Program Reviews

My four week intensive Arabic experience with the Excellence Centre in Europe has been wonderful. All aspects contributed to an enriching journey.

The teaching has been first class -- I went from knowing nothing about Arabic to being able to hold smalltalk. In four weeks, I've learnt to conjugate simple tenses well enough to speak about the present, past, future, and desired actions. Of course, I can read and write it just as well. If you are a beginner like me, you will be taught with a tight lesson plan and materials if you ask for it. You can also request for a more target-focus approach -- going directly to whatever specific objectives you have.

The friends have been amazing too. For example, we went together on weekend trips to Berlin, Paris, and Prague. 3/3 weekends passed in great fun and discovery, so it wasn't bad at all. It was pretty diverse. In the group we have current college students, pre-uni gap-year students, recent and mid-recent graduates too.

Most people here speak some German, so it'd be helpful to request to have a lesson or two at the beginning of your session to be for German. (I can attest to the rigour of the German coursework too -- after an hour, I could compose sentences with adjectives and prepositions about the present and the future/desire.)

The host family was very welcoming. l hung out with them right away, even with limited language capabilities, we talked about history, international relations, religion, and personal lives. Accomodation for me was a whole room to myself. I would recommend. Though I didn't cook much, the kitchen was available to use.

My experience at the Excellence Centre in Europe

As I write this, I’ve been staying at the Excellence Centre for three months, teaching English and studying both Arabic and German. I’ve got nothing but praise for every aspect of the Centre, the staff, their mission, the learning experience, and the accommodation.

At the Centre I stayed in a shared house with two other volunteers and a member of the Centre staff. The accommodation was excellent for a shared room, and the people were welcoming. On the living experience at the Centre, the place has a real community atmosphere; the Centre feels like one big family, especially when we’re all enjoying breakfast together in the mornings!

The quality of language tuition at the Centre is also very high. I studied German for the first part of my experience, and then switched to studying Arabic, both of which were taught by the fantastic Muaz Albaid. He’s a brilliant teacher, with a knack for explaining the most difficult linguistic and cultural concepts in a way that makes them seem as simple as can be, as well as being great value to have around. Through his tuition, I’ve improved my skills in both languages faster than in any other learning situation I’ve had before. The other teachers at the centre are also excellent, for example Ali Moshmosh, also very talented and highly multilingual. The lessons are very professional and of a comparable standard to what I’ve experienced as a university student. The small class sizes also improve the experience, with lessons tailor-made for your level and language goals.

Rafat is the life and soul of the centre, as well as the driving force behind its mission, with an infectious passion for his work, shared by every other member of staff - ultimately, the reason the Centre exists - to have a positive effect on the refugee community in Halle (Saale) by making language learning more readily available to those who don’t necessarily fit into the mould of the German system. This is a task at which he is succeeding beyond all expectations. I was really gratified to see that I and the other volunteers were having a visibly positive effect on our students, and it was great to see them develop over the time that I was teaching them.

As a volunteer, you have complete control over your schedule and how you teach your lessons, which are generally one-to-one, while also being supported by the vast experience of the Centre’s staff and the resources of the organisation - this really makes the experience as beneficial as possible for both students and teachers. Personally, I had the opportunity to form relationships with my students over my time at the Centre, and I’m quite sad to say goodbye to them.

In conclusion, I would recommend the Centre to anyone who wants to make a real positive impact here in Halle (Saale), anyone who wants to improve their language skills in German or Arabic under professional, high-quality tuition from people who really care about their mission, or simply anyone who would like to enjoy the community atmosphere and see the good work that Rafat and the others are doing here.

I recently completed the 10 online Arabic classes focusing on the Shami dialect at the Excellence Center, and my experience has been nothing short of extraordinary. As a remote student, I was initially hesitant about the effectiveness of virtual learning, but Saja, my brilliant instructor, completely changed my perspective.

