The Excellence Center Reviews

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!

For the past few months I’ve been taking online lessons in Palestinian Arabic with The Excellence Centre. My teacher Duha Amro is truly brilliant. She has helped me make lots of progress with all aspects of the language. The lessons are very interactive, well structured and fun. Duha gives me plenty of opportunities to develop my speaking, listening and writing skills. She also provides extremely helpful feedback and explains everything very clearly. The learning materials are very useful and contain plenty of exercises to reinforce my learning in between lessons. Duha also provides great insights into Palestinian culture and puts an emphasis on learning colloquial expressions for everyday conversations. I hope that one day I will be able to visit Palestine and use what I am learning to talk to people there. In the meantime I am looking forward to continuing my Arabic learning journey online with Duha and the Excellence Centre. شكرا كتير.

Prior to taking online classes I spent about a year and a half attempting to learn Ammiya on my own, and although I was able to grasp a foundational understanding of Levantine Arabic I still encountered a lot of difficulty when trying to hold a conversation.

My understanding and comprehension turned a corner when I began online lessons with Lana at the Excellence Center. From the beginning I felt encouraged and challenged in ways that really improved my confidence when speaking with others

While my more fundamental understanding of Levantine Arabic has improved I also find that I am understanding the nuances of the language in a much deeper way than before. I truly look forward to our sessions each week and feel more confident than ever in my continued studies.

It has been a genuinely unforgettable experience. I have loved the communal and familial environment around the Excellence Center, especially the shared breakfasts with Rafat, Muaz, and the other volunteers (ex: Meghan and Sam). It gives you a beautiful opportunity to get to know new people, learn about each others' culture and always start the day with a smile.

Teaching English has also been a great experience as through one to one lessons, and greater proximity to the student, enables you to create a more personal connection, tailor the lesson to their likings, get to know a new culture through their perspective, and make a more impactful difference.

Learning German with Enrico has also been great, moving the lesson focus to a topic I was personally interested in: history.

It has truly been a culturally enriching experience that I entirely recommend and am grateful for the kindness of the people I have met. I hope that if you're reading this you also have the opportunity to experience what I have experienced.

My online lessons with Haya have been the most wonderful start to my Arabic learning journey. I began as a complete beginner and I am so happy with how I am progressing and even writing in Arabic thanks to Haya's teaching. I strongly recommend the lessons for anyone who wants a well-guided and effective way to immerse yourself in a language that would otherwise seem so daunting.

Communication with the center and Haya has always been fast and the contents of the lessons are brilliant and tailored to my needs. I really look forward to continuing my lessons.

I stayed at the Excellence Center in Halle for almost three months and it has been a wonderful experience. Each morning, the center eats breakfast together, where you get to know the other volunteers, Rafat, and Muaz. I taught one on one English and German classes to the most amazing students, all of whom I will miss dearly. Watching your students gain confidence in a new language is amazing to see, and their hard work and enthusiasm is contagious. I also took Arabic classes with Muaz, who is hands down one of the best Arabic teachers I have ever met. He is an incredible story teller and makes every lesson engaging and memorable. Learning another language can be intimidating, but he is so supportive and will become your biggest cheerleader. Outside of classes, volunteers participate in many events such as youth programs hosted by the center, dinners, and cooking. I was encouraged to participate in a week long program on diversity, discrimination, and integration hosted for students from a Dutch college, where I learned a lot from the students, the staff at the center, and locals. I also learned how to make falafel and helped prepare food for Iftar a few times. Volunteers are free to explore Halle and the surrounding cities. The other volunteers and I often went on little trips on the weekends or explored Halle. I made some wonderful friends both inside and outside of the center and I am so grateful that I found the Excellence Center. Not only have I found a family in Halle and with the center, but it has also helped provide me with clarity in what I want to do in the future. I'm sad to be leaving the center, and will remember my time here fondly. To anyone debating volunteering here – do it!

I have had a great time during my 8 weeks at the Excellence Centre. The breakfasts in the morning are a great opportunity to start the day & helped to build a sense of friendship & community amongst the volunteers. Moaz is an excellent Arabic teacher who is both knowledgeable about the Arabic language & Middle Eastern culture making the lessons fun & informative. The centre provides many opportunities to meet lots of people which has by far been the highlight of my time here. Halle is a friendly & diverse city with a variety of areas to explore whilst being well-connected to bigger cities such as Berlin and Leipzig. Overall, I cannot recommend working with the Excellence Centre enough. You will have lots of good experiences & meet some very kind people.

I´m so grateful I found my teacher Shahed through the online lessons of the excellence centre! I´ve already learned so much. She´s been so patient with me, encouraged me during the frustrating stage of being an absolutele beginner and slowly but steadily I find myself reading better and understanding more and more. The consistency of the lessons, the flexibility of the hours and the patience of my wonderful teacher have made this learning experience very good, and I look forward to every lesson. The material provided is very suited to build your vocabulary and grammatical understanding in a steady pace. I would definitely recommend taking lessons with engage in Palestine!