This was my second trip to the Excellence Centre, the first being my 2 week visit to the Excellence centre in Palestine, and it was so good I decided to come back and spend 4 weeks in Halle on the colloquial Arabic course. Our teacher Muaz was amazing, and my speaking and listening Arabic improved immensely. The centre is like a family environment, where everyone is friendly and supportive and you feel really well looked after. I will definitely plan a return trip to continue my Arabic studies with this wonderful group and organisation.

The best way to describe The Excellence Center is “Family”. After spending 3 weeks in Halle, I genuinely feel like I have a home away from home. The staff, volunteers, and teachers do everything in their power to create an environment of comfortability and love. They go above and beyond to make your stay unforgettable and genuine.

While having an unbelievable amount of fun, I also learned an immense amount of Arabic. I participated in the intensive Arabic program with one of the best teachers (in any subject) that I have ever had. Muaz is not only a master of language, but he is a master of teaching.

My Arabic lessons were versatile, engaging, immersive, and much more (I could go on forever about how amazing my Arabic teacher/lessons were). I now feel significantly more confident in my Arabic speaking, writing, reading, and listening. The large population of Arabic speakers in Halle also helps you fully immerse yourself in the Arabic language (the Arabic learning doesn’t stop after the lessons!). I could not imagine having a better experience with my language learning.

The Excellence Center is an amazing place, full of likeminded people. The staff is qualified and experts at what they do. I recommend The Excellence Center to anyone and everyone who is looking to learn rapidly while having the time of their life!

As an educator, researcher, and native speaker of the Maltese language, I have always had an interest in studying Arabic because it helps me better understand the origins of my mother tongue and allows me to make linguistic comparisons between these two Semitic languages. Having studied Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) for years, I felt the urge to practice what I had learnt in class through an immersion experience in a real Arab community.

I learnt about The Excellence Center in Europe, which is located in the middle of the German city of Halle (Saale), a city that is home to many migrants, including Arabs. Such an environment offers a great opportunity for Arab language learners to immerse in both the Arabic language and culture while remaining within a European country.

I completed intensive training—which was tailor-made for my needs—in the Levantine Arabic dialect (Shami). The professional but flexible methods used during this training impressed me. The approach included one-on-one classroom instruction from a native Lebanese speaker; however, it also included several opportunities for real-life practice, such as communicating with Arabic restaurant staff, discussing various topics with Arab nationals, watching and discussing short Syrian and Lebanese films with native Levantine speakers.

I opted to live with a host family, sharing an apartment with an Arab national. This gave me first-hand experience receiving a warm welcome as a guest in an Arab community. I also received a warm welcome from Mr Rafat Shamir, one of the centre’s co-founders, who addresses the specific needs of every student at the centre. Every morning, learners and staff members have breakfast together in the Arabic way—a great way for people of different nationalities to share experiences and start the day.

My experience at the centre was enriching and fruitful. What’s my next step? Who knows? Perhaps a full immersion course at the Excellence Center’s facility in Hebron, Palestine.

Dr Charles Daniel Saliba, PhD (Sheffield, UK)
www.charlesdanielsaliba.com
19 May 2023

This experience was funded by the Erasmus accreditation in the field of education at Sir M. A. Refalo Sixth Form, An Institute for Further Education, located in Victoria, Gozo, Malta.

The instruction I received in the intensive Arabic course was great and all the lessons were 1 on 1 so I really made progress! For those studying Arabic here though you live in Neustadt which is good for practicing arabic but is quite a bit further than where the german students. You have to take the tram which can be quite unreliable! The accommodation in Neustadt was also a bit run down but my flatmate was very lovely and helped me practice my Arabic! Overall though the teaching is fantastic for the price you pay and it was a huge boost to my arabic, both my teachers Salma and Moaz were great and I will most likely return to study Arabic another time!

I would certainly recommend The Excellence Center to anyone interested in learning or teaching language. The staff consists of a wonderful group of people who are incredibly intelligent, fun, and motivated to help you reach your goals. A daily morning breakfast offers a chance to connect with other students and staff in a way that facilitates an atmosphere of warmth. I never realized how little I use my voice or how much of an introvert I am until I tried learning a new language at the age of 43. My tutor was incredibly patient with me. The course challenged me in ways I didn’t anticipate, but she always made herself available for assistance and encouraged me every step of the way. I will always be grateful for her time and her effort. This is a special place that’s worthy of your consideration.

I had taken a 10 week Arabic course in the US before coming to this program. These 5 weeks were transformative for my ability to actually converse with people and be able to speak. I am so much more comfortable speaking and even gave a 10 minute presentation as a 'final'. My teacher Muaz was really great. Every day we would spend time talking and when I did not know a word it became part of my vocabulary to study. He also exposed me to many other Arabic speaking people so I could practice with different accents and ways of speaking. He was so amazing and I am really sad that the program is already over. In addition to Muaz, the entire center is run by the best people who are so incredibly caring. It was a pleasure to be a part of the family and community at the center!

I cannot speak more highly about my time in Halle studying Arabic. I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived, studying Arabic in German seemed strange, but my ten days here were everything I could have asked for and more. I did an intensive period with Muaz, focusing on amaaya dialect, studying for approximately four hours each day with my teacher and then extra hours outside of that. The mixture between lessons in the classroom and real Arabic immersion, speaking to a range of different Arabs with different dialects around the city about day to day things, was awesome. Muaz is an amazing teacher, he has a natural ability to develop the student and give them the experiences that they ask for. I was very impressed. All in all, this course was fantastic value for money and I would recommend spending time in Halle with Muaz and the Excellence Center to anyone. I have improved more in ten days here than I would have done in six months at home. I am extremely grateful for this experience.

I'm really grateful for my experience at the Excellence Center. My classes with the intensive program were amazing thanks to my teacher Muaz. Muaz felt more like a family member and a friend than a teacher. He takes his students to the Arabic shops and restaurants to meet his friends and practice Arabic. There was always a variety of activities in class and the classes were really interactive. We translated songs, played games, reviewed homework, role-played, walked around the city and in shops to practice words, practiced reading and did writing exercises. Besides that we had interesting conversations about different topics and cultures. My teacher introduced "mate" to me and taught me how to make make. I learned a lot. I also felt comfortable during class because my teacher is patient, super friendly and he always wants to help even after class. We started the days at the center with breakfast together and there is a weekly dinner. It feels like one big family. The people of the center are super friendly and respectful.