The Excellence Center Reviews

My time at the Excellence Center was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about refugees and their lives, as well as the German language. My host family was very welcoming and gracious, and I greatly enjoyed my time with them.

At the Excellence Center, we started the morning with breakfast, where I got to know the other volunteers. After that, I had German lessons, which taught me some new vocabulary. I also began to teach lessons in German to two refugees from Ukraine. I learned about where they were from, and even improved my German in the process.

I saw a lot of the city while I was here, including churches, historic buildings, the university, and a huge music festival. My host family and I became close, and I hope we will stay in contact in the future. Additionally, my German has definitely improved. It feels much more natural to speak than it did two weeks ago when I arrived. Volunteering was also a great experience that showed me the challenges refugees face, but also showed me the resilience they have.

The two weeks passed by quickly, and I wish I could stay for longer. Halle is a beautiful city, and I learned a lot from my time here at the Excellence Center. I hope to return to Halle as soon as I can!

I wanted to take a moment and thank you and the Excellence Center for a wonderful
experience here in Hebron. 11 months ago, my friend and I decided to take Arabic together at our local community college. We enjoyed it so much we decided to look for a study abroad program. After looking at a few programs recommended by the college, my friend found your program and I’m glad he did.

We compared it to the others that were available and reached out to get more information. Wewere kindly greeted; all our questions were answered, and we decided the Excellence Center was where we wanted to do our study abroad.

When many people found out I was coming for a study abroad program in Palestine, they
expressed concern and warned me about how they thought things were here in Palestine, but I quickly told them I would be fine and not to worry about me. After arriving here, I found I was completely right! The Palestinian people are some of the most friendly people I have ever met.Total strangers will see you looking for something and they will stop and ask you if you need help; everyone you talk to is your friend. I have never felt worried for my safety in Palestine.

My first day I took an assessment of my language skills and was placed in a class with a
wonderful teacher. She really helped me increase my reading, writing, and speaking skills. Other teachers were really friendly as well and were always willing to help students learn, and answer any questions we had. Not only was the language training excellent, but the cultural visits organized by the center were great as well.

My first visit was meeting with an Israeli ex-soldier from an organization called Breaking the Silence. The organization is mainly comprised of former soldiers who saw the mistreatment of the Palestinian people and are educating others on what is really going on. He took us to the Israeli side of Hebron near the Ibrahimi Mosque. He explained about the Israeli settlements and how they are slowly encroaching on Palestinian lands, forcing the people out of their homes and businesses.

My second trip was to a Palestinian refugee camp where we met with some of the refugees and they told us their stories of being forced off their land and about the restrictions put in place on them. We were given a tour of the camp, and it was sad to see the conditions there. It really opened my eyes to things I did not know were occurring.

My third trip was a beautiful hike through a small valley just north of the city. We saw historical sites there and enjoyed the scenery. We even went in a cave! Afterwards we drove up a mountain and had dinner overlooking the beautiful city of Bayt Ula. It was a very nice experience.

I do not regret doing my study abroad here and have grown to love the city and the people. My one regret is that I was unable to stay longer. It saddens me that it is time to return home already.

I am Hannah, from Singapore, and I recently finished a degree in history. I participated in the ‘Volunteering with Palestinian Refugees’ programme, mainly because I am interested in researching refugees for my higher education degree.

I found my Arabic lessons really fruitful and engaging. My goal is to be able to communicate basic ideas in Arabic, so learning colloquial Levantine Arabic is most important to me. This was achieved during my time here, although the hours were short given my brief time here, I gained a stronger foundation to continue learning the language by myself. For now at least, I am able to greet, introduce myself, discuss the weather and my day when I meet shopkeepers and taxi drivers.

I am very grateful to my Arabic teachers, who enthusiastically and warmly encouraged me to learn and practise my ability to speak and read. The other international volunteers are also really eager to learn, so the environment here is very, very supportive.

During the few weeks I was here, I did a lot of site visits with other volunteers from various programmes. I went to Fawwar Camp a few times, and I got the chance to speak to community leaders, social workers, and the young children living in the camp. It was very eye-opening, especially since I assumed that refugee camps are filled with tents, but Fawwar Camp (like many other Palestinian refugee camps) has buildings gradually erected by the refugees themselves.

I also visited the checkpoints separating H1 from H2 in Hebron, as well as the shops and houses near those checkpoints. These are the hotspots of clashes between Palestinians, the IDF soldiers and settlers. Speaking to locals who live near these precarious locations also showed me the layers of pain and suffering of life under the occupation.

I felt safe during my time in Hebron, sometimes even safer than in other cities I have lived in (such as London) because there is no anxiety about my stuff being stolen. There was definitely a period of time during my initial days here, when I had to adjust to the social and religious culture here, such as being careful about the way I interact with the men here as a solo travelling woman.

During my first week here, the bustling city of Hebron had a general strike in solidarity for Jenin, and a group of volunteers went to observe how the busy old city changed for the strike. We definitely noticed the potential danger of being caught in between protestors and the IDF soldiers in the old city and the checkpoint areas, but it was such an indescribably important experience to see how the Palestinian people express their anger and sorrow in various ways.

Everytime we made a site visit - the Bedouin villages, a Palestinian art exhibit, Hebron streets emptied after eruptions of violence, human rights groups - we spoke to so many different people with similar stories of anxiety, loss, fear, and even resilience and hope for a better future. The Palestinians I spoke to during my time here are so highly aware of the history of the occupation, and they show empathy towards the reasons for why European Jews migrated to this land. However, they are frustrated by the systematically violent and militant mode of which the occupation continues til this day I personally hope the dream of living peacefully and equally between Israelis and Palestinian people can be achieved one day.

