The Excellence Center Reviews

My name is Maria Agustina Mansilla and I came from Argentina to do the Medicine and Healthcare program during two weeks in the Excellence Center. We organized a coursed with midwifery students of the Hebron University with a total of 4 workshops where we talked about medical vocabulary, pregnancy physiology, communication skills and bioethics. It was an honor for me to share with each other our knowledge and it was a very interesting and enriching experience. I shared with them my knowledge but at the same time we encouraged ourselves in our careers, we shared details of us, we got to know each other and we enjoyed together discussing clinical cases and medical ethical dilemmas.
Concerning my program I also had the chance to visit the Al Ahlil Hospital in Hebron where the staff kindly showed me their work place and they introduced me in the medical situation of Palestine. Also I had the chance to visit the Hebron University where I specially visited the laboratories, the library and the amazing Media college where the students have the opportunity of learning journalism with real radio and television studios.
Apart from my volunteering I had classes to improved my Arabic with the kind, patient, creative and interesting Ahlam. With her I didn’t only learned Arabic but also learned about Palestine, the life here, their culture, costumes, flowers, food, etc. She is an example of the strong, educated and kind women that live in Palestine.
Every day I came from my host family home to the Old Center to do my activities. Located near the city center of Hebron, every morning we start our day by having traditional breakfast together with “shai”, bread, hummus, cheese, olive oil and spices. But the Center is not only the volunteers and the staff, every day while being in the center we have lot of conversations with all the people that is around, students, mothers of students, local teachers, friends, etc. In the Center everyone is welcomed and being here we get to know a lot of citizens from the city and near villages.
In my two weeks here I visited Bethlehem with two volunteers and one day I took my day off to go the beach in Jaffa. The last Friday I went to Ramallah and the Dead Sea with my host family and staff from the Center. We shared a barbeque steering to the Dead Sea, we swam, we heard to music, we went to Arafat's Museum and to the Mahmud Darwish Museum. And we ended our day steering the magical city of Jericho from the high mountains near the Teleferic.
During my visit here I stayed in a village called Bait Ummar near Hebron with the family of Ibrahim and Fatina. Them and their sons and daughter Shuruq were my family for two weeks. I got to know their family, I ate Fatina’s amazing arabic food, I ate the figs from their garden, I talked in Arabic with Iusef and I played with the amazing little Mohamed. Also we shared long conversations with shisha, tea and music every night after our work.
Palestine is a beautiful country, the landscapes are stunning and the energy is unbelievable but what truly embellish the country is the people. I made friends in the Center and in Bait Ummar that made every minute an absolute amusement and joy. They opened their houses and their heart to make my days absolutely special. Here it's impossible to go to a place and not be received with the phrase: Ahlan u Sahlan fy Falestine.
Concerning to the safety, even if Palestine has a lot of problems I never felt fear. I think that as long as fear does not reign in Palestine, it is impossible to be scared. Also everyone took care of me as if I were from their family.
I arrived to Palestine without any expectations and I didn’t know what I was going to see here but I have to say I have been surprised by an amazing country with a lot of potential to grow with happy, generous, welcoming, educated and with a lot of love and dedication to their country people I expect to never forget how amazed, welcomed and happy I was here.

I am a Ph.D. candidate and teacher educator, and I have wanted to learn Arabic for several years -- not for academic or employment purposes, but simply for fun and to be able to communicate with Arabic speakers in my city. I came to the Excellence Center to study Palestinian Arabic in an immersive environment. I chose the Center over other programs because of the flexible start and end dates, the personalized individual courses, and the opportunity to live with a host family. I also appreciated that the foreigners at the Center represented a range of countries, backgrounds, and ages.

When I came here, I could read and write the alphabet (very slowly), but I had no ability to communicate, and I don’t think I could write a single sentence. I was fortunate to have a teacher with whom I “clicked” and who was very good at teaching a beginner. I found that she was very perceptive about my needs and preferences as a learner. After just a couple of days, I started recognizing words she was teaching me when I listened to conversations around me. Now, after five weeks, I have made significant improvements in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Arabic. While I still have a long way to go, I now have a much better foundation. When I return home, I will be better able to engage the Arabic speakers around me in conversation. (I evaluate language teachers for a living, so I am pretty difficult to impress.)

I was lucky to live with two different host families, as my first family had a logistical issue when some members came home after living out of town. While I didn’t want to leave them, I really enjoyed getting to experience two different lifestyles (and I still got to visit them). It’s difficult to express how open and welcoming my families were. They included me in all of their activities and always made sure I had anything I needed. Members of both families enjoyed teaching me about Islam and the Quran.

