The Excellence Center Reviews

My name is Remi, I from France and I learning arabic 3 weeks in Hebron

The school is very good and welcoming, has a great location in the center of Hebron and close to everything.

The breakfast served every day is great and allows us to spend sometime with teachers and other students.

Bisanne is an excellent teacher with a lot of energy and passion to learn arabic and speak about Palestine, I had a great time with her

Hebron is a very safe city with a part occupied by the israëlis but I met really welcoming people, the tours organized by the center excellence are great for visiting and understanding the history of the city.

Just for those we want to come in winter, it's cold to bring warm clothes.

Rémi, french

My name is Remi, from France, I study arabic at the excellence center during three weeks.
he school is very good and welcoming, has a great location in the center of Hebron and close to everything.

The breakfast served every day is great and allows us to spend sometime with teachers and other students.

Bisanne is an excellent teacher with a lot of energy and passion to learn arabic and speak about Palestine, I had a great time with her

Hebron is very safe city with a part occupied by the israëlis but I met really welcoming people, the tours organized by the center excellence are great for visiting and understanding the history of the city.

Just for those we want to come in winter, it's cold to bring warm clothes.

My name is Adam, and I’m a 31 year old product manager. With a degree in Physics and a M.S in Computer Science from the University of Chicago, I take my education very seriously, and I have found my learning experience here in Hebron at the Excellence Center extremely valuable. I was focused on conversational Arabic (Shami dialect) for 3 weeks. Without any formal education in Arabic I’ve had to rely on the value of the books, and authentic materials I’ve been able to unearth to bring myself to a roughly intermediate level. Approximately 3 months prior to my study I worked with a private tutor before coming to the excellence center, who prepared my conversational skills in the Shami dialect.

I came here expecting only a moderate amount of structure in which to practice my speaking skills, and to seat my current knowledge of Arabic in some real world experiences navigating a predominantly Arabic speaking part of the world. Having only 3 weeks off from my full time work, I spent quite some time searching the internet for opportunities available to get the most out of a language learning experience, and the excellence center was far and above the most transparently advertised, and clearly well trodden destination for language learning.

What I found when I arrived was:
1.) There instructions to get to and from Tel Aviv were quite clear
2.) There was a very warm and welcoming staff - in spite of having visitors from far away come and go daily, maintained the hospitality the region is famous for. Unless my lesson was going way over time, I never once felt like I was ‘someones job’
3.) The language instructors are quite serious about imparting well spoken Arabic (in my case colloquial), and a love of the language itself.

I had 3 weeks of private speaking lessons for 3 hours, which helped me to acquire an innumerable amount of patterns for sentence structure, new vocabulary, and constant repetition (my instructor Shayma was extremely good at reminding me of my mistakes, and guiding me towards self sufficiency in my speaking and listening). We focused on vocabulary and topics of interest to me (family, work, daily life, and literary analysis), but she clearly could have directed a lesson for someone with less experience in the language, or without a preference for topics of interest. In fact after observing my weaknesses for our first 2 full days of class, she stopped our normal day to day to deliver a more structured lesson going over some of the weaknesses in my conjugation and grammar that she observed.

These lessons were re-enforced by the presence of an extremely warm community around the center for excellence, who were remarkably patient with my my broken Arabic (unless they were trying to sell me something ;). When dinner or lunch, people would often patiently ask me many questions about my life and experiences as an American in their Arabic, and help me in my replies which gave a great number of opportunities to re-enforce what I was learning in the classroom.

While I was quite worried that the presence of other English speakers with me at the center would harm my progress, I was quite happy that it usually enriched my experience - especially being lucky enough to be here with more accomplished linguists than I who could point to some excellent resources for learning Arabic, and about the Middle East in general.

Additionally, while I didn’t sign up for any volunteer work or tutoring, I was very happy to have an opportunity to help out with 2 or 3 English club sessions. I was immediately charmed by the classroom of 30 odd students, and enjoyed teaching them a little English using my broken Arabic, which they too seemed to find fun.

