The Excellence Center Reviews

I am Khairunisa from Singapore. I just graduated from university last year and after completing a contract job, I am now on a break. I wanted to do something meaningful during this break and so after searching on the net for volunteering opportunities, I decided to sign up for the ‘Volunteer in Palestine’ program at the Excellence Center together with my younger sister. We stayed in Hebron for a week but even with the short visit, it was a very meaningful and enjoyable experience.

We were warmly greeted by the staff here at the Excellence Center on our first day. After a long and tiring journey, we were really delighted when they prepared for us lunch. The staff here are very friendly and are always making sure that we are alright, especially if we have any difficulties or problems. We start our days with breakfast at the Excellence Center every morning so it was very easy for us to converse with one another. It was a good time to ask about the Palestinian culture and lifestyle, and also for the volunteers to share with one another their experiences here.

We were also greeted by our host brother on our first day. Our host family are not fluent in english except for one of the sisters. However, we were still able to converse about many things such as our traditions, cultures, and lifestyle. I really enjoyed having a home stay as it really allowed us to experience the daily lifestyle here and be part of their family. Our host family had a ten-year-old girl and it was a pleasure to meet her as it reminds me of my youngest sister back in Singapore. We joined their family every night after a day at the Excellence Center. Some nights, we would be sitting outside their home, enjoying the night, and at some nights we would be watching television together. We also got to try their homemade food for dinner. It was really good and I really enjoyed trying Palestinian food here. They even made us for dessert too! We were really touched by it. As we spent a week together, I’ve made good friends with the family and I am really sad to leave them.

As our stay here was very short, the staff at the Excellence Center tried their very best to ensure that we could make the most out of our time here. We started our first few days with Arabic lessons with one of the teachers here. As we learnt standard Arabic back in Singapore, we did not know any Palestinian Arabic. Our Arabic teacher helped to equip us with basic Palestinian Arabic so we could converse with the locals here. The lessons here are conducted on a one-to-one basis so for our case, we got to take the lessons together. It was very useful as the lessons could be catered to our pace and our prior knowledge of Arabic.

Other than learning Arabic, the staff at the Excellence Center brings the volunteers around Hebron. We got to visit the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque. We were especially interested to visit the Ibrahimi Mosque as it is one of the religious places here in Palestine. As we are Muslims, we were very happy to visit the place where the Prophet Ibrahim and his wife, were buried. With a staff bringing us around, we got to learn the historical and cultural context of the places. We also went to a ceramic and glass factory where we got to see for ourselves how they make their glass and ceramic products. As we visited the factory, it was convenient to buy some souvenirs for ourselves and families at a good discount!

Also not forgetting our main intention to visit Palestine, we got to help out with the English lessons conducted here. We were given the opportunity to assist a teacher in her English lesson and visit a school to conduct a conversational English lesson for beginners. The students at the Excellence Center are of various ages, ranging from as young as ten years old to working adults. it was a good opportunity for us to try teaching different groups of students with different levels of the English language. Even though there were some language barrier, the students here are very determined to learn English and will try their best to take part in lessons. On days where we did not teach English, we were assigned to write articles for the Excellence Center.

Just like others, we were a bit worried about safety, especially our parents, as the journey from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to Hebron was long. Even though we experienced some tight security at the airport, the journey to Hebron was a smooth one. It is very safe here, even for female travellers. Even without any basic Arabic, the Palestinians are very helpful, so we could always count on them whenever we faced any difficulties such as when searching for directions. Unlike what is portrayed in media, it is safe to travel around Palestine.

We really enjoyed our stay here in Palestine. We would definitely recommend anybody who wants to try experience the lifestyle here. There are various programmes such as learning Arabic and teaching English. You not only get to learn the culture here but also have a meaningful trip by helping the people here. Even though our trip was extremely short, we really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. We are definitely looking forward to our next trip here.

I studied Palestinian Arabic in Hebron with the Excellence Center for four weeks in the spring of 2017. It was a really great experience and I learned a lot. The teaching is really fantastic and having a private tutor is invaluable. The lessons are interactive and can be customized to your desire. The staff are all friendly and accommodating, always willing to answer any questions you may have about the Center, Hebron, or Palestine as a whole. Hebron is a very interesting city and the people are kind and open to discussing many topics. I would encourage people who are interested in learning Arabic, especially colloquial, as it represents a great chance to speak and listen to Arabic as it is truly spoken! I highly recommend the Excellence Center to those who are interested.

