The Excellence Center Reviews

I stayed in Halle for ten days during August. I met so many wonderful and interesting people from many countries and we were unified by the constant warmth, humour and food of the Syrian people who run or use the centre. Endless conversations in a glorious mix of English/German/Arabic were had. Everyone was friendly and respectful to each other and I felt very appreciated for my contribution to the work at the centre. The cultural exchange and learning was such a high point for me; whatever I taught I received in equal measure.
I had some great German lessons and overall my German has improved. Admittedly, I wasn't immersed in the German language as much as I had hoped as English was the common language between all volunteers. However, due to the welcome, kindness and friendship that I received during my stay in Halle, my experience was a very positive one.

I

I came to Palestine after studying abroad in England for one year in the field of peace Studies program. Here at the Excellence Center, I joined two-month internship programs that consist of some short trips, two-week intensive Arabic lessons, and teaching English program.

As for the Arabic course, I really enjoyed every class for two weeks and I can now make simple sentences in Arabic, although I had not studied the language before. Apart from the classes, my Palestinian friends at the center, such as the teachers, stuff, and volunteers, were willing to teach me Arabic when they had time. Thanks to everyone here, I came to love this language. I would like to continue studying Arabic after I go back home.

In addition to that, teaching English to the local students was great, although it was hard at the same time. Students here listened to me very attentively, which helped me a lot. Due to the language barrier, certainly there were times when I struggled over how to communicate with them, but they were full of curiosity about different cultures and tried speaking eagerly to me in English. They always motivated me to do my best for them. I will miss my students I got to work with this summer in Palestine!

Most importantly, what made my stay in Palestine wonderful and unforgettable were the people themselves. Hebron is often said to be the most conservative city in Palestine, but it doesn’t necessarily mean exclusive. People in this city are very friendly and I received a warm welcome from them. The warm and welcoming atmosphere especially at the Excellence Center made me feel like part of the family. I hope I can come back to this place! You don’t need to worry about coming to Palestine alone. I am sure you will have lots of fond memories here.

My name is Ines, I’m 21 years old and I’m from the north of Spain, but I live in Madrid now. I study International Relations and Sociology there, and this year I’m starting a degree in Law too. I decided to come to the Excellence Center in a volunteer program, teaching English and attending Arabic lessons too. I ended up staying in Palestine for three weeks during the summer.
Once in the Excellence Center, Fridays were my free days, and I usually had another free day apart from it, so I was able to travel around. Also, staff, teachers and students are very flexible, so it was super easy to get to know such a wonderful country!. I usually had three hours of Arabic lessons each week, divided in two days. My teacher and the Excellence Center staff were very flexible with this too, so I was able to change my lessons if they didn’t fit right in my schedule. Apart from that, I usually had English lessons every work day. I worked with two wonderful Palestinian teachers, and some days we did oral exams too. Sometimes, I was with other volunteers in the lessons, so it was super nice to see how other people work with students and learn from them.
I really enjoyed my Arabic lessons. As they were private lessons (just me and my teacher), I always felt listened, and I was learning at my pace. I got to learn a lot of things: in just three weeks, I can introduce myself, ask for the price of things, talk with the taxist, say numbers and days of the weeks, and even read some words. It is a very good start if you want to keep learning Arabic in your country, as you have the opportunity to talk with native people here!
Anyway, my favorite part of the experience was the environment of the Excellence Center. I got to know such amazing people from all over the world, and I made super good friends. I really enjoyed staying at the center until its closing time, just studying (tables, books and computers are always available for us), or chatting with people. I have great memories of having coffee with the staff and some Palestinians students, and I can’t wait to come back here. Also, I got to visit the old city of Hebron with them, and it was a super nice experience, as they explained interesting things about the situation there.
As I wanted to visit the country, I asked for some free days and I went to visit Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerico, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. They are all amazing cities, and I especially liked Bethlehem, which is nice, because it takes less than an hour to get there from Hebron, and it’s super cheap too! It was very nice to swim in the Dead See too, and the landscape is just amazing.
About Hebron, I think it was the best place to stay. It has one huge street, and the center is right next to it, so it’s super easy to get there (most of the taxis go there). Also, there are two nice coffee shops just one minute away from the center. As it is not very touristic, Hebron is a very cheap place, and I loved the old city: it isn’t very big, but it’s probably the most interesting one, and people there is nice too. I always got free coffee and good conversation. As a woman, I was staying with a host family, and that was super great too, as I got to get involved in culture, and I met quite a lot of new people related to them. I also enjoy playing with children, and I got to be with two little girls at home.
Also, there was another volunteer staying with the same host family, so we spent a lot of time together, went to the center or to visit other cities together, and we became good friends. It was a very good way of getting to know Palestinian people, Palestinian culture, and, in my case, Japanese culture too.
When I decided to come to Palestine, I was a bit scared about safety, but here I was feeling as safe as in Europe. At first, it was weird and quite scary to see Israeli soldiers or to pass through checkpoints, but I didn’t see any conflict, and the only contact I had with them was they asking for my passport in the old city. In fact, they are only in some points of the old city and in the roads, so you might don’t see them at all if you don’t go specifically to those places. Routine and day to day life is very similar to European or American life, just normal people going to school, to work, having coffee of going shopping. Also, the main street is quite crowded, so it’s super safe to walk on it (I liked to go back home walking everyday, and it was about half an hour). The other reason why I was feeling safe during my stance here were the Palestinian. People here is super welcoming, always ready to help you (I got lost on my first day and I ended up with five or six people walking me to the center, and about another four or five sharing with me their phones or internet).
So, in general, I felt as safe as in Europe, during the daytime even more (people is definitely kinder and more welcoming here) and at night I just took the normal precautions (avoiding walking alone, but nothing that I wouldn’t do at home). Actually, most of my volunteers friends were also girls travelling alone, and none of us had any important problem. Catcalling wasn’t remarkable at all, better than in other countries I’ve been alone.
To conclude, what I liked more about Palestine was the hospitality of its people, I made a bunch of new friends, and I felt at home in every place I went. I got tons of free coffee, free tea, interesting conversations about the situation here, presents and discounts…every new person I met seemed like a distant cousin who really wanted to get in touch. I feel like I have a second huge family here!. This sensation is stronger in the Center, as every person I met there, staff, volunteers, students or just friends, was extremely friendly and made me feel completely at home.
I absolutely recommend coming to Palestine, and especially to the Excellence Center! You will get to visit a lot of wonderful cities (probably super different than the ones you have visited before), and I also recommend talking with every new person you meet. At the Center, you will get to meet amazing people, learn good Arabic and improve your teaching skills (or, as in my case, discover that you have them!).