Beyond your host family, you will meet friendly people everywhere you go in Hebron. For example, I was walking to school one morning during my first week when a car stopped and the woman in the passenger seat asked if I wanted a ride; she felt that it was too hot for me to be walking. [Though I was here in the summer and it was certainly hot, it wasn’t unbearable. I generally wore linen pants, t-shirts with ¾ sleeves, and a scarf. (Make sure your clothes are made from breathable fabrics!)] While getting in a car with strangers would be very unusual and certainly not advisable in my home country, I accepted her offer. I then learned that she and her husband were Palestinian Americans who were here visiting family in Hebron and Halhul. I went to a relative’s home with them to pick up their daughter, met their little nieces and nephews who all wanted to shake my hand, then was driven right to the door of the Center -- but not before they had stopped to get falafel for me, because they were concerned that I hadn’t yet eaten breakfast.

Life here is very easy for foreigners, and Hebron is much more than what you will see on YouTube or Twitter. To answer everyone’s question, yes, it is safe. Don’t go walking around the border between H1 and H2 after Friday prayers, but I can’t think of anything else to warn you about. I look forward to telling people back home about Palestine and especially about Hebron. After leaving Hebron to visit other cities like Bethlehem and Jerusalem, I was always happy to return “home.” I had several conversations with other foreigners at the Center about how comfortable we feel here.

Some recommendations for a successful experience studying Arabic at the Center:
* You will get the most out of your intensive Arabic study if you review and practice each day. Find time and space to study -- which may not be possible at home.
* Don’t neglect informal learning opportunities like attending weddings, meeting extended family, and so on. Just as people will want to practice their English with you, they will also be happy to help you practice your Arabic. Adapt as much as possible to your family’s schedule, diet, and so on. Stay in Palestine as long as your schedule allows; let yourself have time to “just hang out”.
* In terms of interacting with the other foreigners at the Center, you can be as social or independent as you want to be. However, you are likely to find some good friends and/or travel buddies here!

I will miss the people of Hebron terribly, and I plan to return to the Excellence Center in the future. I would be happy to answer questions from any prospective Arabic students about my experiences here.

Experience in Palestine

Hello, my name is Hannes and I am about to finish a month of working at the Excellence Center in Hebron. I am 19 years old and I am studying Arabic and Islamic Studies in my home country, Belgium. I participated in the volunteering program of the Excellence Center where I taught English to children but I also had the opportunity to take some private Arabic lessons.

In the English classes I assisted a local teacher with teaching to 7 – 12 year old kids. I didn’t have any teaching experience but you get in the flow quite naturally. I also gave some individual classes to older students on several occasions. The focal point of these lessons was mostly placed on the speaking of the language, so I tried to teach the kids a native pronunciation of English, even though I’m not a native speaker.

The private Arabic lessons are particularly helpful because they are private, and for that reason adjusted to your own knowledge and skills. I just finished my first year of university so I had a basis of standard Arabic (Fusha) to start with and learn the Palestinian dialect. My teacher knew what I could and could not handle and taught me a fair bit of Arabic in the small amount of time I spent here. I also tried to pick up some Arabic of the streets, which worked to a certain extent. Girls/women definitely had an easier time learning Arabic because they have the change to stay with a Palestinian host family. The guys stay together at an apartment, which is conveniently located in the city.

During my stay here I could take some days off to visit the country. I went with some other volunteers and Arabic students on a trip to various cities like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Akko. I even had the chance to hop over to the Jordanian side of the border and visit Petra and Wadi Rum. In the city of Hebron itself it is really interesting to visit the ancient religious sites like the Ibrahimi Mosque and the neighboring synagogue. Hebron is particularly interesting because the city is divided in an Arab and a Jewish part.

I felt quite safe here in Palestine, more than I expected at least. People on the street are very friendly as they are not very used to interacting with foreigners, and will try and talk to you or ask you to have coffee with them. Especially for guys, you don’t have to worry about walking around late at night on the streets or taking taxi’s. Women should take a little more care, but I feel like that goes for every country or city.

The thing I liked most in Palestine is probably the hospitality I just mentioned. As a foreigner you feel very welcome which makes blending in a lot easier. I also just like being emerged in a culture that is quite different from the one I’m used to.
My favorite experience I had in Palestine was probably when me and some other volunteers got invited on the roof of a tall apartment building, which had an amazing view of the city. Also just hanging around with the volunteers made for some very interesting moments and conversations.