After having finished my 8-week intensive Arabic class at the Excellence Centre I can now conclude that the decision to come to Palestine and Hebron to finally learn Arabic was a good one. Not only did it pay off fantastically in terms of acquiring a new language, but in terms of gaining unique experiences together with lovely people.

I came to Palestine with a long-held wish to learn Arabic, but with only very basic knowledge of the language. Notwithstanding some vocabulary and knowledge of the alphabet, I was not able to construct even the simplest sentence.

However, within a few days of one-on-one class – of which I had three hours each day – I had already acquired a glossary enabling me to express myself in simple conversations. The structure of the lessons, with full attention to the individual progress of the student, is definitely a demanding one as it forces you to stay focused 100% of the time (no kicking back at the back of the class – your teacher will surely notice). The positive side of this is of course that you are forced to practice what you have been thought, immediately and constantly.

While – I have to confess – I did struggle for quite a while with those verb conjugations, I very soon noticed the pay-off of the hard work in the classroom. Indeed, for each week that passed, the daily spontaneous conversations with falafel vendors and kids on the street became more rewarding. Having never regarded myself as particularly good at languages, I can now, after 8 weeks of intensive Arabic class, not only make myself understood in most everyday interactions, but – given a dose of patience on the receiving part – can actually express abstract opinions on e.g. news and political events in Arabic.

Even if my studies took up a lot of my time, I am happy to say that my experiences outside of the classroom have been just as positive. The atmosphere at the Centre is familial and there is always someone there – be it a teacher, volunteer, current or previous student – ready to pour you the next cup of Arabic coffee and chit-chat about the peculiarities of Palestinian weddings. The staff is always ready to help out with practicalities and once in a while they arrange trips to different sights in and around Hebron.

It is a fantastic experience just to have lived for a short while in Hebron. It has a beautiful ancient city centre where you can wander around and admire the many hundred years old houses stacked on top of each other, while buying delicious fresh vegetables from the surrounding countryside or admiring the traditional and locally made ceramics, glass and embroideries. And be sure, wherever you walk in the city, you will encounter the hospitality of the Palestinians – often meaning a coffee and a friendly conversation in Arabic, if not an invitation to a family dinner or wedding.

Hebron, however, is an intense and, indeed, a conservative city; add to that the Israeli settlements and partial military control. It all makes for an incredibly interesting experience, of the Middle East in general, and the Palestinian situation in particular. I was nonetheless glad to be able to hop on a service to Bethlehem or Jerusalem a few times to just relax and do some sightseeing.

For someone coming the Middle East for the first time, Hebron will be an intensive crash-course in itself. But with the help of the staff at the centre and the always welcoming locals, you will soon feel at home. Indeed, you will probably feel a bit Palestinian when you leave. Just one advise though: bring warm knickers – while I got used to basically everything in Hebron very quickly, I never really accustomed myself to the cold of the early spring months. With a pair of warm socks and a wool sweater, however, you can manage most things.

Keeping that in mind; if you quickly want to learn Arabic and if you want get to know Palestine better, the coming to the Excellence Centre in Hebron will not let you down.

Hello good fellows, my name is Andreas and I’m from Norway. I came to Hebron sent by the Norwegian government to work as an international observer in the organization TIPH. A huge part of my work includes interacting and talking to the Palestinian residents of Hebron and the working language out in the field is Arabic. It is of utmost importance to have an understanding of the Arabic language and especially the Palestinian dialect, and by this the Exellence Center and my fantastic private teacher Shayma has provided me with the substance needed.

I have been studying Arabic before I came to Hebron, in classes compiling of several students and by self –studies over a period of a couple of years, but for the first time I have enjoyed the privilege of having a private teacher in the Exellence Center. Together with Shayma we have drafted and put into action a progression plan that has helped me advance to a higher level of mastering the language.

As an observer in TIPH (www.tiph.org) we report on breaches on international laws and regulations, and the Exellence Center with its cooperation with TIPH has been of an immense importance to increase the language level of the Arabic speaking observers, including myself.

My sincere call and recommendation to everybody thinking about studying Arabic in Palestine. The Exellence Center in Hebron is excellent. When I unfortunately in the near future have completed my mission, I will bring with me the great experiences, the acquired heightened level of my Arabic skills, and the great memories of the daily breakfasts and the fantastic feast I enjoyed on the rooftop of the center together with my invited family and all the teachers and students that lovely day in April 2017.