Finally, there is usually a great deal of preconceived notions about the safety and material wealth of Palestine and the Palestinian people. In this matter I can only speak as a tall white man with an American passport (as I would tell anyone for any place in the world). I found the journey extremely safe, as well as my stay here, and in some ways much safer than places I might frequent in my own neighborhoods in Minneapolis or Chicago. For example, I would never leave my backpack at a table at a coffee shop while using the restroom, but here, I rarely worried about this, and eventually stopped worrying completely.

I would highly recommend the excellence center to future travelers whether language learning or looking for experience in tutoring. Come with an open mind and heart, and you will find the same waiting here.

My name is Adam Hammouda, and I’m a 31 year old product manager. With a degree in Physics and a M.S in Computer Science from the University of Chicago, I take my education very seriously, and I have found my learning experience here in Hebron at the Excellence Center extremely valuable. I’ve been focused on conversational Arabic (Shami dialect) for 3 weeks. Without any formal education in Arabic I’ve had to rely on the value of the books, and authentic materials I’ve been able to unearth to bring myself to a roughly intermediate level. Approximately 3 months prior to my study I worked with a private tutor before coming to the excellence center, who prepared my conversational skills in the Shami dialect.

I came here expecting only a moderate amount of structure in which to practice my speaking skills, and to seat my current knowledge of Arabic in some real world experiences in navigating a predominantly Arabic speaking part of the world. Having only 3 weeks off from my full time work, I spent quite some time searching the internet for opportunities available to get the most out of a language learning experience, and the excellence center was far and above the most transparently advertised, and clearly well trodden destination for language learning.

What I found when I arrived was:
1.) There instructions to get to and from Tel Aviv were quite clear
2.) There was a very warm and welcoming staff - in spite of having visitors from far away come and go daily, maintained the hospitality the region is famous for. Unless my lesson was going way over time, I never once felt like I was ‘someones job’
3.) The language instructors are quite serious about imparting well spoken Arabic (in my case colloquial), and a love of the language itself.

I had 3 weeks of private speaking lessons for 3 hours, which helped me to acquire an innumerable amount of patterns for sentence structure, new vocabulary, and constant repetition (my instructor Shayma was extremely good at reminding me of my mistakes, and guiding me towards self sufficiency in my speaking and listening). We focused on vocabulary and topics of interest to me (family, work, daily life, and literary analysis), but she clearly could have directed a lesson for someone with less experience in the language, or without a preference for topics of interest. In fact after observing my weaknesses for our first 2 full days of class, she stopped our normal day to day to deliver a more structured lesson going over some of the weaknesses in my conjugation and grammar that she observed.

These lessons were re-enforced by the presence of an extremely warm community around the center for excellence, who were remarkably patient with my my broken Arabic (unless they were trying to sell me something ;). When dinner or lunch, people would often patiently ask me many questions about my life and experiences as an American in their Arabic, and help me in my replies which gave a great number of opportunities to re-enforce what I was learning in the classroom.

While I was quite worried that the presence of other English speakers with me at the center would harm my progress, I was quite happy that it usually enriched my experience - especially being lucky enough to be here with more accomplished linguists than I who could point to some excellent resources for learning Arabic, and about the Middle East in general.

Additionally, while I didn’t sign up for any volunteer work or tutoring, I was very happy to have an opportunity to help out with 2 or 3 English club sessions. I was immediately charmed by the classroom of 30 odd students, and enjoyed teaching them a little English using my broken Arabic, which they too seemed to find fun.

Finally, there is usually a great deal of preconceived notions about the safety and material wealth of Palestine and the Palestinian people. In this matter I can only speak as a tall white man with an American passport (as I would tell anyone for any place in the world). I found the journey extremely safe, as well as my stay here, and in some ways much safer than places I might frequent in my own neighborhoods in Minneapolis or Chicago. For example, I would never leave my backpack at a table at a coffee shop while using the restroom, but here, I rarely worried about this, and eventually stopped worrying completely.

