Program Reviews

Overall it was a great program, Palestine is a wonderful country, and all the workers at the center were incredibly nice and professional. I felt that Palestine was safer than the United States.
All of the Palestinian workers at the center were incredibly kind and professional, I enjoyed
working and spending time with every single one of them. I also really liked all of my students;
they were all very smart and respectful; they were a pleasure to teach.
My favorite experience was staying with my student’s family in Dura.
Palestine will always be near to my heart, and I hope one day the Jews will be defeated and
Palestine will be free.
Overall I had a great experience and I would recommend the excellence center to people I know

The Excellence Centre has been an incredible and enriching experience for me and I have learnt so much. Palestinians are the most warm and welcoming people you will ever meet and I feel lucky to have made so many friends here.

The center regularly hosted dinners for the students where we could try famous local dishes such as Makluba. If you have the time, make sure to attend these because it is always delicious!!

As part of my course, I got the unique opportunity to visit a diverse range of places all over Palestine. Additionally, one of the great things about the center is the flexibility. If you show an interest in a particular area, they are more than happy to accommodate you on various trips even if they are for a different program. As such, I feel like I received an even richer, inter-disciplinary understanding of Palestine.

As part of the program, I also learnt Levantine Arabic. My teachers were absolutely incredible and I wish to say a huge thank you to them because I have learnt more than I thought was possible in such a short time. I hope to continue my learning when I get back to the UK.

As a woman, I was cautious travelling to the Middle East by myself. However, I have felt so safe in the West Bank. Everyone is also so nice and if you are lost or have problems finding a certain location, locals will often go above and beyond to help you.

Palestine now has a permanent place in my heart and I hope I can return someday soon!

My name is Simon and I participated in the human rights programme.
My Arabic lessons were an important part of my internship experience. Learning the language was an exciting challenge, and I was amazed at how quickly I was able to pick up conversational Arabic during my time in Palestine. The language lessons were not only informative but also engaging.
Contrary to common misconceptions, I felt remarkably safe throughout my stay in Palestine. I found that the reality on the ground was very different from the media portrayal, and I was able to engage in my work and exploration without any concerns. The only moment I did not feel entirely safe was during the lockdown of the city.
My volunteering experience in Palestine left me impressed by the resilience and warmth of its people. Despite facing challenging circumstances, Palestinians showed a high level of hospitality. This experience strengthened my belief in the importance of understanding and supporting their pursuit of justice and human rights in the region.

My name is Maciek, I'm from Poland and I've spent last two weeks in Hebron as a participant in a TESA program. During my stay at the Centre I had an opportunity to learn Levantine Arabic. The atmosphere during the classes was very friendly and I'm very satisfied with the progress I made here. As so far I only knew the basics of MSA, so I was really glad that I finally could learn a dialect. The classes with local students were a positive experience as well. The students were very active and keen on studying English. The Centre's staff is incredibly hospitable, friendly and helpful. Thanks to them I had many opportunities to take part in trips organized by the Centre. The staff also gave me advices regarding travelling to other cities in Palestine (in my case it was beautiful Bethlehem). During my stay I was accomodated in a cozy apartment with other volounteers. Thanks to that I made new friends and everlasting memories. The apartment's location is really good, as it is placed near the main street. Throughout my stay I felt entirely safe, local people are very friendly and hospitable. All abovementioned aspects sum up to a very positive impression of Palestine and Hebron. Undoubtely I will come back here in the future.

I studied Arabic in Hebron for approximately 3 weeks. My time here was filled with wonderful experiences immersing in Palestinian culture, and meeting the wonderful people at the center and around Palestine. My teacher Saja was the best, and I enjoyed every class with her and my classmates. Classes were engaging and interactive, and I am a lot more confident in speaking Arabic than I was at the start of the program. I enjoyed traveling around and visiting the different cities and exploring the rich history present here. I felt safe and would recommend studing Arabic in Palestine to anyone interested. Thank you to everyone at Excellence Center.

This program gives you the best of both worlds - an oportunity to meet and live with Palestinians, and learn Arabic at a personalised level. This deepens the connection with Hebron and it's people that you will find is made from the moment you reach the city. The Excellence Centre is full of caring, protective staff who will help you engage with the Palestinian experience however that looks like for you - arranging visits to professionals in healthcare to heloing you boost your Arabic skills, to presentations from Human Rights groups. I strongly reccommend looking at this programme if you have any curiosity at all about Palestine and Hebron.

