The Excellence Center Reviews

My name is Floris, from the Netherlands. I am currently studying at Kyoto University, in Japan. My major is international relations and politics. At my university, we are free to choose courses every semester, so last semester I studied about post-colonialism, orientalism and Islam. These courses all made me interested in the Middle-East and especially in the situation here in Palestine.
Firstly I would like to thank the Excellence Center for the wonderful experience I had here in Palestine. I participated for three and a half weeks in the Volunteer & Arabic Program, which means that I both taught English and learned Arabic at the centre.
Teaching English here was very interesting and motivating. I have participated in other programs in other countries, but I found my experience at the Center more diverse than at the other places. I taught young children, high school students, PhD students and even officials of the Hebron municipality. As the students and their level of English were very different, teaching was very challenging. The English level in Palestine is generally very high, so through my English classes I learned a lot about the situation, from the viewpoint young and older people.
I also learned Arabic at the Center. I had one or more hours of Arabic almost every weekday. Because I already had studied some ‘Fusha’ (Modern Standard Arabic) by myself in Japan, I decided to study the ‘Amiya’ (dialect) of the Levantine region, focusing on the Palestinian dialect. The tempo of the classes was very high, but this helped me to learn a lot of new grammar and words every class. After every class I would review what I did and do my homework for the next day. I really think my Arabic improved. Now, after three weeks, I can communicate with my host family almost without using any English. Before coming to Palestine, I had only learned Arabic seriously for around two months, so I think this is a very big improvement.
Besides of teaching and studying, I also travelled to a lot of places with my colleagues and teachers of the Center. I went to the old city centre of Hebron, where Palestinian students explained about the situation there. I also visited Susya, a small Bedouin village which is famous for its conflict with the Israeli government. I also went to the Dead Sea with my friends of the Center.
Before I came to Palestine, I had applied for a host family, and the Center found one for me. It was a fantastic experience to live with a Palestinian family. Now I have my own home here in Palestine to which I can return to any time I want. The parents took me to Ramallah one weekend, and the brother, who has around the same age as me, took me to Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine. I will miss them a lot when I go back to Japan.
Safety is an important issue for all people thinking of visiting Palestine. Palestine felt much safer than I had expected. The people are super (!!!) friendly, and want to help you and even invite you to their house, a cafe or a party any time. By just walking through Hebron, you will have someone greeting you every few minutes.
Of course, there were some places that did not feel so safe. Especially the presence of the Israeli army in the old city of Hebron made me feel uncomfortable. Also, when I travelled to Bethlehem to see the famous wall-paintings there, I was screamed at with bad words by Israeli soldiers from one of the watchtowers. I want to stress that every time I felt scared or unsafe, this was not because of the Palestinian people. They were always very friendly and welcoming.
I hope to come back to the Excellence Center very soon again, and I recommend anyone who is open minded, to come and visit Palestine. I am sure it will be a fantastic experience for you too.

