Program Reviews

I studied an intensive Arabic course for 2 weeks at the Excellence Centre during August. I chose Palestine as I wanted an immersive experience but I also wished to gain an insight into the realities of life for the people. I had a very rewarding experience, met some great people and will remember my experience for the rest of my life. My teacher was fantastic and I learnt so much within my 2 weeks! Not only did I learn lots of the local Palestinian dialect but I also learnt so much about the people, the situation in Palestine and the history of the area. As well as having 3 hours of class each day, I had the opportunity to participate in vista with volunteers also from the centre. I felt safe and welcomed by so many different people within the vibrant city of Hebron. I stayed with a host family very close to the centre who were lovely and welcoming, they made me feel welcome and at home.

Thanks Excellence Centre for giving me the opportunity to connect with such a variety of experiences and meet some amazing people!

The best way to describe The Excellence Center is “Family”. After spending 3 weeks in Halle, I genuinely feel like I have a home away from home. The staff, volunteers, and teachers do everything in their power to create an environment of comfortability and love. They go above and beyond to make your stay unforgettable and genuine.

While having an unbelievable amount of fun, I also learned an immense amount of Arabic. I participated in the intensive Arabic program with one of the best teachers (in any subject) that I have ever had. Muaz is not only a master of language, but he is a master of teaching.

My Arabic lessons were versatile, engaging, immersive, and much more (I could go on forever about how amazing my Arabic teacher/lessons were). I now feel significantly more confident in my Arabic speaking, writing, reading, and listening. The large population of Arabic speakers in Halle also helps you fully immerse yourself in the Arabic language (the Arabic learning doesn’t stop after the lessons!). I could not imagine having a better experience with my language learning.

The Excellence Center is an amazing place, full of likeminded people. The staff is qualified and experts at what they do. I recommend The Excellence Center to anyone and everyone who is looking to learn rapidly while having the time of their life!

The Women's Rights Program gave me a good overview of the situation in Palestine and of the Human's Rights conditions in general. Being here helped me to understand better a situation that can appear to difficult to understand from outside.
I felt safe in my daily life in Hebron and Palestine because I was a foreigner and
therefore was treated properly by everyone
I would recommend the Center but you need to
take into account that every experience is different according to the program, host families
(mine played a huge part in my positive experience), length of the stay,

I had a really nice experience and met so many lovely people during my time here. The Human Rights program was very interesting. Some visits were more related to human rights than others, but still you will definitely get an idea of human rights situation in Palestine and all the violations. The advice I would give to people doing this program is: know what you want to do during your time here and what you want to learn from your program. Take initiative and tell the Center if you want to do something specific. I loved giving human rights workshops to Palestinian youth and also I would recommend getting in touch and working together with the Human Rights Defenders Association.

I had a wonderful experience teaching English in Hebron, I taught in the old city and Taffouh, a small village outside of Hebron. My experience was very insightful and I was extremly lucky to meet other foreigners here, in addition to the amazing locals. The local culture is nothing like I have ever experienced, everyone is so warm and welcoming. It is easy to meet other foreigners, the center is always full of people. Breakfast is a great time to talk and meet new people.I am very grateful I was able to experience Palestinian life and culture.

Thank you Excellence Center!

Both the family and the center were more hospitable than I would have ever thought. The family was incredible, and the living situation itself was average. The excursions were informative and helpful for my understanding of the situation in palestine, and Hebron is very safe- I had no worries travelling in and out of the city. I felt my time was too short- I worked with a lawyer as I am in the law program, and it was wonderful to learn about sharia law. I would absolutely reccomend the law program.

To begin my review, I would like to talk about my arrival to the center. When I first arrived, I was confused, they were very helpful in making sure I could find the center. My accommodation was very nice and clean. My first day volunteering, I was very nervous, but the other volunteers were extremely kind and welcoming, it wasn’t very hard to fit in with everyone. The breakfast was different from what I was used to, but it was delicious, and you could tell that they put in a lot of work preparing it. The excellence center provides a great amount of freedom to the volunteers, personal and in the classroom. The personal freedom that I was allowed, gave me the opportunity to explore Halle. I thought about the classroom freedom that I was given, and it made me feel uneasy because I have never taught and some structure would have been nice, however this gave me the chance to become a more confident person. Doing the work myself will help me prepare for when I move into a teaching position after I complete my time volunteering. When it comes to acquiring students, I will say that the process was a bit unorganized. I wouldn’t say that it was the fault of the center but rather how the volunteers handled transferring students. However, I do wish that there was a better way of scheduling classes. For example, there could be a board somewhere in the room and we make our schedules based on the available time slots. That way no one is looking for a place to teach when the classrooms are occupied. I did like when we played sports and the special goodbyes we did to fellow volunteers, I just wished we played more sports before we started the day. I found that exercising before sitting down and doing work made me more focused and in a better mood. Overall, I found this 2-week experience to be very fun and rewarding. There were more positives than negatives and I would definitely recommend this program to others.

Hello, I am a master student in Public International Law and I would like to share some insights from my time at the Excellence Center in Palestine, where I was privileged to be a part of their Human Rights Internship.

I stayed in an apartment with a few other male students from different parts of the world. The location was convenient, as the apartment was only a five-minute walk away from the Excellence Center. Moreover, our accommodation was not just comfortable but also became a place for lively discussions, great relaxation, and mutual learning,

One of the standout aspects of the Excellence Center is its dedication to language instruction. Although I had only experience with studying Modern Standard Arabic,
I was genuinely impressed by how much my Levantine Arabic language skills improved in such a short span. The tailored approach and commitment of my teacher Saja made that every class was both challenging and rewarding. In addition, the small group size allowed me, and the other student(s), to ask any questions we had both before, during, and after class.

Another standout aspect of the Excellence Center were the organized excursions. Our visits to the refugee camps were both heart-wrenching and eye-opening. Interacting with the residents and listening to their stories provided a first-hand perspective on the resilience and struggles faced by the Palestinians under the Israeli occupation. Additionally, meeting with several human rights activists and a seasoned Palestinian lawyer deepened my understanding of the complexities of human rights within the West Bank.

On weekends, I had the chance to explore different cities in the region. Each city, from Ramallah to Bethlehem, offered its unique charm, history, and experiences. Whether it was the bustling markets, ancient monuments, or the Palestinian cuisine, these weekend sojourns deepened my connection to the land and its people.

In sum, my internship at the Excellence Center was an experience filled with learning, growth, and profound personal connections. Beyond just academic and professional growth, it was a journey into understanding the intricacies of Palestine's history, culture, and its people's dreams for the future.

To anyone considering this internship: It is intellectually stimulating, emotionally enriching, and offers you a great opportunity to meet like-minded people from all of the world.

My name is Raul Barrena and I am from the Basque Country. I have been in the Excellence Center for one week in order to study the Palestine arabic dialect and in this short period of time I have had such a good experience. The organization of the center is really good as well the teachers of the Center. I have found very nice people from many countries whose have improve my stay in the Center.
I would like to come back someday and I would also like to thank all the staff of the Center for their brilliant work.

This was an excellent opportunity at an excellent centre to engage with Ukrainian and Syrian refugees. My lessons ranged from proofreading and job interview assistance to A1 lessons. Everyone in the programme was kind and helpful.