Saja's teaching style is a perfect blend of brilliance and patience. She not only provided thorough explanations of the deeper meanings behind phrases but also delved into the cultural context, enriching my understanding of words. Despite the virtual setting, Saja went above and beyond, repeating sentences and offering invaluable guidance on pronunciation during our Zoom calls. She has an intuitive understanding of how much information is enough to push students just a little bit further each class. This personalized approach made every session engaging and productive, leaving me eager to explore more on my own and to practice before the next session.

In conclusion, my time with Saja in the virtual space at the Excellence Center has not only enhanced my Arabic language skills but has also sparked a genuine eagerness to visit the center in person. I highly recommend the Excellence Center in Palestine to anyone seeking a transformative and culturally enriching language learning journey.

I really did enjoyed my time at the Excellence Center. I've decided to break up my review into different aspects of the program

Pre-departure: As someone who had never heard of this program at the beginning of the year, I was skeptical of going all the way to Germany for something I thought could potentially not be legitimate. I'm happy to report I did not need to be worried, I located the excellence center very easily (just use google maps and look for a language school sign) and Rafat and staff were friendly and accommodating from the beginning.

Staff: The Full-Time staff was definitely one of the pros of the Excellence Center. They all went out of their way to make me and the other volunteers feel welcomed. Rafat, Radwan, Ali and Muaz were all incredible people I hope you get the chance to meet someday.
Language Instruction: If you pick the program for it you have the opportunity to learn German or Arabic with Muaz. Muaz is a great teacher. In the past I have had really bad foreign language teachers wether they're rude, condescending, or unqualified to teach. Muaz is none of those things. With Muaz I learned German for six weeks and because he fostered a learning environment that was judgement-free and because of this I learned as much German as possible at a very fast rate.

Students: How much students you get really depends up to how much Rafat wants to give you. I only had two students, but I was perfectly fine with this amount. I really liked my students because it was obvious to me that both of them were always ready to learn English and I hope at least helped them reach their English goals!

Housing: The reason it takes a long time to figure out what your housing situation is going to look like is because often times volunteers will sign up at the last minute which will throw things off or they have to look for apartments in Halle if their is a large amount of volunteers doing the program. For me this wasn't issue but if you're wondering why you may not know yet those are potential reasons for why. For my housing I stayed at an apartment dormitory. The apartment its self was nice but I felt like it could have been cleaner upon arrival.

Halle: Halle is a nice town. Halle from a logistical standpoint has everything you need from restaurants, venues, grocery stores, parks, you name it, Halle has it. However, I attempted to learn German before I came here but had to stop due to unforeseen circumstances, but when I got here everything I learned in German seemed to slip out the window as the Germans in Halle I ran into (especially the older ones) did not know English very well and often times if they did, they really were resistant on speaking English to you. In total, this a problem related specifically to me but something you should be aware of is English in Halle is not as widespread as it is in other big cities such as Berlin.
Social Scene; The social scene at the Excellence Center is nice because even though it was quiet during the time I went, the other volunteers or Ali were always down to do something lol.

Flexible Schedules: Working for the Excellence Center was awesome because Rafat will let you work when you want to, which was really nice for me because on the weekdays I wanted to study for the LSAT and on the weekends+ Fridays because we got them off I was able to travel.
Travel: This was one of my favorite parts about living in Germany is that it was accessible to every else especially in Halle. during my 6 weeks there I went to the following countries: Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, and Sweden. Since I got Fridays off, it was very easy to travel to these places for weekend trips. If you want to do this I would recommend getting a Eurail pass as it is a cheap way to travel across Europe and all you have to do is go to the main train station in Halle and then you can go wherever your heart desires.
In conclusion, this is a really good set-up and to be honest I wish I heard about this earlier. This was truly a life-changing experience that I will never forget. I would really recommend this program to anyone looking to do be in a international setting, to make a big impact on peoples lives, and to see the rest Europe!