I spent two weeks at the Excellence Center and the experience was very positive. I met many people of different nationalities and backgrounds, taught English to two groups, one of children and another of teenagers, and one-to-one lessons to several individials. I also had some individual German classes. And, last but not least, I got to know a lot about the everyday life and concerns of Syrian refugees in Germany. I strongly recommend it to anyone wishing to volunteer in order to do some meaningful work. As regards the city of Halle, it is small but with quite a lot of interesting things to visit. Accomodation was also very good: I stayed at the house of a very nice guy who made me feel at home from the first day and introduced my to his friends.

I studied Arabic for 1 month at the Excellent Centre, Hebron. I had a fantastic teacher who tailored the lessons to my own needs and interests and I left know lots more Arabic than when I arrived.

Everyone at the Centre was very welcoming. There were Arabic students and volunteers from all over the world and it was very interesting to experience Palestine with them.

I was able to visit the Dead Sea, Jericho, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. All of these places are very different and offer a different insight into Palestinian culture.

I also went on several tours organised by the centre, including to a refugee camp and to the Old City.

Hebron is a very, very save place to visit and to stay - it felt just like any other city in the Middle East.

I really experienced a lot during my time in Hebron. Not only the city but also the Excellence Center made my stay worth it. The intensive course I took gave me a huge step forward in arabic language, even though one week is way too short. I arrived with being able to read the alphabet and saying some basic things, now I feel like I have the knowledge to have full conversations, yet I need waaaay more practice. Which is only possible with more time. So the center gave me the perfect start.
The teacher tailored the course to my special needs and I felt in good hands at all times. Also the welcoming and authentic atmosphere is another reason why I'll recommend the center to friends who'd like to learn arabic.
If I'm back in Palestine I will definitely come back to the center, even if it's only to say marhaba to the nice people here.

My name is Lena, and I come from Denmark where I am currently studying Political Science. I spent three weeks in July 2019 in Hebron, Palestine studying Arabic at the Excellence Center. I participated in the individual Arabic program which meant that I together with a teacher studied Arabic three hours a day, five days a week. My teacher did not speak much English and thus I really got a chance to practice my Arabic. However, for future students I would recommend that you tell the school before coming whether you think you need a teacher who speaks a higher level of English or not. I loved my teacher and I learned a lot from her, but at times it could have been useful with some deeper clarifications in English.

Before coming to Palestine, I had already studied the Levantine dialect for a year through an evening school program in Denmark. I was interested in improving my spoken Arabic by learning new words and engaging in conversations with Native-Arabic speakers. Studying for three weeks at the Excellence Center did just that and it has encouraged me to improve my Arabic even further.

I had been very excited to live with a Palestinian host family because I was highly interested in learning about the Palestinian culture and people. It was truly an amazing experience. The Palestinian people in general are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. My host family was warm and welcoming towards me and I quickly integrated into the family. We spent many hours either visiting other family members or hosting friends and family at our house. It was a great way to learn about Palestinian customs and practices, practice my Arabic and have a good time. I was also very lucky to have a host mom who cooked the most delicious Palestinian food.

As written above the Palestinian people is one of the most hospitable and helpful people I have ever met. I experienced this on a daily basis regardless of whether I was with my host family, on the street looking for the right bus, or at the Excellence Center studying Arabic. Two experiences stand out in particular. During my stay in Palestine I visited Nablus in the North with two other girls from the center. Because we visited Nablus on a Friday everything turned out to be closed. We were walking around looking for a place to eat but couldn’t find anything. At some point a man approached us and offered his help. He showed us the part of the city, where shops and restaurants were still open and of course the best place to eat knafe in town. The second experience involves my lovely teacher who invited me to her brother’s wedding. I felt truly honored that she wanted me to join this very special moment. It was my first Palestinian wedding, and what an amazing experience. Because there was not room enough at my teacher’s house her aunt and uncle, whom I had never met before, offered to let me sleep at their house after the wedding. Palestinian kindness at its best.

