The Excellence Center Reviews

I am a twenty-four year old master's graduate who studied Palestinian dialect at the Excellence Centre, Hebron for three months between September and December 2019. I also occasionally volunteered to teach English classes when there was a shortage of staff.
One of the main goals of coming to Hebron was to improve my Arabic and, in that respect, my experience was first class. Shayma Sinnokrot, my language instructor for the duration of the three months, was an outstanding teacher and, beyond that, always made me feel incredibly welcome and motivated to learn. Each class I would transcribe dialogue from a Palestinian television series- Salma wa Sari - and Shayma would help me with queries, vocabulary, and the nuances of grammar and pronunciation in dialect. Shayma's help was absolutely invaluable and my Arabic has improved immeasurably under her guidance. In particular, her command of English and her ability to identify differences between modern standard Arabic, which I had studied previously, and the Palestinian dialect were extremely helpful. Shayma is an exceptional linguist and a wonderful person. Anyone coming to Excellence would be blessed to have her as their teacher.
Aside from language studies, a significant amount of my time at Excellence was spent getting to know staff, foreign students, and Palestinians taking English classes at the centre. This was another really enjoyable element of the experience. Marwa and Khitam Shantir, who facilitate the daily running of the centre, are endlessly warm and friendly. Alongside Muhammad Tamimi (Abu Muhannad), they also organised numerous events in the centre and visits around Hebron which enriched my time here.
As a city, Hebron is unique. The contrast between life in the Palestinian-governed area (H1), where the Excellence Centre is located, and that governed by Israel (H2) is stark. In the three months that I was here, the atmosphere in H1 was invariably calm and relaxed with a similar feeling to some other Arab cities that I have visited in the region. It is also a great place to speak Arabic since everyone is extremely welcoming, but many people around town are not fluent in English and there are few tourists. Culturally, Hebron is more conservative than other parts of the West Bank and students should probably be aware of that before they arrive (modest dress and engaging with members of the opposite sex). I should also mention that, during my time here, several female students experienced unwelcome male advances or harassment in Hebron. For the most part, however, they indicated that they still had good experiences overall.
One less enjoyable element of my time in Hebron was my accommodation situation. Although I had agreed (and paid) to live with a Palestinian family in the hope of speaking Arabic to them on a daily basis, I was placed in a different apartment owned by them where I mostly lived alone. I had also been told I would have one meal a day with the family, but they were not willing to provide it. The family also repeatedly refused to give me access to the boiler in my apartment which made for weeks of ice cold showers just as winter was approaching. Having said that, I do know many of the students at Excellence had much more positive experiences with their families and, in my own case, it just meant I spent more time making friends in the town itself.
Overall, the warmth of everyone at the Excellence Centre will be my abiding memory from Hebron and that is something for which I am truly grateful. I learned a great deal, made good friends, and had a wonderful experience in Hebron as well as travelling around other parts of the West Bank. I highly recommend the Excellence Centre as an Arabic language institute.

Simply stated, I had a great time at the Excellence Center in Halle.
I found the Excellence Center a friendly, welcoming place full of activity, yet it was relaxed, never hectic. I enjoyed the all-hands breakfasts around 1000 in the morning where volunteers and staff leisurely discussed the day's activities and chatted. I also liked that you might be at the Center until around 1800, but there was always time between classes and other activities for lunch and to run errands or do other things.
Teaching Syrian refugees English was difficult but rewarding. I was there for a month, which might seem like a long time, but it was just enough time to get to know them and their needs and help develop some plans and projects. From that point of view, I wish I could have stayed longer.
I also had a good experience with the EC's Arabic program. I came with intermediate/advanced classical Arabic knowledge, which was a good prerequisite for delving into colloquial Palestinian Arabic. But even without any or little Arabic background, the advantage of learning Arabic at the EC is getting to work and practice with native speakers.
Halle itself is an interesting, middle-sized city. My accommodations were located near the Saale River, where there is a wonderful bike/walking/jogging path and green areas to hang out in, and all of this was just a pleasant 10-minute walk away from the Excellence Center. You can also take the streetcar or bus, or use the bike paths. Steinweg, where the Excellence Center is located, is one of the most interesting streets in Halle. It is full of shops and restaurants, and it is centrally located near the main train station and the downtown area (Marktplatz).
I whole-heartedly recommend spending some time at the Excellence Center in Halle; it's a great experience!