I am Luca, 24 years old and I am from Germany. I graduated as BA of psychology in summer 2018 and completed a pre-master program in international relations this January. I decided to take half a year off in order to explore the Middle East, which is my primary field of interest. Finally, different websites and experience reports convinced me to spend some time at the Excellence Center in Palestine.
I choose to work as a volunteer in the ‘teach English study Arabic’ program from February until April. Parts of my work included to visit schools, teaching classes at the Excellence Center and giving one-to-one classes to students. All of these activities provided their very own experiences. Visiting schools in Hebron is always fun. The students are very happy and enthusiastic about having foreigners at their school and I was usually engaging them by playing games and doing fun activities in order to provide an alternative to their grammar focused curriculum. At the Excellence Center itself I had my own class, called ‘the English Club’. I felt very lucky because we did not have any fixed lesson schedule or exam in the end, so I could tailor the lessons to the individual interests of the students. We ended up having lessons about human rights, social media, and even mental health. I will never forget the way my students were engaged in this class and we had a great time. Private classes offer different teaching opportunities and experiences again. One-to-one lessons can be very intense, whether one does a grammar focused lesson, open discussions or listening exercises. In the end, I might have learned as much as my students. I talked about Islam, evolution and philosophy with a very religious student, about politics with a former lawyer, and learned a lot about economics and businesses from a successful Palestinian businessman.
Learning the Arabic language was also a very unique experience for me. While I was learning the basics like letters and important phrases in my Arabic lessons at the center, I could apply my acquired knowledge outside of the center. In the evenings, I was usually sitting together with Arabic people other volunteers and I learned some more phrases that I could use in the daily life. I came to Hebron as a complete beginner, only knowing how to say thank you, and could acquire a good basis that will help me to improve my Arabic skills in the future.
My Arabic teacher was very experienced and, just as everybody else at the center, extremely helpful and friendly. The working climate at the center was great and I felt as part of one big family. I was lucky to spend the time with other great volunteers and I probably made some friends for a lifetime, including both, Palestinians and international volunteers. After my time in Palestine, I even went on holidays in Jordan with a friend I met at the center.
During my two-moth stay in Palestine, I visited many different places in the country. Together with other volunteers I went to Bethlehem, Ramallah, or Jerusalem. Luckily, travelling is easy due to taxis that one can hop on everywhere in the cities. Moreover, on our holidays, the Excellence Center and Shekh Abed, a friend of the center and best man on this planet, organized different activities. Hence, we went hiking almost every Friday, which helped us to also see more of the beautiful countryside. As a nice side effect, it contributed to a great group cohesion.
In Hebron, I was living in the men’s apartment. Together with the others, I enjoyed the time and Osama, Shekh and Marwa were always responsive in case we had questions or needed help. In the evenings, we were usually sitting with Shekh Abed in his duwania next door; a living room-like place in which his friends and family come together to talk, play games or smoke argile. We had great evenings at this place and I can only recommend every volunteer in the future to go there. Moreover, all kinds of shops are in close proximity to the apartment and you can get snacks and water or soft drinks until late in the evening at a shop next door.
Before I came to Palestine, I had some doubts regarding the security in Palestine. Never been to a Middle Eastern country before, I was not sure how the situation might be. However, any concerns I might have had before I came to Hebron were unjustified in retrospection. During my whole stay, I felt very safe and never encountered a threatening situation. Crossing a checkpoint and being asked for your passport by Israeli soldiers can be a bit frightening, however, as a foreigner there is nothing one has to be afraid of. I used to walk in the streets of Hebron even late at night and felt more comfortable and safe than I do back in Germany.
What I liked the most about Palestine were its people. Palestinians are extremely welcoming and friendly. When I arrived at Hebron on my first day, I struggled to find the Excellence Center at first. A young boy saw me wandering around in the street and offered me his help to get to the center. After all, my stay in Palestine left too many impressions as I could write them down. I started to write a diary in order to not forget half of them. The people, the food, the country … I am just happy that I could make this experience and I will come back to Palestine to visit this country and all of my friends.
During the time of the year I came to the Excellence Center (February – April), I was at times the only English teacher together with a British friend of mine. This meant that we were quite busy at times, sometimes teaching many different classes and students each day. While this was a challenge from which I learned a lot for myself, it sometimes kept me a bit from studying Arabic. Because in the evenings you will almost never find yourself sitting on your own, having a bit more time for self-studying during the day would have been good for me. In the end, however, it probably all comes down to time management and setting my priorities right.