My name is Javier Trescoli, 24 year old political science student from Valencia, Spain. I participated in the Teach English, Learn Arabic (TESA) for two months, March and April. My main interest was being somehow useful, start learning Arabic and to see first hand the reality of the Palestinian -Israeli conflict. I will leave in a few days with recious memories, new friends and the promise of coming back.

The experience has been brilliant, far better than expected. I didn't have many expectations to be honest, as I simply did not know what to expect! But taking in account where I was going and what I was doing it was unavoidable to have some kind of idea of what it could or should be.

My arrival did go a bit off. Oblivous me decided to use the Israeli bus line to Hebron becuase it was cheaper instead of following the clear instructions that Rafat sent me and that were there for a areason. I'll just say I was stuck in Israeli Hebron for a few hours. But thanks to Marwa and Rafat I got out of there (the IDF wouldn't let me pass the controls). I was happily received by Sheikh and thus, the real adventure in Hebron began.

From day one, the Center helps you adapt to the rythm and activities, which is constant and dynamic. It's simple to feel good vibes from the very beginning and this helps you be energetic and creative! The sense of community and belonging starts with the daily breakfast and the Center and it reinforced once I got a regular schedule. The fact the staff were so welcoming and predisposed to make you feel comfortable and the students get so excited when a you walk in class, makes it really easy to adapt quickly and enjoy fully the experience! As a volunteer, I understood I belonged to the organisation and adapted as soon as possible to its pace. Nevertheless, Marwa, (the boss who likes joking!), was ready to listen to my issues or complaints and was flexible about picking free days, which improves the experience itself.

As a volunteer, my activities were many and varied at the beginning, from assisting one of the teachers in their classes, leading a class myself, organising a workshop for a business and a English Club. Each one had their own challenges and I remember everything being kinda chaotic in my head. Everyday was a different adventure and you were constanty in new situations, which personally, was pretty exciting for me. But after a week and a half later, I got a more stable schedule. I began teaching with a fellow volunteer three different levels on a weekly basis and participated in their lessons with fellow teachers. It is rewarding to spend six or seven weeks teaching the same class because it deepens the relationship with the students, making the classes far more enjoyable. Of course, there were a few kids who made teaching difficult but this proved useful to develop class managemnt skills, a quite relevant aspect of teaching and one I had not needed as I had always been a private tutor back in Spain.

As for my Arabic, it wasn't only an enrichening experience from a knowledge perspective but also from a cultural and personal point of view. I was specially lucky with my teacher, Du'a, who was very encouraging and quickly saw my particular style of learning and adapted herself to it. Thanks to her, I can say that I will leave Palestine with the my initial objective accomplished with Arabic. Sadly, I feel because of my university work and a lack of disicipline I wasn't able to make the most of learning the language. If you systematically practice and work at home, it can be very easy to progress. Nothing like living in a country to learn the language.

As for life in Hebron it can be quite conservative, even for Palestinian standards, as you will notice when you visit other towns in the West Bank, such as Ramallah and Bethlehem. The change can be very drastic if one lives in a never sleeping city from the West. There is no such thing as nightlife and anything associated to it, but don't worry, you won't need it! I lived in a house with other male volunteers which is rented to the Excellence Center and it has developed into a great bro community and I leave Hebron hoping to see them again. Any issue that was house related was diligently taken care by Abbot Sheikh. He also makes whatever is possible to make your life as enjoyable and comfortable as possible, inviting you to his house for shisha and tea, specially during important football games. His smile never fails to cheer me up.

One of the main concerns, if not the most worrying, for any volunteer might be the Israeli Occupation of Hebron specifically and Palestine in general. This is a reasonable concern as Western media and general public perception portray the situation as highly unstable and risky. Nevertheless, this is not the case.

Don't get this statement wrong. The Occupation is a real issue and affects the daily lives and routine of every Palestinian in an unjust and unfair manner but it never gets to affect the daily lives and routine of the volunteer themselves (unless you did something wrong). The Occupations does not affect directly the Western volunteers. We have no problems crossing checkpoints, the laws that rule Palestinians don't affect us and we are even considered as individuals that must be protected by Israeli authorities. Hebron itself, (aside from H2, the Israeli occupied part) is safe for any volunteer as I soon noticed arriving there.

The best of Palestine are clearly, without doubt, the people. All of this would have been a completely different experience if the Palestinians would have had a different attitude towards me. From the butcher who invites you to tea and the baker who asks where you are from and gets excited when you respond in Arabic; to the driver of the minibus who makes sure you arrive safely to your destination and the random strangers who will do their honest best to help you in any way possible; to lastly, the students, especially those who put real effort to learn english and invite you to their homes to meet their families aswell as the teachers and staff, who are always helpful and genuinely concerned about you, which with time made me develop a feeling of connection and belonging to the Hebron community at large and to the Excellence Center in particular.