The Excellence Center also offered a lot of activities before or after class. I participated in a political tour through the old city of Hebron, a visit to the Mosque of Ibrahim, a trip to a Bedouin camp surrounded by Israeli settlements, and a political trip to Shuhada street and the surroundings of the Israeli settlement inside the old city. All very interesting tours that informed us about life under Israeli occupation. Other activities though were less serious. Together with the center I visited a kufiyah factory and a traditional Palestinian glass factory, and I learned how to make stuffed egg plants and zucchinis – yummy. There was always something interesting to do.

Finally, I want to highlight the feeling of safety, especially for women travelling alone. I have been to Palestine travelling by myself several times now, and I have only been met with kindness and generosity from the Palestinian people. My friends often ask if it is not dangerous travelling as a woman by myself in such a place. My answer is that I take the same measures in Palestine as I would do in any other place. Regarding the Israeli Occupation, this is not something that directly affects you as a foreigner. The occupation is there, and it is visible both physically, and mentally, but it is not something that in my opinion affects the level of safety when travelling in the region.

I want to say a huge “thank you” to the Excellence Center, my teacher and my host family for making my stay in Palestine an incredible and memorable experience. Inshallah I will be back soon.

This summer I spend one month in Hebron at the Excellence Center. I was there teaching English and learning Arabic. During my stay I stayed with a host family for a month.
Teaching English at the center was an amazing experience. I taught every workday in two villages outside of Hebron. It was really nice to go here and see the daily life in Palestine and to meet Palestinian kids who would tell me about their lives here in Palestine and when I asked they would gladly tell me about how the occupation affected their lives. I loved teaching in Palestine.
I had 3 hours of Arabic one-on-one classes each week and they were really good. I got to practice my Arabic grammar and vocabulary in these classes and they really helped me to move forward with my Arabic knowledge.
My host family was absolutely lovely and I learned so much Arabic from them. We spend our evenings drinking tea in their garden and practicing our Arabic.
Hebron is a really good place to learn Arabic as there are not many foreigners. People will gladly have conversations with you in Arabic, even if your Arabic is not good.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time in the Excellence Center and I definitely plan to come back next year.

We volunteered at the center for two weeks, we found the center to be a really nice experience. The staff were very helpful on all aspects of thing. They were very welcoming. all the volunteers were very nice and polite. The center is a very family oriented place and we always felt welcome. Overall it was a beautiful experience and we highly recommend the center to all. They showed us a very true representation of life in Palestine. The Arabic lessons were very helpful and give us a good start on learning Arabic and had we had more time we would have learnt a lot more. The Arabic teachers had a very good grasp of the language and also English which helped a lot. The center advised us on all aspects of safety, but throughout our experience we had no cause for concern.

I spent two months in Hebron, Palestine with the Excellence Center, and honestly, it was probably one of the best life choices I’ve ever made. I don’t think I can describe how much this internship helped me to develop as a person and as an Arabic speaker. Through the host family experience and the Arabic courses, I went from someone who could speak some Arabic, but was extremely timid and never did so, to someone who is comfortable having conversations in Arabic, even if I’m not 100% positive on how to say certain things. The Arabic I learned in the classes here is called Khalili- which is the local dialect in Hebron (Khalil in Arabic). Learning this dialect has helped to connect me to the local population, my host family, and helped me to be able to ask questions on the street in a dialect that is familiar to everyone here. However, one can also study Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) if that is what they want to do.

When I first arrived at the Center I was a nervous wreck, I’ve recently arrived in a foreign country, didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t know anyone here beyond exchanging emails. However, I was welcomed here with open arms, by both the staff and the amazing manager and the other volunteers. I was instantly relieved and was greeted by my host family shortly after. After my intensive Arabic courses were over I had different political tours of Hebron filled with information and many different people’s perspectives of the occupation and life in Palestine. From visiting the governorate to seeing the near ghost town of H2, every visit was educational, interesting, and important for my time in Hebron.

For the last section of my time in Hebron, I was teaching English. I mainly had my own classes but did assist other teachers when needed. This section changed my life. I came into this internship wanting to work for my government and left wanting to continue teaching English as a second language in an Arab country (hopefully Palestine). The kids in my classes were mainly interested, at least half the class wanted to be there and paid attention when I was teaching, as a student of foreign languages this is truly a rarity. These students have made me laugh, challenged me, and turned me into a more patient and kinder person. They have shown me that students can be interested in foreign languages and that with the right students teaching is less of a job than a past time. I highly recommend anyone who is thinking about coming to Hebron to teach, learn Arabic, volunteer, intern, etc. to do it. This is a life-changing experience that is not available elsewhere, as in nowhere else is there the welcoming, loving, family environment that the Excellence Center in Palestine provides.