The Excellence Center is doing a very good job at teaching English to kids, teenagers and adults who don’t really get the chance to interact with foreigners. A lot of Palestinian people are therefore eager to get educated in any way. I would recommend the Excellence Center to people all over the world, as they provide you with everything you need to have a nice and interesting stay in Palestine.

Finally, I feel like coming here has had great influence on me and on the way I will view Palestine and its people. The images we make in our heads of places like this, with western media as our only source, are so different from how daily life here exists as it does. I will remember the Palestinians for their hospitality and openness to foreigners, while they still manage to cherish their own culture and traditions. I feel like this is a place where I will come back later in my life.

My name is Archie and I have just finished the Human Rights program at the Excellence Centre. I am currently at the University of Leeds, UK, reading Middle Eastern Studies. I have been in Hebron for two weeks.
At the Excellence Centre, I have had Arabic lessons and given classes on Human Rights and in English. I have also been on various trips with members of the centre to places such as Bethlehem.
I have had four beginners Arabic lessons which have been really useful I am now able to introduce myself and get by. The quality of teaching is of a very high standard.
The Excellence Centre’s environment is amazing. The staff and teachers are incredibly helpful and welcoming, they are also really nice people. The Palestinian students are all keen to learn, polite and fun. There is a broad mix of international volunteers coming from all over the world. I have made good friends during my time here.
We visited the Hebron glass and cloth factories. A trip to Ramallah, Jericho and the Dead Sea was organized which was very fun! I have been to Bethlehem twice, seeing the Church of the Nativity and also the Banksy wall – a must see. The Old City in Hebron is very interesting as one can directly see the impact of the settler occupation.
I have been living with the other male volunteers in an apartment at the house of Sheikh Abid. It is a good place to stay and a good place to relax. Hebron itself is the most iconic Palestinian city and if you are looking to fully immerse yourself in Palestinian life, then Hebron is the place to go.
Safety and security is an important topic. Throughout my stay in Palestine, as a male, I have felt completely safe. I have never felt that I have been in danger. It is safer to walk through Hebron at night than it is to walk through Leeds in the UK.
I cannot decide what I like most about Palestine because all aspects are so good. The food is really good, and very affordable, especially in Hebron. The weather is hot but good! A nice change from British weather – sun cream is important. The people and their hospitality are amazing. They are so much more welcoming than the people of Europe.
My lasting impression of Palestine is the character of the Palestinian people. They are so friendly and hospitable despite what has been imposed upon them by Israel. My overall experience has been amazing and I will never forget it. I am studying a politics related degree and so this trip has been very informative. I would definitely recommend to absolutely everyone. Go to Palestine!

My motivation to come to Palestine was mostly political and in part from cultural curiosity which I have had as I study anthropology. It was my dream to live with Muslim people and see how they spend their daily lives, while Palestine has been the most attractive destination among other Arab countries because of my political interest. I have read good amounts of books on Palestinian-Israeli conflict and my image of staying in Palestine was, not that I was thinking here is dangerous, which is totally incorrect, but that it can be hard and I would probably face harsh realities. In short, I imagined Palestine as a place with its specificity.

My assumption was partly true. I got to hear bunch of sad stories and those examples showed me that people living here are suffering daily from things I already knew from the books. When we have conversations, they suddenly jump into the topic of the occupation, sometimes even do not intend to, and they show me subtle, but clear anger for what they are talking about. Then they switch to brighter topics or daily conversations and the shadow I felt inside their voice disappears. Whenever you hear each of the story, I assure you will feel so depressed that you need to stay away from it for a little moment.

At the same time, contrary to what most of the people in the world who never visited Palestine think, which was kind of same for me before, these people are having daily lives as normal as people do in other parts of the world. It is stupid enough to inform you, “Hey, there is a life in Palestine. People are living there just like us”. Honestly, though, I have never watched media, which introduce the aspect of Palestinian culture and life. Everything is about the conflict, the violence and the number of deaths. It makes the image of Palestine ugly and prevents people from coming here. Because of that, I needed some time to tell my parents that I was going to apply for this program. How political it is. How we are not aware of it! I assume this situation on media or whatever information available for people are more or less same in other countries.

I cannot even summarize what I have got from this experience because it was not just knowledge on its culture and the politic, but it was something alive which I can see and feel from people and Hebron itself. Culturally, it was an amazing opportunity to live with my host family, through which I got to know their way of thinking as Muslims and as Palestinians. I cannot think of anything better than spending time with them throughout this whole month. If there was much space here, I would write about their hospitality, willingness to teach me Arabic and supports on everything. Politically, I found it much more difficult to solve the problem since I had a closer look on the situation, while at the same time, it motivated me to think of any possibility to work for it in the future. The situation must be changed.