My name is Marco Izzi, I’m 46 years old and I’m originally from Italy, but I’ve been living in Germany for a very long time.
I’ve been studying Arabic by myself for more than one year, and in this time I attended two courses in different schools abroad for short periods.
I found the Excellence Center through a Google Search and I was attracted already from the beginning by the idea of visiting Palestine, not only to study Arabic, but also to build my own opinion about the situation in this part of the world.
I can describe my experience as divided in three parts:
1. THE PRE-DEPARTURE NERVOUSNESS: From the very moment I booked my course and flight, I was wondering whether I made the right thing. I was really worried because of the perception we get from the news about the local situation. Moreover, my family and friends were telling me that they didn’t support my choice. I’ve been reading the recommendations from the foreign affairs department several times before the departure date
2. THE ARRIVAL AND STAY: After arriving, after talking to people, hanging over with locals, taking lessons at school, meeting the school mates and the volunteers from the Excellence Center, after getting to know Palestine, all my worries as reported in the point nr.1 disappeared. I can affirm without any doubt that Hebron, and in general Palestine, are among the safest places in the world. But this is only one side of the experience. The other side is the warmness of people, which are among the friendliest I’ve ever met in my life, after visiting more than four dozen countries, though always being respectful and never harassing you. Simple, good hearted people who are ready to leave their last piece of bread to you to because of the sacredness of hospitality in their culture. The last, but probably the most important mention of my period at the Excellence Center, is the Arabic Course. I attended a super intensive course of Modern Standard Arabic. Actually six hours per day could seem a lot, but the teaching method of my teacher Doaa and the large variety of activities offered by the school (city tours, craft factories visits, cooking sessions, etc.), make the studying time enjoyable, interesting and never boring.
3. THE SADNESS OF LEAVING: Seldom a place remained in my heart and in my thoughts as Hebron did. After this experience I know one thing for sure: I’ll come back.
ما السلامة يا فلسطين

The refugee crisis in European called my attention since it began to be show on Brazil’s television news. What we heard about the war in Syria sounded something totally out of reality (for brazilians, at least); the images of the boats full with thousands people, seemed like a fiction story. Still, it was true. Some years later, venezuelans seek for a better life in Brazil, creating some difficulties for the government to deal with it. Seems politics keep ignoring history in order learn with it.
How can you integrate people in a broken world? How can we integrate people and respect their differences at the same time? How can I help them to have decent life? These are my questions as a human being, as a christian, and as a civil engineering student. I started to look after volunteer programs to discover how to put theory into practice. When I got the opportunity to go to Europe as an Erasmus student, I used the chance to get to learn more about the refugees situation and try to help them. So, I found in The Excellence Center, a great opportunity to do it.
In the EC I had the chance to interact with kids and have really good talks young adults, both groups from Syria; helping them to learn english. Also, I could study a little bit of German during my short stay in the city of Halle. It was my first time living with a host family, they were so nice and kind… I will always remember them. I felt bad I could not stay more than a week and I imagine how much more intense it would be the experience and how much I could had helped if I stayed longer.
The help they receive from Germany can really lead them to a better life. It’s a both way gaining: the country prepare refugees to become citizens and the refugees turns into economically active population. However, it is still not easy, for example, for Syrian women to find a job; most of them were full time housewifes in their country. Also, in order to work in Germany, refugees need to achieve good results in the german language test, and not always the courses has a good didatic for them. Besides this, there’s also the prejudice and the growing anti-refugees movements.
I hope the amount of volunteers in the EC rise up, for them can have more stability and continuous course for everybody. The first results of this hard work are in the smile of each kid, is in each new word students are able to learn. But the long-term results are the establishment of good and well prepared citzens for this world.

My name is Tristan and I'm from America. I participated in the Excellence Center's intensive Arabic studies program for two weeks in early 2019.

I decided on the program as a means of both improving my fledgling Arabic and visiting an area rich in culture and political interest. While I mainly stayed in Hebron, where the program provided living accommodations, I also visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Traveling in Palestine is generally cheap and easy, though it helps to have functional Arabic.

My stay was likely too short to fully review the quality of the program, but without a doubt my teacher and the staff at the Center were extremely kind, patient and knowledgeable. Some of the staff have much more English than others, and my Arabic isn't conversational, so that limited my interactions.

This may have been because I was at the Center a short period, but I do wish there had been more trips/tours organized by the staff. On my penultimate day we visited the last remaining kufiyyah factory in Hebron, but this was the only trip during my stay.

I would say any of the programs here will be most beneficial to somebody who already has functional Arabic and is very social. If you have a good 'base' of Arabic and you're a social learner, you could dramatically improve your Arabic via this program, even in a short amount of time.

In general, the Palestinians I met were all extremely gracious and were without exception interested in chatting and engaging with tourists. The Center didn't always feel entirely structured but I think anybody with the right attitude and disposition could get a lot out of the Arabic studies program.

