be harder than we think but for sure it is worth it and thanks to this experience I learned how to be patient and flexible. I would say that my time in Palestine was very interesting and changed my view, caused by the media, about this place. The Excellence Center gave me the chance to discover a beautiful place.
I recommend the Center to every person curious about life in Palestine and ready to learn some Arabic. The center offers you the occasion of fully living in this place.

My name is Elizabeth and I’m a 21 year old college student from the United States. At
the Excellence Center, I participated in the Human Rights Program for two months. At my
university in the U.S., I study Arabic, Middle Eastern Culture, and Islam, but I also have taken
many courses about Palestinian literature, film, and history and am involved in Palestinian
activism with a group of students on my campus.
At the Excellence Center, I attended regular visits to companies, organizations,
government offices, and important cultural sites. Some of my favorite visits were to Hebron’s old
city, the UN OCHA office, and the Human Rights Defenders office. Became I am also interested
in Palestinian art, some of my other favorite visits were to various art studios around Hebron
where I was able to meet a wide variety of Palestinian artists including a painter, oud player,
glass worker, stop motion film-maker, and stone carver.
Along with site visits, I also received Arabic instruction every week and taught English in
Al-Fawwar Refugee Camp. I had previously studied Modern Standard Arabic for two years and
my lessons at the center allowed me to focus more on the spoken Palestinian dialect. Between
my Arabic lessons and living with a host family, I was able to pick up many new dialect words
and phrases. My Arabic teacher was also incredibly flexible and crafted our lessons around what
I already knew and what I wanted to learn. Teaching English also provided me with more
opportunities to practice my Arabic and I had a wonderful experience teaching my class of
middle schoolers for a few weeks.
The environment at the Excellence Center is very warm and welcoming. Every single
morning I was greeted by local students playing outside, teachers and volunteers hanging out on
the steps, and the staff working inside. Most days, once I was done with my responsibilities at
the center, I would find myself in a group of international volunteers and local staff members
alike on my way to a restaurant or cafe. Despite the large number of volunteers at the center
throughout the summer, I felt like the staff at the center were very attuned to my individual
needs. Osama made sure that I got to see everything I wanted to see in Hebron during my time at
the center and Marwa always made sure that I knew I could go to her with any problems that
might arise.
Outside of my time at the center, I spent weekends in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah,
Nablus, Jericho, and Jaffa. There was almost always a big group of volunteers heading
someplace for the weekend and people were always willing and eager to give hostel
recommendations and to share service rides. Each city in Palestine has its own unique character
and I definitely recommend trying to visit as many places as you can!
I felt very safe in Palestine. People here are very eager to help you, give you rides, and
invite you to their homes and I always felt safe accepting those things from people I had just met.
In fact, my other international friends and I often marveled at how safe we felt in situations that
we would normally avoid in our home countries. While I found Palestine to be a very safe place,
of course I do recommend that female volunteers retain the same levels of caution and wariness
that they would in any other country. I never walked home alone after dark, told my friends
where I was going, and texted them when I got home safe. As a foreign woman, you should
expect lots of attention from men and boys and should know that they will be much quicker to
speak to you than they are to local women. While I did receive unwanted attention, I never once
felt like I was in danger here in Palestine.
Living in Hebron and with a host family was a very positive experience. I spend Eid
al-Adha with my host family, went on a family vacation to Jericho, attended weddings and
graduation parties, and overall felt very included in local Palestinian life. I quickly felt like I was
part of the family and felt at home living with them. My host “mom” worked for the Hebron
Governorate and she was able to set up a meeting between the Excellence Center volunteers and
the governor of Hebron. Along with all of the fun activities that I joined with my host family, we
were also able to have many conversations about the occupation and the reality of life in
Palestine that were more in depth than any other conversations I had.
My favorite experiences from living in Palestine came from my friendship with a local
artist here in Hebron. We first visited his studio as a group from the center, but I was later able to
return to his studio to paint (we graffitied a bench that now lives in a shoe store in Hebron) and
he also introduced me to other Palestinian artists. I was even able to go with him to Bethlehem
for a competition between young Palestinian artists in the Banksy Walled Off Hotel where I met
Sliman Mansour. Another one of my favorite experiences was when I got to meet the rapper
Tamer Nafar, who I’ve researched for the past year, after a concert of his in Jaffa.
My overall experience at the Excellence Center was very positive. Through the
Excellence Center, I met wonderful people from Hebron and from all around the world. The
volunteers who come to the Excellence Center, while their backgrounds are wildly diverse, come
with a shared set of values and a shared commitment to the Palestinian cause. The staff at the
Excellence Center are also incredible and I made many friends among staff members here. I
learned so much about the occupation and the human rights situation here through lectures and
visits that the Excellence Center organized. I would certainly recommend the Excellence Center
to anyone who was interested in visiting Palestine and I absolutely loved my time here.
After two months in Palestine, I am still astounded by the overwhelming kindness and
generosity of the people here despite the realities of the occupation. I stood in the wreckage of
demolished homes, watched IDF soldiers confront my friends, and spoke to many people whose
family members have been killed. Still, the kindness of people in Hebron does not waver. I will
always be in awe of the resilient spirit here, whether it manifests itself as a commitment to teach
English to a younger generation, a dedication to documenting and disseminating events that take
place here, or the creation of profound and beautiful art

This programme gives you the opportunity to join on average about two field trips to organisations that work in occupied Palestine. Those range from international organisations like the UN or the ICRC to local activist groups. Furthermore, we visited factories producing local goods and businesses, as Hebron is the commercial centre of Hebron.

As part of the programme you participate in about a 3 hour Arabic lesson a week in a small group. While those lessons help to learn some basic Arabic don’t expect to get fluent… For that you should participate in the Intensive Arabic programme for at least two months and study hard! Don’t worry you will also have the opportunity to participate in some of the Human Rights activities.

As there are many international students at the centre, it is great place to find friends and exchange the experiences you made in Palestine. The staff at the centre is very helpful, albeit you might have to drive your one programme.

On the weekends you can go on self organised trips, with friends you made at centre or alone. Everything within Palestine is easily reachable and not too expensive. If you are here for a longer period, you can even go to Jordan and visit Petra and Wadi Rum.

In Hebron, I shared a modern apartment with under students from the excellence centre. The apartment was great and had everything we needed. Also, as Hebron is the economic hub, you can get anything you need from local shops.

Hebron and Palestine is extremely safe place to visit. While the idea of occasionally having to pass checkpoints might be frightening at first - it really isn’t. As a foreigner you most certainly will nicht face any problems.

My time in Palestine was great, I met many interesting people, had some really good food and was able to travel throughout the country. I can recommend the centre to someone who wants to learn about the situation in Palestine or who wants to learn and improve his Arabic speaking skills.