The Excellence Center Reviews

I spent 8 weeks at the Excellence Centre in Halle. It was my second summer doing an "Arabic Intensive" course. Last summer I was at the University of Wisconsin in Madison: two Arabic intensives, two very different summers. In Madison, the setting was academic: grades, exams, and hours spent at the campus library. In Halle, the setting was full of life. I went to the Excellence Centre to learn Arabic and am so grateful I did. At the Excellence Centre, Arabic is taken out of the textbooks. It's given life, it becomes full of colours, history, and emotions. It's in Halle that I felt, rather than merely knew, why I was learning Arabic. We did use a textbook to learn the grammar and studied the vocab sheets. But, and that's when I learned the most, we also translated songs, played games, made breakfast, and wrote love letters. We carefully listened to Muaz telling us about Al-Andalus, asked him to repeat himself when we got lost in the history or the Arabic. We went to the zoo, museums, coffee shops, and Arab restaurants. We travelled to Leipzig and Berlin. Muaz made Arabic fun, interesting, and beautiful. The Arabic I will learn after the Centre will have its roots in Halle.
At the Excellence Centre, I felt welcomed and encouraged to be part of a community. I have met such caring and brilliant people. Thank you for everything.

My name is Abigail Friedman, I am from the United States. I have a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Behavioral Sciences from Clemson University and I am receiving my master’s degree in Refugee Policy from American University- Athens, Greece. While obtaining my degrees I have focused my research on the Syrian and Palestinian refugee crises. This passion is what fueled my desire to come to Palestine and gain a firsthand account of the struggles Palestinians face.
During my month and a half in Hebron, Palestine, I volunteered with the Excellence Center in the Human Rights Program and the Volunteer with Refugees Program. While in these programs, I visited various Palestinian villages, camps, and historical sites learning more about the Palestinian struggle and steadfastness. The most inspiring and thought-provoking was when we visited Masafer Yatta Village; while there, we heard stories from numerous residents recounting the violence and hate they had experienced from settlers. The power of their stories stuck with me through the duration of my trip and reinforced my passion and reasoning for coming to Palestine. Through the program, I also had the opportunity to teach in surrounding villages and interact with local Palestinians. Through this, I was able to garner a deeper understanding and admiration for Palestinians. In addition to the programs I participated in, I took 15 hours of Arabic classes. These classes provided me with the ability to communicate with locals through basic conversations and allowed me to forge lifelong friendships in Palestine.
While in Palestine, the Excellence Center provided an apartment for the women to stay in. The apartment was five minutes away from the Center, was centrally located, and was walking distance from everything we needed. When walking to and from the apartment, during the day and at night, I never felt unsafe. The people in Palestine were so welcoming and hospitable, I never feared for my safety nor did I feel unwelcomed. The locals, those at the center, and those at the sites you visit want to ensure you have an educational and fun time exploring Palestine, and often will invite you for tea, dinner, or coffee. These invitations are a great way to learn more about Palestinian culture.
As my time in Palestine comes to an end, I am saddened to think about all of the friends and experiences I will be leaving but I look forward to returning soon.

I loved studying Arabic in Halle, Germany! It is such a unique experience. Rafat runs the center with care for all of his students. Muaz is a great teacher who makes it fun and challenges you outside your comfort zone. We did fun field trips to local Middle Eastern restaurants and you will find amazing food and people here! I walked away after 3 weeks of study with better Arabic and more confidence to speak it to others. People from all over the world come here, but it was mostly young adults in university studying. Keep that in mind if you are older and joining the program or the housing options here.

I choose this program because it looked very welcoming and inclusive. As an older volunteer this was important to me.
My instincts were right as the centre and volunteers are very welcoming and supportive whatever your background.
I was apprehensive about staying with a host family but I was matched well with a German family who were incredibly helpful and kind.
Whilst I didn't do as much teaching as I was expecting to the students I had were delightful. I found the lessons fun and stress free and there was a lot of flexibility.
If you are just starting out considering volunteer work abroad then this is an ideal program to give you confidence and make new friends in a supportive environment.
I was sad to leave and had a memorable experience

I participated in a 7 week intensive study of Levantine Arabic at the Excellence Center in Halle, Germany. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire life. As an Arab-American, it felt in many ways to be a deep dive into my identity. My father spoke Arabic to me growing up but I always responded in English and never learned to read or write. Upon learning the alphabet and all of the forms of each letter, piecing together basic words and sentences (through writing and reading) was a deeply meaningful privilege. I loved learning the Arabic language, it felt like slowly working towards solving a puzzle. I love the inherent artistic qualities of the language which allow for individual creativity in writing and ease with constructing poetic phrases with double meanings and the like.