From September to November 2019, I was a participant in the Teach English in Palestine Program of the Excellence Center in Hebron. Teaching and learning for three months, Maqluba and falafel with the host family, breakfast and football with international volunteers, hiking in Wadi Qaf and strolling in the old town.
I came to Palestine for an internship in the context of studying Arabic in Germany. The program offered convinced me with its combination of Arabic language practice and teaching the English language as a contribution to cultural exchange.
At the Excellence Center, I met a very friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I very much appreciated the interesting encounters with interns from all over the world and the diverse tasks. The teaching of different language levels, on my own or as an assistant, alone or in a team, workshops and guided tours to the attractions in Hebrew designed the weeks varied. What impressed me most was the great confidence in my work. I got the chance to independently plan, prepare and carry out lessons, always relying on motivational support. With much patience, humor and inexhaustible energy, my Arabic teacher helped me through the complex structures of the Arabic language.
During my stay I lived in a host family and was able to participate in family life. I was warmly received. The family always made me feel welcome and at the same time respected my private space. I was impressed by the close cohesion of the family. The Friday Makluba - gathering with the extended family I will keep in special memory.
This experience was particularly important to me because my prior knowledge of Palestine was limited to the news of the European media, where violence dominates the headlines. Here in Hebron I got a completely different picture of life in Palestine. In the family, I experienced a natural normality, in the city relaxed bustle. I felt absolutely safe throughout my entire stay in Hebron. However, the limitations of isolation were very noticeable as soon as I left the city.
We few "foreigners" stand out in Hebron and that is sometimes exhausting. However, it also makes clear how important the work of the Excellence Center is.

Auf Wiedersehen in Hebron!

My name’s Niall from London, England and I participated in the Human Rights Program over the month of October 2019 at the Excellence Centre.

I came to the Centre with a very open mind and a desire to learn about the conflict and overall situation in Palestine. The Program allowed me to learn first-hand by meeting and interviewing a large variety of people working in fascinating fields of Human Rights in Hebron. Those that I met were very open and frank with me, as were they very happy to speak of the situation and answer any questions that I might have. There were many trips to local sights and cultural activities within the city of Hebron, as well as slightly further afield as well. These ranged from refugee camps to the famous Ibrahimi Mosque.

During my time at the Centre I had three hours of Arabic lessons per week. These were really helpful in my day-to-day conduct around the city. I did not know any Arabic whatsoever upon arrival, but thanks to the classes, I was able to freely navigate around, ask directions, introduce myself, haggle in the markets. The classes have peaked my interest in furthering my studies of the language when I return to England.

The Excellence Centre has wonderful, very friendly and accommodating staff who make you feel at home from day one. The city of Hebron is also truly a remarkable place. The people are particularly kind and incredibly helpful should you require any assistance. The proximity of other wonderful nearby cities like Bethlehem and Jerusalem, put Hebron in a great location. It is very reasonably priced to get a shared taxi to visit these tourist destinations as a day trip or an overnight excursion. There are also really beautiful hiking spots not far by, with natural spring waters.

“Is it safe?” is a common question one hears when they tell people they are coming to Palestine. I am delighted to be able to go back to London able to say, it is absolutely safe. Hebron is a city that I feel more comfortable wandering around at night than many areas of London.

During my time in Hebron, I resided in the male dorm (which is actually an apartment) with a handful of other foreign volunteers. The dorm is centrally located and has everything one needs for a comfortable stay in the city, including a washing machine, which was particularly handy.

The food is a wonderful draw of Palestine. Schwarma and Falafel are very plentiful and very reasonably priced, picked up from most take-away outlets. Local restaurants are available for more sit-down meals, the best food though is at the events (weddings/birthdays) and at Palestinian family homes, which hopefully you’ll be fortunate enough to be invited to and sample.

I highly recommend anyone thinking of coming to Palestine to do so through the Excellence Centre. It was a thoroughly rewarding experience and provided me with a whole host of invaluable contacts. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

My name’s Niall, I’m thirty-one years and from London, England and I participated in the Human Rights Program over the month of October 2019 at the Excellence Centre.

I came to the Centre with a very open mind and a desire to learn about the conflict and overall situation in Palestine. The Program allowed me to learn first-hand by meeting and interviewing a large variety of people working in fascinating fields of Human Rights in Hebron. Those that I met were very open and frank with me, as were they very happy to speak of the situation and answer any questions that I might have. There were many trips to local sights and cultural activities within the city of Hebron, as well as slightly further afield as well. These ranged from refugee camps to the famous Ibrahimi Mosque.

During my time at the Centre I had three hours of Arabic lessons per week. These were really helpful in my day-to-day conduct around the city. I did not know any Arabic whatsoever upon arrival, but thanks to the classes, I was able to freely navigate around, ask directions, introduce myself, haggle in the markets. The classes have peaked my interest in furthering my studies of the language when I return to England.