I did not travel around Palestine, which will be one of my objectives for the next time I come back. Because I enjoyed so much the small community of the Excellence Center I preferred to stay there the last week and enjoy furthermore the experience. I personally reccommend the experience to anybody ready to live what it is to be an English teacher in Palestine. I t may seem redundant what I have just said but what I'm really talking about is the mindset. Your mindset can make a total difference between a great experience and a forgettable one. I look forward to coming back to the Excellence Center in Hebron. Inshallah!

We are 2 sisters (Sahar and Shahoudah) from Mauritius Island and we have been Teaching English and Learning Arabic as volunteers at the Excellence Center for 2 weeks. Before coming to Palestine, we sometimes felt anxious about how to reach and live in Palestine and Hebron safely. Mr Rafat Shantir has always been assisting us in the procedures and necessary information through Skype, emails and WhatsApp until we reach. On reaching Palestine on the first day itself, we felt overwhelmed by the sceneries of the country and the hospitality of the people and realized that we had unnecessary worries before coming and that our stay would be too short.
The staff of the EC were both professional and friendly at the same time and thus creating a pleasant working environment. We were introduced to our host family on the first day at the EC and met the other international volunteers. Teaching and learning takes place through activities at the EC, outside the EC and in partnership with other schools in the region for different levels of students. During the two weeks, we have been to Kharas and some other schools to teach English. We have also been to the Hebron Polytechnic University for a workshop on the Spelling Bee Competition. The experience was always a win-win situation for both the students and us. Students could learn from us and we also learn so much from them about their culture and about things we would not get to know on Palestine through the media.
At the EC, the lesson usually starts within the classroom and ends with practical exercises about real life situations outside the classroom. There is also an English Club at the EC in which we could help students practice conversational English. One of the activities conducted was to teach students how to order food/ drink in a coffee shop or restaurant. The lesson started in class and continued in a coffee shop or visiting a hotel (Plaza hotel). The students in Hebron are always keen about learning the English language and other cultures. The motivation of the pupils also motivated us to give the best of ourselves not only to teach but to teach with our hearts.
We also had Arabic classes with Mariam, an Arabic teacher, at the EC. The level of our Arabic was very basic and Mariam could make learning Arabic more fun. At the end of the 2 weeks we could easily negotiate prices while shopping or with the taxi driver in Arabic. We could also converse with some words with students in Arabic.

Fridays are holidays in Palestine and we are given one day off per week at the EC. We thought that we would not have enough time to visit in the nearby region or socialize with other more people. But the EC caters for the internationals volunteers and organize regular outings from the Centre with other internationals e.g we have been at the Al Maskobiya Church, Camel Shop. Our host family also caters for our stay in Hebron. We were accompanied to the Old city of Hebron and Ibrahimi Mosque on our day off. On Fridays, we have been to Jerusalem and we could also visit Jericho during our short stay. All the places were physically and spiritually beautiful. We neither felt lonely nor unsafe at any time because Palestinians are always enthusiastic to help and give details about the history of the country. Palestine is a country which cannot be understood neither in books nor internet but only by experiencing it.