I would highly recommend the excellence center to future travelers whether language learning or looking for experience in tutoring. Come with an open mind and heart, and you will find the same waiting here.

The Excellence Center is not only a great educational program, it is a great community leader and facilitator of civic relationships. It provides a thorough introduction to the culture and people of Hebron and the West Bank. The people of Hebron themselves are warm and welcoming, and there is no shortage of community activity and sharing. The introduction to historic sites and landmarks is compelling and the EC team is committed to providing all visitors with a thorough understanding, of Hebron and its history.

Life is full of encounters. Some however, will stay in your memory forever. I can say without a doubt that the entire month I spent volunteering at the Excellence Center in Europe was filled with such encounters! Getting to know and help the wonderful souls that surround this humble language center was such a rewarding experience - it is opportunities such as these that emphasise the importance of seeing the human race as one big family.

Rafat and Mutaz certainly have a wonderful vision towards supporting the integration of Syrian refugees into Germany, and it was an honour to be a part of this purpose. My time at the center was dedicated to writing articles, teaching group/private English classes and presenting talks on Australia. It was also a pleasure to get to know my fellow volunteers, spending our spare time exploring Halle together.

I can't wait to come back and see my family in Halle!

Working at the Excellence Center in Halle last Summer was an experience that will remain with me for a long time to come. The work is meaningful, the management is kind, understanding and competent. The sense of community around the Excellence Center is unmatched: community events are commonplace, and people are so hospitable that making friends is truly a breeze. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to step outside of their comfort zone while doing meaningful and rewarding work, anyone looking to learn new languages, or anyone interested in seeing European history play out before their very eyes!

My experience at The Excellence Center in Europe was fun, enlightening and very worthwhile. When I first arrived in at the center in Halle, I was warmly welcomed and was able to start working the day I got there. As I was given a tour of the facility, I started to realize that I was about to be apart of a pleasantly tight-knit group of people who care about the wellbeing of the community and its inhabitants through means of intercultural-change and understanding.
While working there, I was very in control of my schedule, who I wanted to teach, and how I wanted to teach it. My boss, Rafat Shantir, was very understanding of people who wanted to take a little time of to do things like travel. He was also very accommodating of the things we would want to teach. My coworker, for example, started a class that taught people who were interested in learning how to do computer programming.
The relationships that I built were probably the most important takeaway from my experience at The Center. I mainly taught in a one-on-one setting, and I really got to know my students throughout the 3 months that I taught there. As most of my students were Syrian refugees, I was given an opportunity for an intercultural dialogue, the likes of which I had preciously been exposed to, especially coming from the US. Overall, my work at The Center was a great life experience and has opened my eyes to new cultures and the importance of all of us sharing and exchanging our cultures. Through these intercultural dialogues, we can build a world of tolerance, harmony and mutual understanding.

To all the people who are considering to apply to the excellence center, here are a few things you need to know.

1. You will never find a more family-like workplace anywhere in the world.
The interns, the managers and interns works together in the office 24/7, during which they explore the city, cook and share meals, engross in discussions and work. The welcoming and open atmosphere of the workplace makes you bond with it beyond a mere professional relationship. The people you meet there will become your dearest friends, spread all over the world.

2. You will get to hear stories and experiences you had never been able to access. You will be working with refugees who had directly been through the issues you had read in the news. They shore a different, more in-depth side of the issue that widens your perspective about the world, and changes your perception of global issues. Moreover, you will be housed with a refugee family, with whom you will share meals and form a familia relationship. Just simply talking and mingling with the people in the center will inspire and mold you into a better global leader who understands the context of the refugee issue more insightfully.