My name is Chris, I study Arabic as part of my degree at university and came to the Excellence Center to practise and learn more Arabic.
I had a great experience at the Excellence Center in Hebron during my two-week Arabic course. My teacher, Haya, was extremely helpful and attentive, and made sure each lesson was personalised for who was in the class. I feel far more confident with the language now than when I started two weeks ago. As well, the center's organized visits to local areas like the Old City provided insightful perspective on the situation here and the way of life.
One thing that stood out to me was the warm and welcoming nature of the people I encountered. From the staff at the center to the locals in Hebron, everyone made me feel like a part of the community and helped me with my Arabic.
As well, I was comforted by the strong sense of safety I felt throughout my time at the Excellence Center. Despite being in an initially unfamiliar place, I quickly realized that the center's location and the community's support created a secure environment for me to explore and learn. The Center was a good transport hub and I travelled from the public transport near the center to cities like Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Haifa.
All in all, my time at the Excellence Center in Hebron was great. Haya's dedication, the insightful local visits, the welcoming people, and the sense of safety made this experience worth it.

Great Arabic lessons in Palestine for a fair price. The center provided pleasant housing, and a daily breakfast with the occasional field trip. I would greatly reccomend it for anyone looking for Arabic lessons in the region. The travel to Palestine was supringly relaxed. I made some great friend around the Center.

Traveling to Palestine wan't nearly as bad as I expected. The were no problems at the airport. The trip from Tel Aviv to Hebron was organised by the center, this was pleasant and fast, but a little pricy. Most importantly, Hebron felt like a very safe and pleasant city

I’m a teacher from Australia who is looking to semi-retire in a few years from now. I was able to take 3 months leave without pay from my college to mix some travel with volunteer work, doing what I love.

My two week program at the Excellence Centre has been exactly what I’d hoped for: the opportunity to meet and work with people from other parts of the world, who have either temporarily or permanently settled in Halle (Salle).

The team at the Excellence Centre is a great mix of people, working under the guidance of Rafat. Our shared breakfast every morning is warm and welcoming. Rafat’s cooking is delicious and completely different from what I’d usually have at home. The team of volunteers develop friendships over breakfast and discuss their day ahead. Plans are made for evenings and weekends.

Halle (Salle) is a beautiful city. I had planned to travel to Berlin for my weekends, but decided against it as there is so much to do, both here and in nearby Leipzig. The public transport system is efficient and many places of interest are within walking distance. There’s a lot of local and international cuisine to try and Halle has many coffee shops.

I have had the pleasure of working with a number of students: some teens on summer break; some young ones about to commence their university studies; and some young professionals seeking to develop their careers with yet another language. All had a high level of English already. These students were from various places: Syria, Palestine and Ukraine.

Sometimes my small groups met at the Centre and worked together there. Sometimes we visited our favourite cafes, to drink coffee and have conversations in less formal settings. Adult students know what they want to work on, so sessions can be student led. Most wanted English conversations but some also wanted to conference their essays and CVs. Interactive grammar activities from free online quiz websites were fun and lively. Students’ errors make for handy teachable moments. The Centre has wifi so we could use very short films for discussion. Students quickly began bringing their own YouTube clips for class

I chose Arabic as the language in which to receive some instruction as part of my program. It seemed to me to be a more useful language for my Australian context. I’m an absolute beginner. Ali was an excellent teacher. (Sh’kran, Ali) I now know a few greetings and useful phrases to use. I also learned a lot about the Arabic alphabet and culture.

I’d recommend the Excellence Centre to anyone who wants to spend time learning and teaching languages in less familiar surrounds. I’m sad to be finishing. I’ve really enjoyed my two weeks here. It’s been a very positive experience.

Thank you Rafat and your special team!

I studied an intensive Arabic course for 2 weeks at the Excellence Centre during August. I chose Palestine as I wanted an immersive experience but I also wished to gain an insight into the realities of life for the people. I had a very rewarding experience, met some great people and will remember my experience for the rest of my life. My teacher was fantastic and I learnt so much within my 2 weeks! Not only did I learn lots of the local Palestinian dialect but I also learnt so much about the people, the situation in Palestine and the history of the area. As well as having 3 hours of class each day, I had the opportunity to participate in vista with volunteers also from the centre. I felt safe and welcomed by so many different people within the vibrant city of Hebron. I stayed with a host family very close to the centre who were lovely and welcoming, they made me feel welcome and at home.

Thanks Excellence Centre for giving me the opportunity to connect with such a variety of experiences and meet some amazing people!