My name is Sigrid and I went to Hebron and the Excellence Center to refresh my Arabic skills before taking up my studies in Arabic after a break of 1.5 years. I also wanted to improve my skills in colloqial Arabic and become better at speaking in general.
My teacher was Maryam and we met three hours a week and focused on basics and to reactivate much of the vocabulary and expressions I had forgotten. We also concentrated on specifically Palestinian vocab and expressions.
My experience at the center has been really great. The people are very nice and welcoming and Hebron itself is a nice city for foreigners because there are not too many tourists so you can practice your Arabic in the street, the shops, and the taxis as well :-)

I have always enjoyed visiting 'difficult' areas so that I can see for myself what's going on. Volunteering in these areas is even better, where not only can you speak to people directly but you can give some useful help.

The opportunity at the Excellence Center provided all of this. Colleagues, now friends, and I were able to help young Palestinian people (and American/Canadian volunteer friends!) with English, which not only helps them access a much wider range of education and entertainment opportunities, but enables a sort of peaceful resistance through education. I learnt a lot about their culture too, which after understanding a few etiquette barriers, is not that much different to the UK. I picked up a little Arabic too but I only had a week here so not as much as I wanted.

I have met some lovely people and seen their difficulties and humour first-hand. I have also visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and eaten a lot of chicken and rice...

It's been a great experience and I very much want to return. I thoroughly recommend this.

Marhaba! My name is Connor Israel and I am a twenty-year-old International Studies and Arabic student from Texas A&M University. I am currently wrapping up my two months of participating in the Internship in Palestine program with the Excellence Center. I came to Palestine in order to improve my Arabic language skills, learn about the situation under Israeli occupation and most importantly to make personal connections to this place that is so often the subject of diminutive headlines. All of those desires have been fulfilled through my time with the Excellence Center and I am so thankful for the opportunity I was able to have here in Hebron.
Through two weeks of intensive and personalized Arabic classes with my incredible teacher Isaac (!شكرا كتير) I was introduced to the local dialect and given valuable study materials that I have worked through during the rest of my time here. The most important improvement I have seen in my Arabic skills is definitely a vastly greater comfort in speaking the language. Upon arriving, I was apprehensive about using the language, but through meeting new friends both in the center and around the city, I was able to gain confidence as I learned more and more each day. As an international volunteer at the center, I would say that the Arabic classes and practical experience you gain by being here are the most valuable skills I have gained.
I also came to Hebron because I was fascinated with the political situation in Palestine. Seeing the checkpoints and settlements with my own eyes has given me a perspective on the occupation that is based on witnessing it not merely hearing about it through the media. I have had countless conversations with amazing Palestinians about the hardships they have faced their whole lives due to the Israeli military. I have been honored to drink coffee and talk with so many brave individuals who still fight for peace and freedom despite all of the obstacles they face. If you are at all interested in learning more about the Palestinian situation, spending time in Hebron will provide you with so much perspective and understanding which you could never gain from simply reading about the conflict.
Lastly, and most memorably, the relationships I have made here will stay with me for the rest of my life. The staff at the center are warm and welcoming and they have shown me the best parts of Palestinian society, their immense hospitality. I have had conversations with people on the street who are just interested in welcoming me to their homes. I have been offered coffee and tea more times than I can count. I was also able to meet many other international volunteers from all over the world who have become dear friends in my short time here.
The Excellence Center is a place where stimulating conversation is abundant and I will always be thankful for my two short months here in Hebron!

As an immersive experience with the Hebron Excellence Center, the staff and the resources provided were of great quality. Arabic exposure was ideal, in my experience, due to Palestinian hospitality and the opportunities provided to speak throughout the course of studies. Arabic teachers here are also amazing with providing conversational practice to the students and helping with vocabulary retention and grammar correction. The visits to different areas also lent us a greater insight into Palestinian culture and the politics that make up a great part of the daily life in this area. It was overall a very rewarding experience and one that will continue to be valued.

I had a lovely experience with the Excellence Center in Hebron. The Arabic classes were very good and I learned a lot in a short time and feel much more comfortable in my Arabic. My host family was incredibly nice and allowed me to eat so much delicious local food and try dishes I hadn't before. The program also allowed me lots of free time to explore the city and travel around Palestine to see some of the sites there. Ibraheim was a great teacher and tons of fun to work with. Also the other internationals at the center were lovely.