The Excellence Centre has wonderful, very friendly and accommodating staff who make you feel at home from day one. The city of Hebron is also truly a remarkable place. The people are particularly kind and incredibly helpful should you require any assistance. The proximity of other wonderful nearby cities like Bethlehem and Jerusalem, put Hebron in a great location. It is very reasonably priced to get a shared taxi to visit these tourist destinations as a day trip or an overnight excursion. There are also really beautiful hiking spots not far by, with natural spring waters.

“Is it safe?” is a common question one hears when they tell people they are coming to Palestine. I am delighted to be able to go back to London able to say, it is absolutely safe. Hebron is a city that I feel more comfortable wandering around at night than many areas of London.

During my time in Hebron, I resided in the male dorm (which is actually an apartment) with a handful of other foreign volunteers. The dorm is centrally located and has everything one needs for a comfortable stay in the city, including a washing machine, which was particularly handy.

The food is a wonderful draw of Palestine. Schwarma and Falafel are very plentiful and very reasonably priced, picked up from most take-away outlets. Local restaurants are available for more sit-down meals, the best food though is at the events (weddings/birthdays) and at Palestinian family homes, which hopefully you’ll be fortunate enough to be invited to and sample.

I highly recommend anyone thinking of coming to Palestine to do so through the Excellence Centre. It was a thoroughly rewarding experience and provided me with a whole host of invaluable contacts. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

Hey,

I am 26 years old. I am French and work as an engineer in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. I participated in Excellence Center’s program to teach French and learn Palestinian accent for 2 weeks.
During my stay in Hebron with Excellence Center, I got the chance to know people who made my happiness everyday, to discover a culture rich in love, share and being simple in life. I got the opportunity to visit many historical places in Hebron like El Ibrahimi mosque and also other cities I visited with other volunteers like Beithlehm, Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The best memories I have of my program are all the breakfasts at 10 a.m with volunteers and organizers to discuss, laugh and share a moment of happiness around hummus and tea, also all my hours of French with passionate and smart people who wanted to learn while having fun, who became great friends, as well as my Arabic lessons to perfect my Palestinian accent.

During my stay in Hebron or any other city, I have always been welcomed by great people and organisers of the center who worked very hard to let me feel safe everyday. Palestine is a very rich country with a lot of history that should be known by all. The first step is sometimes hard but once you visit it, you will fall in love with it like me ;-)

My name is Ratmir Agliullin. I'm 28 years old, I am from Russia. I live in Innopolis, I'm a software developer.
At the Excellence Center, I studied the Arabic language, and I was an assistant for English teachers.
I found the Center on the Internet(excellencecenter.com). I have improved my vocabulary in Palestine.
In my opinion, the Center's atmosphere is very friendly. All the people in the Center and in Palestine are polite. Here I met new friends.
Moreover, I visited Bethlehem and Jerusalem. I felt safe in Palestine.
I was really impressed by the history of people, who live in “H2”. I have understood that all people around the world should know about the situation with human rights in Palestine and Hebron.
I really like the people in Palestine. Also, the food(falafel) and Arabic coffee are delicious.
I can recommend studying at the Center for people, who want to improve Arabic and know more about the culture in Palestine.
This trip is the most impressive experience for me. I am really motivated to carry on learning Arabic.

Hey everyone! My name is Sharan and I'm from Singapore, where I’m also currently in my third year of my Anthropology major. I was in the centre for the Teach English, Study Arabic Internship for 2 months.

I came to the centre with the intention of getting a foundation in Levantine Arabic while doing some meaningful work. In addition, I hoped to learn more about the socio-political situation in the immediate region by interacting with a whole range of people living here. And I did! I really really loved my time here, and am even coming back to Hebron for a while next year.

General advice:

Before arriving, I was scouring this site for any advice I could find! So I wanted to give a short write-up about the expectations you should have before arriving, so as to make your adjustment period a little easier.

If you come from an efficiency-centred culture as I do, you might need a while to adjust to the pace of living here. It’s a lot more relaxed, and there’s a lot less emphasis placed on planning (for example, I knew nothing about my homestay family before I arrived!) and scheduling. However, this gave the whole program a sort of flexibility that could really work to your benefit - during my time here, if I had a problem or needed anything, I always felt comfortable going to Marwa for assistance.

