Program Reviews

Having been here for about a month, The Excellence Center has not only helped me learn more about the Palestinian community as a whole, but it has also helped me understand the culture, the customs, and the ways in which the Palestinians
continue to create good among a world of oppression and occupation. I participated in the Human Rights Internship for the month of April, 2024. Throughout my time, I
have not only learned so much in such a short amount of time, but I have found a community in which I feel a great connection to, despite our diverse backgrounds. Asa young American woman, it can be difficult to find community in a country where the customs, cultures, and ways of life are quite unique. However, the staff and faculty at The Excellence Center, as well as other volunteers, have made me feel very safe, comfortable, and eager to learn as much as I could in the short amount of time I was there.

During my time, I had around nine hours of Arabic lessons in which I learned basic phrases to help me get around, order at a restaurant, ask for directions, etc. My Arabic teacher was very welcoming and patient. In addition to the Arabic lessons, I
was able to go on many site visits to places such as local clinics, specialized schools,
refugee camps, as well as other religious and non-religious sites around Hebron, and beyond.

Because my housing accommodation was a short 10 minute walk from the Center, I
felt very safe walking around at night, knowing how close home was. The other
volunteers and I wasted no time in traveling to neighboring cities, such as Nablus,
Ramallah, Bethlehem, and more in order to get as much learning as possible. Among many other things, I love the food, music, and zest of Palestinian culture. Overall,
this experience was rewarding in ways I hadn’t even expected and I would highly recommend this program for anyone who is remotely interested.

My first course in Arabic was 50 years ago. As I progressed through the academic hierarchy I took several other courses and did fairly well. However, there was no breath in the MSA. Recently, I decided that I needed to make the Arabic I knew into a living, breathing Arabic, no longer a language stuck to pages and inside books, but a vehicle of communication and laughter, tears and agony in real life. It has been my good fortune that I found Duha Amro at this online course with Go Overseas. She has been an exemplary teacher, compassionate, yet disciplined; a sense of humor; and a warmth of heart known to the Palestinians. As a language teacher myself, I recommend her and this program highly.

The entire organisation is incredibly welcoming and kind. They made me feel right at home. I was a little worried coming here whilst a genocide is going on just 70 km from here. I was scared anything might happen here in the West Bank, but I also felt there would be no time like now to come and show my support to the people of Palestine and learn more about the ongoing occupation. I am very happy I ended up going. I learned a lot and got to network and exchange ideas with locals and local organisations who do impressive things. I met incredible people and felt right at home. I felt safe the entire time I was here.

My program was tailored to my specific interests, questions and specialties, that was great. They were very open for feedback and ideas.

I would recommend the experience to any and all! Age and nationality doesn't matter, you will fit right in.

Excellent programme. My language instructor, Saja, was great fun and particularly helpful with any questions I had. The improvement of my colloquial Arabic skills, with which she assisted greatly, was aided in addition by the plethora of social activities arranged by the Centre. The folks running the Centre are warm, friendly and generous. Because my stay took place during Ramadan, they often kindly invited me over for iftar at their place. Outside of Arabic classes, normally attended in the morning, the overall programme proved highly instructive. The visits undertaken, including to Hebron old town and al-Fawwar camp, were particularly helpful in shaping my understanding of the situation in the West Bank. So was the opportunity to see the more modern side of the city, where the Centre is located. The programme also allows plenty of time during the weekends to explore nearby towns and cities. Teaching English to middle and high schoolers, which is part of the Centre's programme, was an equally rewarding experience, especially as it allowed for an exchange of perspectives with some of the young people in Hebron. I am grateful to all of the wonderful people at the Centre, and I hope to see everyone again soon.

I had online lessons with Saja. We initially discussed all my requirements and she fully understood what I was trying to achieve. I was looking for basic day to day conversation. Saja subsequently implemented what we had discussed and put in place a well structured series of lessons tailored to my needs and objectives - and I was able to achieve my objectives fairly quickly. Saja was fun to work with and made learning enjoyable.
Highly recommended - I am looking forward to my visit in person next year.

Volunteering at the Excellence Center has undoubtedly been one of the best experiences in my life. Not only was I able to start to learn German and help others learn English, but I grew in ways that I wasn't expecting. I learned so much about cross cultural communication, teaching skills, and a lot about the English language as well. Everyone at the center was wonderful. The director and staff were very welcoming. The other volunteers were incredibly dynamic. The students were very interested to learn.

I was volunteering during the off season (aka not the summer) so there where only a couple other volunteers at the time and each of us had a handful of students. I am sure that the peak-time of the summer is great, but I really enjoyed the small number of volunteers and students during late winter period. With relatively few people, it was easy to feel comfortable and to get to know everyone well.