The time spent getting to know the people of Hebron and working with the Excellence Centre has invaluable beyond belief. Every day here is new, different, exciting and fun. The people at the centre and within the local community are the most generous and welcoming I have ever met.
I came with no experience teaching but was able to participate fully in classes with the guidance of teachers and other volunteers.
The enthusiasm of the students makes the work all the more rewarding, and I was able to become good friends with many wonderful people through my classes.
To anyone considering undertaking this course, regardless of any prior Arabic language knowledge I would very much recommend it!

Thank you so so so much to everyone at the centre again!

It was a chilly December day when I came to Halle Germany. The center itself is located in a very convenient quite part of the city. It’s a small center but the atmosphere inside was very welcoming and comfortable. This was my first experience volunteering so I had very little expectations. But I had taught abroad before in Asia so I imagined it might be similar to that. I met Rafat and the other volunteer I would be working with as well as other local teachers and students. The first thing that we all did was have breakfast together. While eating and getting to know everyone I realized that this was a place very conducive to a community atmosphere that supported a multicultural environment.

I should tell you my reason for taking the trip and a little about myself. I’m from the US and I spent a decent amount of time studying abroad in Japan. Since then I’ve had a very different view of the world and all the people in it. When I felt like I had been in my home country for too long and needed a break I started looking for volunteer work. Some people like to travel the world and go sightseeing. While that is nice, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to enjoy myself as just a tourist. I really look for a sense of purpose in any kind of international traveling I do. I enjoy the opportunities to meet people in an international community and have meaningful experiences.

My time here at The Excellence Center has been short, sweet, and full of memorable experiences and people. I feel absolutely honored and humbled to have had the chance to get to know these people. What life has been like for them, their struggles and hopes for the future. From the volunteers to the refugees not a single one falls short of incredible. I definitely got what I was looking for and so much more. For instance, my views on a lot of things changed, like my perspective on Germany and the refugees in Germany. Rafat and his staff are superb, kind, and friendly. They are always so flexible and understanding you won’t meet many people like them that are so hard working and driven. I will definitely miss the center and all the people. I hope that in the future I will have a chance to work with them again and stay longer. I would recommend The Excellence Center to everyone.

The experience at The Excellence Centre was an unique one thanks to the people I met there. Even when teaching I was able to get to know interesting people, their stories and their view of the world. Besides, you get to know the lifestyle of people in Germany! That's something that just a trip for vacation can't achieve so easily.

Learning German at the Excellence Center was amazing. I had a native speaker teacher who guided me in the language by helping me with advice on trips, people in Germany and culture.

Students there were thankful of my work and, even though I went expecting to teach English, they found it interesting to learn my mother language: Spanish. It made me feel more relaxed and happy, and it showed me a challenge, for I had never taught Spanish. I even had to teach in German, which I don't speak so well, but helped me improve it, for students there speak it very well.

Here at the Excellence Center in Europe, I had a great time with the staff and everyone involved in the program. The program that I chose was the internship program which is for one month.

I have always had an interest in refugees and how Germany is coping with the refugee crisis that occurred in 2015. This internship program at the Excellence Center in Europe has given me an in depth background of refugees by having consistent interaction with refugees from the school, apartment complex, or the local mosque.

My first week I had the option to learn German or Arabic and on my last week I had the opportunity to teach English to refugee students. These experiences have been very rewarding to me and I appreciate everything that the program has to offer me in Germany.

I work full-time and was not able to take a regular course so I opted for private instruction. This worked out best for me and I recommend this to those with inflexible schedules. Rafat, the center director and founder, is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I had some basic Arabic and he was able to construct lessons that suited my progress. Because I came during the New Year's holiday there weren't other students to interact with, but Halle is a very nice city with great cafes and a good arts movie theatre.
I lived with a refugee family so the accommodations were fine but if you are looking for a 5-star hotel this isn't it. I had my own room in a small apartment in which a mom and her 17 year old son were living. Shared bathroom. There were ample times to interact with them and over the holidays she had many refugee friends over and that was quite interesting. Rafat also organizes cultural programs in the afternoon where you can interact with other Arab speakers.