My teacher Muaz created a rich learning environment filled with numerous methods to cement classroom concepts such as studying Arabic songs, delivering comical presentations, acting in everyday scenarios and ordering food from local restaurants in Arabic. Furthermore, I particularly liked the well-rounded education we received because there were many opportunities to learn about Arab and Levantine history, culture, food, customs, and music to name a few. I believe that this circular style of teaching encouraged a more lively learning environment because we could see the practicality of the language in real-life scenarios instead of just rote memorization from a textbook (though there was some of this traditional style learning as well).

As for the center itself, I became very fond of Rafat Shantir’s innovative idea to bring together people from all over the globe in a highly participatory and communal manner. If you sign up for language study (Arabic or German) you will have ample opportunities to meet local Germans and/or Arab immigrants/refugees, and you will become part of the Excellence Center global community. There are many activities such as weekly soccer games, social outings, visits to neighboring cities and chances to interact with others at the center, most notably the daily delicious group breakfasts which I always looked forward to. If you haven’t finalized your decision yet, as I hadn’t in spring of 2024, I encourage you to go ahead and apply. It was truly one of my favorite life experiences where I met some amazing people, got to experience a small German town with delicious food, parks/green spaces, cultural events and made some life-long friendships. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Rafat, Muaz, Ali and all of the other employees, volunteers and others I met and interacted with at the center!

I just finished a two week intensive course for colloquial levantine arabic with Muaz. The classes were extremely helpful and tailored to my level. Not only did I learn new words, phrases, even street slang, Muaz also shared a lot of stories with me, helping me better understand the situation of the Syrian diaspora here in Germany and experience the wealth of culture that can be found in even the smallest falafel-shop. I would definitely recommend the excellence center to anyone interested in learning arabic in Germany

I came to the Excellence Center wanting to improve my German and help others adjusting to life in Germany, and I got all of that plus so much more. It is a lovely, ultra inclusive environment where participants share stories and learn about each others’ experiences. Though I was only there a week, I feel genuine connections with everyone at the center and I’ve left the experience with a lot of valuable perspective.

The volunteer schedule is quite flexible, which I loved as it gave me lots of time to explore Halle and the surrounding region. The language instruction is super engaging and really personalized to the students’ interests, which was a huge plus for me. And all of the Excellence Center staff are extremely kind and genuine. They have made my experience wonderful.

The fact that I feel so much like I am part of a community after just a few short days is a testament to the high quality of the center and how hard Rafat and his team have worked to create an engaging and truly special experience. I hope to come back soon!

My 2 week stay in Halle as an ESL volunteer and language student at the Excellence Centre was very pleasant.
The director Rafat and his staff including Enrico (my German language teacher), Ali and Moaz were all very welcoming and from the get go I knew that I will gel well with the team.
My program was a lot more flexible than I had anticipated but the flexibility allowed me to explore the beautiful city of Halle and also to get to know more about the other volunteer and student participants.
The accommodation provided by the Centre was also comfortable.
All in all the volunteering, socializing and sharing with a diverse group definitely enhanced my experience in Halle.

I was only here for one week but it feels much longer than that (in a good way). And I wish I could stay longer! I was lucky to have met some of the most brilliant people that come from different backgrounds and walks of life. Volunteers, people at the Center, students that I had classes with - all of them come together to create a big community that instantly makes you feel like you belong.

- Teaching English (albeit for a short time) consisted mostly of conversations in a wide range of topics, and the volunteer hours are somewhat flexibly arranged. As long as you come with an open mind and a bit of adoptability, you will be good to go.
- I was able to get a lot of help with my German as well! Whether you are a complete beginner with the language (German or Arabic) or want to improve your conversational skills, the classes will be well-tailored to your needs.

I would like to thank the Center again for the warm welcome and hospitality for the past week.

Doing the Intensive Arabic Program in Halle is getting inspired via stories, poetry and songs by teachers who enjoy sharing their passion for the Arabic language and culture. It’s going from the feeling of gluing little words together and hoping it makes sense to having actual (even if still small) conversations in Arabic. It’s getting encouraged to continue exploring and learning. And this in a welcoming and accepting environment. Thank you to everyone at the Excellence Center for these 4 interesting weeks.