Most of my time at the Excellence Centre was spent studying Arabic, as I was on the intensive course: after studying in the mornings, I would practice the topics covered into the evening in a cafe, or at my apartment.

I found the intensive Arabic course very useful, and I am grateful to my two teachers, Haya and Daliah, who taught me for my first four weeks and last two weeks. I spoke no Arabic when I arrived, and now I am able to get by in shops and have short discussions with people. I found Haya’s immersive teaching strategy extremely useful in jumping straight into the language. She introduced me into conversational Arabic quickly, and taught me useful expressions and vocabulary. Combined with Daliah’s focused approach—which was more technical and allowed to build on that foundation and hone those skills—I definitely feel like I now have the skills to learn Arabic independently, and build my proficiency going forward.

The environment at the centre was very friendly and relaxed, and I appreciated that a lot: the mix of people was great and everyone was very friendly! I didn’t travel outside of Hebron much: I visited Jerusalem and Ramallah, and found Hebron a very interesting and welcoming city. In Hebron, you need to be ready for people to ask you a lot of questions, but it’s an overwhelmingly friendly place—in fact the thing I liked most about Palestine is the people, almost all of whom are exceptionally welcoming and generous, something that I have always appreciated and will continue to do so.

I`m Elke, I`m from Belgium and I`m 35years at the time of participating to the languge programme.I choose the Excellence Centerto start with some basic Arabic courses. What appealed me the most were the small clases with a local teacher.
I was amazed by the level and pace of the courses. Within a week we knew the alfabet.
I was fortunate to get clases from Duha. An intelligent, sweet person.

After clases I spend my time in the city center of Hebron. I recommand it for everybody and for all ages. I could expience a small iece of Palestinian life. It will always have a place in my heart.

I had an absolutely fantastic time in Hebron this year. It was my second time at the Excellence Center, and a testament to how amazing the people at this program are that I wanted to come back again. This year, I continued to teach English at the Center and I found it even more rewarding than my last stint teaching English. The students at the Center are amazingly kind, and passionate to learn and master English. The Center itself is clearly improving every year, and I can't wait to see how they will expand and continue to establish itself as a pillar of the Hebron community.

My name is Antoine, I was a volunteer at the Excellence Center in Halle for 3 months from mid April to mid July of 2023. I completed the 3 month internship program in teaching English and learning German. During this time I completed around 60 hours of German lessons and taught 5 different students at the centre.

The German lessons were altogether very intensive and helped me greatly as a beginner in German to improve greatly over a short period of time with my brilliant German teacher Muaz. The time taken to teach students at the centre in English was greatly enriching and rewarding seeing students of all ages and backgrounds gradually progressing across my time at the centre and developing friendships with them.

Additionally the Centre organises many activities outside of the learning space such as weekly football games and brunches for leaving volunteers. All of these activities add to the friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the centre created by the staff: Rafat, Radwan, Ali and Muaz.

The city of Halle is an interesting look into the long lasting effects of both the impact of the Soviet Occupation and East German government. The city offers a surprising amount of cultural diversity with the large immigrant population coming largely from Syria and Turkey, and although the city is not a hub of activity or entertainment its position near Leipzig and large parks make it a great summer destination.

The city is particularly attractive to younger volunteers, with over 20 000 students calling Halle home with the large Martin Luther University having its roots in Halle. Consequently I have met and made many lovely friends from all different corners of the world.

The accommodation provided by the centre was clean and perfectly usable, although I would be aware that having at least 1-2 roommates is common and thus is something to note if you are staying for an extended period of time. My only comment to the centre would be to include more interactions and activities interacting with the refugee community and refugee integration in the city, such as more tours of the NeuStadt (refugee dominated section of the city) and more interviews, discussions or presentations on the topic.

Ultimately my time in Halle was extremely impactful and life changing for myself due to the people I met and interacted with, an experience I would recommend to any young person attempting to experience an exciting and vibrant atmosphere.

Although I only visited for one week I learnt and saw so much. My host family and other Palestinians were so hospitable and welcoming. I felt safer in Hebron than I do in London. I was able to learn basic Arabic and to meet with a lawyer who discussed and taught me about the local judicial system. I had the opportunity to visit local refugee camps and to meet with incredible activists. I also had travel advice from the centre and was able to visit the Dead Sea and Bethlehem. Please do not let what you see on the media put you off of visiting. Palestine and it's citizens are wonderful.

I taught English and learned Arabic (not intensive) for one week. My schedule was very flexible and included various activities and excursions related to Human Rights which I requested. My host family made sure we are comfortable, happy and are having fun. My host family provided us with fun experiences which immersed us in the local culture. Safety was never an issue and always felt comfortable. At the centre, home and Hebron in general.

Cons:
- The only issue I had was regarding the transportation as I was sometimes (not always) charged 2x-5x the local rate. Overall each route within Hebron never exceeded 5 euros so it was still manageable. But please keep that in mind if you are commuting alone or with other foreigners.

Overall the locals are extremely kind, hospitable and welcoming. This was an eye opening experince

I only stayed for a week, but I feel like I really got to see life in Hebron firsthand. Every day was filled with meetings with human rights activists, discussions women's advocates and medical center directors, and tours of Hebron and the nearby al-Fawar refugee camp. My host family was incredibly welcoming (as was everyone else in Hebron), made us amazing Palestinian food, took us to meet all of their friends, and showed us their favorite cafes to hang out at. I was provided with a basic Arabic lesson so I could somewhat communicate with the residents of Hebron and my horribly accented Arabic was always met with excitement. Though I wish there were more opportunities to actually engage in volunteer work in Hebron, I was given the chance to teach an English lesson to teens which was extremely rewarding and gave me the opportunity to get the kids' perspectives on life in Hebron.