3. Communication is very, very efficient. Both managers, Rafat and Mutaz are open to all opinions and criticisms and are quick to tailor the program to match it to you. They want not only the center to improve but for the volunteers and interns to advance, so they will be extremely attentive to your progress.

4. There is amazing travel opportunities. Not only does the center provide a trip to Halle, if you apply to become an intern, they take you to Leipzig, a near by city to show you how the refugees had integrated in the German culture. You will be given wonderful authentic food and an opportunity to interview the refugees who are working and living inside Germany. Not only that the center allows you to take a total of 8 days break to travel all around Germany. For me, I used my travel days to adventure into Prague, which became my favorite city.

5. The education you will receive is pristine. You will be taken to nearby universities to talk with the faculty member, and will be given lectures in the center about the status quo of refugee migration. You will also have the chance to do your own research and present it infront of the whole staff and volunteers.

My name is Hannah and I am from Essex, England. I was volunteering at the Excellence Centre on the Teach for Palestine programme.

During my three months in Hebron, I had a wide range of teaching experiences. I delivered several workshops on CV writing and interview skills to university students and graduates, I had several private students; some were preparing to take the IELTS test and some wanted to improve their English language skills for work. I taught an Intermediate English Conversation course, and assisted as a native speaker in some beginners courses. I ran an English club for school students to practice their speaking and listening. I also ran four workshops for English teachers, and another for English graduates, focusing on how to promote creativity in the English language classroom. This range of experiences has been really useful for me, because up until my arrival in Hebron, I had only worked in a primary school.

I had several different Arabic teachers during my time at the Excellence Centre, they were all good in different ways, but it might have been better to have had one teacher. I definitely feel that my Arabic has improved a lot, by being in an Arabic speaking environment, particularly my receptive language. I am still not too confident about joining in conversations but I definitely understand a lot more and it has definitely given me the motivation to study further.

The environment at the centre has been a positive one for me, I have enjoyed the fact that the management trust the teachers and volunteers to deliver lessons or activities in whatever way suits them, and the students, best. As an experienced teacher, I have really enjoyed that freedom, but I understand that might be challenging for volunteers who don’t come from a teaching background. I have really loved working with the students- funny, clever, talented people of all ages and abilities. The staff have been friendly and helpful, and I feel really lucky to have met a really interesting group of international volunteers while I have been here.

I went on several visits organised by the Excellence Centre. I went to the Ibrahimi Mosque and to the Old City, to the Glass Factory and to Al Fawwar camp. I also went to a grape festival and a Food Exhibition.

I have visited Bethlehem several times, I went last night, in fact, to see the Christmas lights! I like to be in the countryside, so on my days off, I have gone on various hiking trips with different groups. That has really been a highlight of my stay. I went to Wadi Qelt a couple of times, it is really very beautiful, and I went on several valley walks near to Ramallah and Jericho. I had one particularly lovely walk in Wadi al-Qaf, which is very close to Hebron. It was olive picking time, so lots of families were out together working on their trees. One family invited us to sit and eat with them, and we had a lovely meal of stuffed vine leaves under the trees. A little bit further along the way another family invited us to have coffee with them. It was a really lovely day.

I have had a really good experience with my host family, they have been very friendly and hospitable and it has been lovely to get to know them. They have really helped me with my Arabic. I was really glad that there was a lovely garden to sit in and it was nice to have my own space too.

I felt as safe in Hebron as I would in any city, so I felt okay to walk around on my own, with the same kind of caution I would take in London, or anywhere else. I did feel self-conscious sometimes, as a woman, in what felt like very male-dominated public spaces, but had no real problems.

I have really enjoyed my time in Palestine, the countryside is beautiful, the food is great and the people have been really funny, friendly and kind. The Excellence Centre was a really good choice for me because it has given me really good teaching experiences, and the chance to meet and work with really interesting students and colleagues. I would recommend the Teach for Palestine programme at The Excellence Centre to any teachers who enjoy working flexibly, and would like to gain some different experiences while staying in this fascinating country.