Each day there was plenty of time to tutor others, lesson plan, get tutored and chat with others at the center. The pace of the experience was perfect. I appreciated the freedom that we had to develop lesson plans as we saw fit for each of the students. The director and Center's staff put a lot of trust in each of the volunteers ability to teach effectively while at the same time, they were always available to provide support, resources and advice on tutoring when needed.

I came to the Excellence Center in Halle for 5 weeks to teach English and learn Arabic. I was nervous beforehand but as soon as I arrived I felt welcomed and part of a community. I have immensely enjoyed both teaching and studying at the Excellence Center. It has been so much fun but also highly productive. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching each individual student and learning about their culture and language. I also loved working with my Arabic teacher Khloud who is so encouraging! The daily breakfasts help everyone bond and feel connected, as well as provide interesting and stimulating conversation. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested!

I came to the center to study Arabic intensively for 12 weeks, 3 hours a day. This is the most intense program of study possible, which I did because I wanted to learn as much Arabic as I could as quickly as possible. While I studied Arabic in college in the US, I had not studied it at all in more than 6 years and had forgotten most of what I learned. In three months I went from barely being able to form complete sentences in Arabic to speaking at a higher level than I ever did in college. In short, 3 months at the Excellence Center improved my Arabic more than 2.5 years at a university. This was possible because the instruction you receive at the Excellence Center is either one-on-one or with only a few other students. As a result, you spend much more time speaking directly with your teacher, and therefore have much more time to practice your language skills in a practical environment. In addition to being skilled teachers, the teachers are all friendly and contribute to a pleasant and welcoming environment around the center. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their Arabic skills quickly.

Hello everyone!
I hope that you are doing well. I definitely enjoyed my stay at the Excellence Center! The atmosphere was very welcoming, the staff and volunteers nice and my Arabic teacher amazing! The lessons were fun and very helpful. The city is beautiful and we visited it with one of the staff. They are many Arabic speakers in Halle, which helps focus and learn the language. We also went to the nice city of Leipzig. I truly recommend you to study or volunteer there!
Best wishes from Switzerland,
Joëlle

On my arrival in Germany on a Monday morning in early November I was warmly greeted by Rafat and the other volunteers at breakfast. This was my first time in Germany, and my first time travelling to Europe as an adult so I was understandably nervous upon arriving. Yet, the community spirit at the centre made me feel comfortable and welcome from day one.

Over the course of my stay, I enjoyed teaching English to 5 students coming from Syria, Ukraine and Germany, ranging from 9 years old to 85 years old, each with varying degrees of English. The lessons are held as personal one to one tutoring, so you have the freedom to design and tailor the lessons to each of the students' needs. I found this experience to be very rewarding, as it gives you the chance to build a constructive relationship with each individual.

At the same time I also took beginner A2 German lessons in the centre taught by Muaz alongside fellow acquaintance Caterina. Muaz is a great teacher, who really pushes you to speak your best every lesson. I found my German improved steadily over the course of my stay. I even held a few impromptu classes with Cat where I became the teacher :P The only negative was the scheduling of the lessons. Lessons were not scheduled in advance but rather, during the week whenever Muaz was available. Unfortunately this meant, I often didn't know if I was having a lesson or not until the day before, which became slightly frustrating. I found the same was true with scheduling my students as well. It is fair to say the centre at times can be a little disorganised, but it does not detract from the experience all too much.

For my accommodation, I shared a room with two other volunteers in a flat which belonged to one of the excellence centre staff. I did not mind the sharing experience, and it was fun to have roommates that I could bond with. However, I found the accommodation itself to be on the smaller side for four people. This was true of the kitchen which could only really support one person at a time, and also lacked both a microwave and a proper oven. It was also frustrating that we only had two sets of keys between the three of us, and had to frequently let each other in. However, your accommodation experience will likely differ from mine if you live with a host family.

Far and above the best part of my experience at the centre was getting to know the other volunteers. Each morning we would gather in the dining room to enjoy an Arabic breakfast with the other staff and volunteers. It's a great bonding experience and a fund blend of cultures. Even though, I came to the centre with a mind to learn German, I gained a new insight into Arabic culture and even picked up a few Arabic words along the way. Wallahi.

The centre attracts an amazing type of person, passionate about languages and eager to learn about other cultures. Everyone was so inviting, and together was organised some really fun European excursions, to Berlin, Dresden and even Paris. I will always remember enjoying a baguette by the Seine with James. The centre is also closely linked with the Erasmus Students Network in Halle, and through that social group we were invited to some really awesome parties.

Overall I had a really fun time at the centre and made some very unforgettable memories. I could not have wished for a better introduction to Europe.