The homestay was a mixed situation for me - while I appreciated the generosity of my family, at times, I felt rather uncomfortable. That being said, as soon as Marwa found out about this, she even offered to take me into her own home! All in all, I highly recommend stating your living preferences before you come and that if you feel even slightly uncomfortable in your homestay situation when you arrive, to tell Marwa as soon as possible.

In general, travelling alone as a woman in the city does not typically put you in any immediate danger but can be rather unpleasant. Given that Hebron is the most conservative city in Palestine, men do not often approach you but will stare and maybe rather persistent in trying to speak to you. Moreover, I came without any Arabic, which made me feel more vulnerable as I was not able to communicate with taxi-drivers and did feel like I could express myself.

Once again, this is where the flexibility of the program can really benefit you! I front-loaded my Arabic classes, so I had 6 hours a week rather than the usual 3 and didn’t have classes for the second month here. By the end of that month, I felt a lot more comfortable communicating my needs and had fewer unpleasant experiences in cabs.

Moreover, I was unsure about how my experience as a brown woman would differ from the experiences written by other women in past reviews. I would say that I definitely got a lot less harassment on the street in comparison to some of my other foreign friends but sometimes gave me a bit of trouble when walking through the settlements (although this was mostly quickly resolved after showing my passport).

Final notes:

Hebron is an ideal place to be in if you’re interested in travelling across the region (which I highly recommend you do!) Palestine is ridiculously gorgeous and an entirely different landscape is typically no more than a 3-hour drive away.

I also really enjoyed getting to teach! My favourite class was one that I taught in Dura (a village in Hebron) full of intermediate students. I’ve never met a group of people, let alone students, who were so immediately loving and thoroughly excited to learn - by the end of this class, I was genuinely devastated to leave them. I learned a great deal from them.

Finally, the beauty of a program like this one is that it attracts a whole assortment of fascinating people. I am so grateful and so lucky to have met the people that I did, many of whom I would consider life-long friends. I am beyond grateful to leave this program with my own Palestinian family.

I am Maiko from Japan participated in Individual Arabic study course for two weeks. I enjoyed the stay here a lot thanks to Excellence center.

In Arabic course, I learnt Palestinian Dialect mainly. My teacher is very kind and friendly, she taught me not only Arabic, but also Palestinian cultures and traditions. And her teaching way is brilliant. I had never studied Palestinian Dialect before, so it was really challenging, especially the pronunciation was so hard for me, but she found my weak points and taught me focusing on my weak points. Therefore, after two weeks, I found myself having small conversation in Arabic with host family and shopkeepers in the local shop.

During my stay here, I visited some places in Hebron as Excellence center organized some programs to visit old city, refugees camp and other cultural places. These programs made my stay more meaningful. Especially, the trip to the refugee camp widened my view and brought me deeper understanding about the situation in Palestine. If I was not attending the course in Excellence center, these special opportunities might not be gained. Also, I visited other cities such as Jericho, Jerusalem and Ramallah, sometimes with friends from the center, and sometimes by myself. All places were beautiful and different from each other. To visit new places talking to Taxi drivers and asking the way to local people were like an adventure, and I enjoyed it very much.

Another thing which made my two weeks more special was to stay with host family. I really appreciate their great hospitality. I have never felt lonely in Hebron as they treated me as one of their family members. All Palestinian dishes host mother cooked were very tasty and the teatime which I had with them in almost every night made me cozy and comfortable. Besides host father made me laugh with their cute four children. Therefore, the feeling that I want to communicate with them in Arabic was getting stronger day by day, which encouraged me to learn this challenging language. The time spending with them are so precious.

When I told my family and friends about the trip to Palestine, they worried about me because of negative perspectives which the media provided. But, actually I had never felt unsafe during these two weeks. All staffs, international volunteers and others in Excellence center are very warmhearted. They answer any questions kindly, for example, how to get the bus, how to reach other city and so on. Furthermore, Most Palestinians are helpful, so they give help kindly when we ask them.
For these reasons, I recommend participating in Excellence center in Hebron. Here is the right place to learn Arabic and also to know Palestinian traditions, their cultures and their lives.

Every single day was a new adventure and I was impress by the hospitality of the people from Palestine and the friendliness of the other volunteer. I felt always connected to the people there while also exploring Palestine and learning about the life, culture, habits, food in Hebron. It is a must do program for everyone who wants to expand their knowledge.
The lectures I gave to the students at the universities were very rewarding. In 2 weeks I also got the chance to learn basic words and expressions in the arabic language which I found it very useful. It is definitely a different world that I wasn't accustomed with and made me leave my confort zone in every single way. The Center of Excellence helped me with everything I needed during my stay there as well.