Program Reviews

I've been taking online Arabic classes with Duha and they've been amazing - it has a great balance of colloquial language and more technical learning points, and Duha is a wonderful person to chat to about anything. I started as a complete beginner and could read the script within a couple of weeks. Duha makes learning Arabic feel possible and fun, rather than intimidatingly hard. I'd highly recommend these classes to anyone interested in learning about the Arabic language and Palestinian culture :)

I have been doing bi-weekly classes with Duha for several months now. What impressed me the most is how quickly she was able to assess my level and main gaps and therefore tailored the instruction accordingly. She is so sweet, fun and supportive. Arabic class is the highlight of my week, always gets me in a good mood. She provided with all the necessary materials and she is always available for any questions. I improved my level so much in just 10 sessions remotely. I can imagine this would be even better in person. I absolutely recommend it.

I have been taking virtual Arabic lessons with the Excellence Center for a couple months now and the lessons have been wonderful! My teacher is very kind, helpful, and professional. She helps me to practice during our lessons and gives me homework to work on before our next lesson. She is very communicative and makes the lessons very fun and interactive. She teaches me how to speak, read, and write. I am excited to continue taking Arabic lessons and highly recommend the Excellence Center to others!

I've been taking online classes with Duha since September. She is very professional, the program is very progressive and logic.

At first, I just wanted to learn to talk but she convinced me to learn how to write and read and I do not regret it!

I take a lot of pleasure learning and Duha is very efficient and understanding. She knows how to help when I don't understand and makes learning fun.

I would really recommend taking classes with the Excellence Center if you want to learn levantine arabic!

I have a really nice experience learning Arabic online with the Excellence Center, especially with my teacher Duha. I started the lessons with some background knowledge, but Duha was able to adjust the lessons to my level and needs very quickly.

The lessons are one-on-one, which I really like, because there is a lot of time for questions, feedback, and for the teacher to focus on you personally. Duha gives very enjoyable and personalized lessons, and I really feel like I have learned and progressed a lot in different parts of the language, such as reading, writing, listening and speaking.

What I like most is that the lessons are not only useful "on paper", but also in real life. I am now able to understand small sentences and simple conversations, even when I hear my Arabic-speaking friends speak Arabic, which I love! I would definitely recommend the Excellence Center to anyone who is interested in learning Arabic.

They guide you through the lessons very well, and teach you real-life spoken language that you will actually hear and use. Thank you to Duha and the Excellence Center for such a wonderful learning experience!

So far, I have received 20 hours of Arabic lessons. I usually have two lessons a week. Despite the seven-hour time difference between my teacher and me, my lessons are always scheduled at a reasonable hour, which I am grateful for. My teacher, Shahed, is charming, and I am motivated to impress her by studying!

In the first month of lessons, I learned basic speaking phrases. The next month, I learned the Arabic alphabet and began reading and writing in Arabic. One of my recent homework assignments has been to read and translate a paragraph written entirely in Arabic. I am amazed that I can do this after only two months!

This was truly a life changing experience. Marwa and Osama were welcoming beyond expectations. They took such a good care of us volunteers. They organized many outings and activities and drove us everywhere.

My Arabic teacher Haya was so committed to me learning and checked in often with us about what we wanted to learn. We went on field trips too and i learned greetings and small conversational skills.

Doing to mini healthcare internship at the Greenland Foundation was very fulfilling. As an RMT I really enjoyed working with the physios and seeing how they practiced with the limited resources available.

I made lifelong friendships with some of the people there and it was also incredible to be with like-minded people volunteering there from all over the world.

If you're like me, you've probably found this site because you have a deep interest in learning more about the wonderful people of Palestine. I found that and more here at the Excellence Center. Our hosts welcomed me like family, and help me quickly feel at home in Al Khalil / Hebron. My fellow participants showed me the ropes and provided an invaluable support network. My Arabic teacher, Duha, made the most of every lesson. Her enthusiasm and dedication helped motivate me to really dive in with both feat to this beautiful, poetic language. As for the legal internship, I had the opportunity to spend time with a brilliant local attorney who brought me with him to court and his office, introduced me to local officials, and really elucidated the challenges facing litigators working under apartheid conditions and military occupation. Safety was never a concern, and the people of Al-Khalil/Hebron were incredibly welcoming. Osama and Marwa have built a beautiful community around the center, and you can tell by speaking to anyone in the vicinity that their efforts to bring people together across cultures to understand and fall in love with Palestine is appreciated. I had the opportunity to co-lead/co-teach an English club for local students. I was terrified to stand up at the front of a class at first, but it immediately became clear that these were amazing kids. Lastly, I would just want to impart the seriousness of the situation the people of Palestine are facing. While this trip has had lots of fun and excitement, it's not something that should be undertaken lightly. Many Palestinians families will never have the opportunity to visit their homeland, and being allowed to visit and share in the culture is an immense privilege. If you're looking to party and relax, this is not the program for you.

I am so grateful to have Professor Duha as a teacher. She is incredibly passionate and made Arabic fun, engaging, and exciting to learn every day. From the very beginning, it was my goal to be able to confidently converse in Arabic, and she created an environment that made that feel possible. Her teaching style is supportive, clear, and motivating, and she truly cares about her students’ progress and success. For anyone that enjoys learning and wants to learn Arabic, I highly recommend applying.

I have been taking Arabic lessons with Doha, and from the first lesson on it was such a positive learning atmosphere and I felt really supported. Doha is an incredible teacher, she really pushes and motivates me and at the same time is a very patient person. The lessons with her are always fun and it's been a real pleasure to get to know her!

I have been really amazed at how quickly I was able to pick up some of the basics, thanks to the very focused lessons and Dohas supportive teaching style. Having one on one classes has also been really unique, and has helped me improve a lot. Overall, The Excellence Center offers an amazing place to learn Arabic, as there is so much love for the language and joy for learning!