The Excellence Center Reviews

I am so glad I had this experience. Everyone at the centre was so welcoming in sharing their culture with anyone who was interested. Teaching English was so rewarding and I felt like I really made a strong bond with all of my students. My German lessons were fun, useful and I had the loveliest teacher. I came to the centre during Ramadan and was so surprised how open people were in inviting into their homes for Iftar. Halle is such a pretty city with a lot to offer being so close to Leipzig and Berlin, there was so much to explore

Being in Palestine is an experience that everyone should really have. As an American Jewish person, I felt compelled to come to the West Bank, to see for myself what the situation is, and to be amongst a community that could share with me a perspective we don't get in America. While I was initially trepidatious to out myself, after a week everyone knew- and no one cared. On the contrary people were supportive, thoughtful, and wanted to engage in meaningful conversation - overall people seemed to just want to laugh, and not live under occupation.

The Excellence Center itself is staffed with warm hearts, willing to help, willing to share, and wanting to learn. Most everyone speaks English well, and being an educator myself, can say that the educators there are quite good.

The communication could be a little clearer overall, and the programming more clearly laid out. As well, one can expect the living accommodations to not meet Western standards.

All in all, I'd give the Excellence Center high marks, in creating a welcoming community, that is oriented toward learning and cross pollination.

When I first arrived at the EC, I was nervous that I would not know where to go or what to do, but Salma quickly introduced me to everyone. I felt welcomed and I got instructions as to where I would stay, what I would do and I even got a nice tour of the city! As a volunteer teaching English, my days were busy but not too busy to have time to visit other cities on the weekend. I was able to fix my own schedule with my students and decide on what would fit best for both of us. We have a nice breakfast every morning with other volunteers or students or people who work at the center and we exchange our thoughts, our cultures and our hobbies! So many people come and go, but you get to share memorable times with them :) I really recommend coming here, Halle is a nice city, so beautiful and full of lively people! My experience has been awesome and I felt like I made a difference by teaching English !

During my 2 weeks in the Excellence Center everyone I have met has been welcoming and incredibly generous. The atmosphere in the centre perfectly mixes the work and social lives of the volunteers. Teaching my students was incredibly rewarding and I have learnt so much about other cultures and experiences. As I am on my gap year I would definitely recommend this program to anyone else doing one. The city of Halle is great for sight seeing and there is always something going on. The centre is located in central Halle so the location is perfect for transport to and from the whole city.

My time at the Excellence Center was a fantastic intellectual, intercultural and social journey. Every week day (Sunday to Thursday) I had 3,5 hours of Arabic class with the extremely knowledgeable and pedagogically apt Doha as my teacher. Not only did Doha help me drastically improve my Palestinian dialect Arabic skills, she also was always able to teach me grammatical concepts and words in a fun and motivating way. She also adapted the class teaching plan according my needs whenever necessary. In addition to being a great teacher, Doha - and also her sister Saja who is also a teacher at the Excellence Center - conversed with me a lot in our free time at the school and thus introduced me to colloquial expressions, jokes and everyday language. The other staff at the Excellence Center was also always very helpful when I needed any specific information about Hebron or its surrounding (e.g. when I needed to get to Dura, a town next to Hebron), and even more great companions during my 1-month stay at the Excellence Center. Moreover the stories Anas and Ibrahim told me about their everyday life were exceedingly interesting and pertinent to my work as a doctoral researcher on Palestine. The center managers, Osama and Marwa, were also always willing to compromise and accommodate my needs regarding my living situation.

Contrary to what you may hear from Western media, Hebron is actually a very safe and fun city to live in (in H1 area). There are many cafes and pastry shops that are open all day and long into the night. The food is among the best Ive ever had. I was in Hebron during 2 weeks of Ramadan and must say that the Muslim month of fasting quite changes the city`s vibe. Restaurants and most stores are closed all day and life only awakes in the night. It is a interesting cultural experience for sure, but if you are keen on experiencing the culinary culture of Khalil to its fullest you might want to reconsider whether you want to come during Ramadan. Overall, the hospitality in Khalil is amazing. There were many times I was just invited for coffee or cocktails *(non-alcoholic ones) by strangers and I was also invited to a couple of Iftar dinners which were great fun. The Palestinian hospitality is unparalleled by anything I have seen elsewhere in the world. Last, if you really want 24/7 arabic exposure, I recommend you see if you can stay with a host family, as I was staying in a shared apartment with other foreigners which limited my exposure to Arabic in the evenings. Moreover, I traveled to Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho, which was all very easy because the West Bank is not very big. And before I forget, it is quite cold in March.