I came to Palestine for my internship and every day i have learned so many new things. I learned about the Palestinian culture but also how the people live here and how certain things work in Palestine. I don't think i have loved a place so much as Palestine, I had an amazing host family (who I will miss very much), i met amazing people at the centre and i also learned so much about myself. I grew inmensly as a human-being. I loved learning Arabic with my teachers and I for sure became better at it.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Excellence Centre in Hebron, and I only wish I could stay longer.
People over here are incredibly hospitable, kind and welcoming. I learnt basic Arabic, my teacher was wonderful, and I now am able to engage in a simple conversation with the locals.
I manged to visit some beautiful places in Palestine, refugee camps, and tourist attractions where I was able to engage with local people and learn even more about the country. I felt safe throught my stay here, and with the help from the organisers I found it very easy to travel around on my own.
I highly reccomend the Excellence Centre in Palestine. Come visit, you will not regret it.
I will ceratinly be back next year.
Thank you for everything.

Great programme to learn Arabic and get a real immersion in a Middle Eastern Environment.
The 18 hours of Arabic lessons were spread over 2 weeks and were done one on one with the same teacher. This was great to learn fast and practice. I was surprised that I could learn the entire Arabic Alphabet and get started with conversational Arabic. Overall, very impressed with the quick progress over such a short period, and starting from zero.
While the classes were usually in the morning, the afternoons were used for volunteering activities, and included teaching english as well as Human Rights visits. The visits to specific areas of Hebron, the refugee camps and the villages were particularly impactful as it gets you to appreciate better the situation in Palestine.
It was really great to be in an environment with other students/volunteers and to share experiences together. We also spent the weekend travelling together to Jericho and the Dead sea. And while I was significantly older than the rest of the group, I could connect well with everyone and had great fun with the group.
I was initially worried about traveling to Palestine but had a very smooth entry at Tel Aviv Airport and a smooth travel onward to Hebron. Living in a shared appartment with other volunteers was fun and made it easier to understamd how things work. I also enjoyed the opportunity to try the delicious (and affordable) Palestinian food. I did not know what to expect when I travelled to Palestine, and I am leaving with incredible memories of a super friendly and welcoming nation. I am sure I will stay connected with the Palestinian and International friends I made in Hebron.
A great experience!

My name is Linda, I’m 19 and I’m from Italy. I study political science and I therefore decided to apply for the Human Rights Internship here at the Excellence Center.
I chose to come to Palestine for many different reasons, but mainly because I was attending a class about this geographical region and I wanted to learn about it directly from the field, rather than just from the books.
I spent 6 weeks at the center and I had an amazing experience: the staff at the center is super friendly and welcoming and everyone is always ready to help you out whenever you need. I had the chance to live with a local family which taught me so much about the culture and the traditions and made me immediately feel like I was one of them. With the center I had the opportunity to take Arabic classes with an amazing teacher and to go on several visits: local families that told me about their life under occupation, refugee camps (where I also had the opportunity to teach English to the kids), Israeli settlements, villages around Hebron, local NGO’s and human rights activists, lawyers…
The center also provided us with some classes in order to give us an historical background of the occupation and prepare us before the visits.
During my time here I also had the opportunity to go on several trips around the West Bank and Israel with some fellow volunteers: I visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho and the Dead Sea, Jaffa, Haifa and Akka.
Regarding safety and security in Palestine, there was never a time that I felt unsafe in Hebron or while traveling: Palestinians are the nicest and most welcoming people I have ever met.
After spending 6 weeks in Hebron, I can say beyond doubt that I’m going back to my country as a more educated and experienced person. I definitely recommend the center to anyone interested in learning more about Palestine and helping its people: I am already planning on going back next year!

Excellent program with Muaz teaching. The environment was respectful and fun! The classes were catered to our language levels and interests and were extremely engaging and helpful in improving speaking, listening, reading, and gaining exposure to natural language flow and usage. Would highly recommend taking classes with Muaz he is so helpful and supportive in class and on tours around the city! This is a great opportunity for learning language, culture, and building connections! Incredible experience overall!

I recommend Excellent Center for the peoples who wants learn different languages in the warm and respectful atmosphere. Me and my colleagues had a classes with Moaz. He is truly the best instructor in Excellent Center. He is so professional and passionate about the teaching. Also he is so fun!!!
We had traditional breakfast everyday in the center. Building friendship and boosting morals in the center was awesome.
Make sure you get a class with Moaz Alabid!
Thank you Rafat and his team for everything.