This center has the most wonderful bunch of people who work and volunteer. Everyone at the center is welcoming and helpful. I was a little nervous about not having enough experience because I was joining the "Teaching English" program, but the center provides you with all the resources and information you need to teach. I learned a lot about teaching during my stay at the excellence center. I definitely recommend The Excellence Center to everyone who is interested. The center welcomes everyone, from solo travelers to families, experienced and inexperienced!

We were only able to come assist and be in Halle for a week but the staff were very accommodating and welcoming of our circumstances. Every person here has built a tight-knit but friendly community and you will have an amazing experience learning, teaching and eating with volunteers, staff and students alike!

Halle is also a wonderful city and public transport is very straightforward to use and get around with! We were able to go between Berlin and the Center for a good price! You will also have no shortage of people who are willing to help you here, but I would recommend at least teensy bit of German to get around!

I have loved my experience at the Excellence Center, I have learned so much about the refugee experience in Halle, and German/Syrian culture. I stayed with a host family, who were extremely welcoming and generous, and I felt well supported by everyone at the Center. There were lots of opportunities to socialise with the other volunteers and colleagues. I would recommend the program to anyone who wants to learn German/Arabic, teach motivated students, try delicious food, and travel - Halle is well situated for visiting European cities at the weekends.

My name is Ann Marie and I am from Ireland. I took part in the Human Rights programme at the Excellence Center in order to meet with prominent Civil Society Organisations in Hebron to get a sense of how the Israeli occupation impacts the lives of people in Palestinian, and to get some ideas on topics I could research for my final masters thesis.

I met with human rights organisations, women’s groups, environmental groups, legal professionals as well as activists, to get an all round sense of the situation on the ground, and the challenges these organisations face in advocating for people’s freedoms and rights.

I took Arabic lessons 3 times a week and my overall experience of learning at the center was really professional and interesting. The Excellence Center lived up to my expectations and more.

As well as the professional learning experience from the staff at the centre, there is also the added experience of learning from the ever present and transient international visiting group as well as the added experience of getting to live with a host Palestinian family. I was hosted by a lady called Sada who has become a friend for life, who showed me true Palestinian hospitality. The center also organised fun days out to experience other areas of Palestine and to keep the experience interactive and light. I would encourage anyone to come to Palestine. In light of current world events, the situation in Palestine needs to remain in the minds of all of us in the International community in order to provide solidarity and advocacy for the people of Palestine.

My time at the Excellence Center was truly outstanding in every single way. I can't illustrate enough how much I'm going to miss the Center, the people in it, and the city of Hebron - but more importantly, I'm so incredibly grateful for my time here. I'll begin with talking about the people of the center. The administrators and Palestinian teachers at the Center are some of the kindest, most compassionate, and helpful people I've had the pleasure of meeting in my entire life. They go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable, happy, and able to fully enjoy Hebron and Palestine. The teachers are incredibly kind, and eager to help would-be teachers in adjusting to teaching in Hebron. The students themselves are smart, almost too smart for their own good, and made every day of teaching challenging - but in a fun way that maximizes the experience and helps the teacher to get the most out of their classes.

The city of Hebron itself is outstanding. The sense of community and how welcoming the people are made me feel right at home. From bodega owners to clothing store clerks, every single person I interacted with in Hebron was incredibly kind and helpful, even if we couldn't communicate fully.

It really does feel like a family at the Excellence Center. Everyone looks out for each other, and you are provided with an outstanding amount of structural support that makes the transition from whatever your home country is to Palestine incredibly easy and painless. The memories of the people I have in Palestine are memories that I will hold dear to my heart, and I can't wait to come back to the Center later on, where I know I'll be welcomed back as an old friend. I highly, highly recommend the Excellence Center in Palestine and I urge anyone who has an interest in Palestine, Arabic, or TESA to seriously consider the Teach English and Study Arabic Program in Palestine.