I'm a University student from Germany and I volunteered at the Excellence Center for one month.
My main task was supporting the English teachers with their classes at the Center. I would practice discussion questions with the students, help with colloquial exams or do short presentations about German or Western traditions and food. A lot of times I went to high schools in nearby villages where I taught together with another volunteer. We were able to prepare and hold a lot of those classes on our own, dividing the lesson in a theoretical part and a game part where the students had the chance to practice what they’ve just learnt in a more fun and interactive way. Additionally I did a few one-on-one conversational classes with older students at the Center.
Twice a week I had Arabic lessons with one of the teachers from the Center. I always enjoyed the classes and felt like they were very effective, focusing only on conversational skills that I could apply and practice right away during my daily life with my host family.I chose to learn the Palestinian dialect so that I would be able to communicate with the locals. Apart from these classes I learnt a lot just by being around my host family or trying to talk to taxi drivers, shop keepers or people on the streets. As I wasn’t a complete beginner, but had a good basis from Arabic classes at home I felt like I could definitely collect a lot of new vocabulary and learn how to have basic small-talk conversation. Apart from that, one month is not enough to make any major progress if you don’t commit to studying Arabic full time. But my time here gave me a lot of motivation to keep going and improve my Arabic skills at home.
At the Excellence Center I likedthe relaxed atmosphere and friendly relationship between the volunteers and the teachers. Sitting together for breakfast or coffee between classes in the kitchen or on the rooftop has become something I was looking forward to every day. Being around other volunteers and sharing with them the experiences you make with your host family and hearing about what they experience was very important to me and the communal spirit among the Internationals definitely contributed to the positive atmosphere at the Center. Also the staff was very supportive and I always felt comfortable talking to them about any problems or questions that came up during my stay. The students seemed very excited about the foreigners and a lot of times during the breaks they came to say Hi, shake your hand or take pictures with you. I would not have thought that so many people here are so passionate and motivated about learning English.
From time to time, the Center organized trips around the city to show us the local businesses and cultural sites.I went on a tour to the Ceramic, Clothes and Camel Factories and another time one of the teachers took us to the Old City of Hebron and told us about the complex situation between the soldiers and Palestinians that still live there. Apart from that, on the weekends I did a lot of trips with the other volunteers. We visited Jericho and the ruins of Hisham’s Palace, Bethlehem and the wall, Jerusalem, Nablus and Jenin. The shared taxis are an easy and considerably cheap way to get around on your own. In some places, like Jericho, it is better to have someone take you with a car. With my host family I spent one day at the Dead Sea doing a barbecue, which was a great experience as well.
Living in Hebron definitely took some getting used to for me, but after a couple of weeks, once I had a better orientation of the central areas and figured out the taxi system, I felt more comfortable. Especially the Old City with the Ibrahim Mosque, the market and Tel Rumeida are very interesting and beautiful places to visit. Being here gives you the opportunity to learn a lot about the occupation and the current situation between Palestinians, settlers and soldiers, which is a sad, but significant part of life in the Westbank. The host family can make or break your volunteering experience, as you will probably spend a lot of time with them. Family in general plays a huge role in a Palestinian’s life, so during your time there you will probably meet a lot of uncles, aunts, cousins and sisters or brothers in law. Therefor it’s important to feel comfortable around them and if you don’t, to tell the people at the Center. This is why I decided to change host family after one week and have been very happy with my new one. I really enjoy spending time with them in the evening, eating and watching TV or going out for dinner to a restaurant or a relative’s place. Being around the family in the house is also the perfect way to practice Arabic vocabulary that learn during class.
I was a bit concerned about the security situation and about not being able to walk around freely at all or experiencing incidents between Palestinians and soldiers on the streets. But after I got to know the city I felt safe and walking around Hebron during daytime turned out to not be a problem at all. Knowing the directions in Arabic or having someone write them down for me helped a lot to avoid confusion with the taxi drivers. I was surprised that travelling inside Palestine was not an issue at all. Anywhere I’ve went so far, service drivers and people on the streets were very considerate and always ready to help when I didn’t know how to get from A to B and happy to practice their English with me. Also traveling to Israel for the weekend is no problem at all when going through Jerusalem. The only thing that I always had to keep in mind were the Palestinian and Israeli holidays to make sure I don’t get stuck on the way, as I was traveling on Friday and Saturday most of the time.
I think what I came to appreciate the most about Palestine is the hospitality of the people that start treating you as part of the family right away. Of course I loved the food, like hummus and pita and the traditional Makhluba. Being with the other volunteers at the Center, traveling with them on the weekends and sharing with them all the new experiences was very important to me as well.
I do believe that volunteering with the Excellence Center and living with a host family gives volunteers a unique opportunity to dive into the Palestinian culture and learn spoken Arabic while contributing to the community of Hebron. The two days off during the week are a perfect amount of time to travel around the area and explore Palestine together with other volunteers. The best recommendation that I can give to future volunteers is to take any chance to engage with the locals, try to speak as much Arabic as possible and ask questions if you’re curious about certain things. You might be surprised about their openness and their generosity. At the same time being able to clearly communicate when you don’t feel comfortable with something and to not be afraid of insulting them by not accepting every offer is just as important in order for you to make the best of your time here in Palestine.

My name is Jana Lindner and I'm a volunteer from Germany.
This was my first time to Hebron and the West Bank in general, where I have been doing the teaching program with Excellence Center for the past 2 weeks and it has truly been one of the best experiences I've had so far.
I have had teaching experience before as I've been volunteering with another NGO in Tanzania in 2016 but volunteering here in Palestine was something completely different, challenging in another way.
In my time volunteering here I was helping local teachers with their English classes, as well as planning different English lessons suited to the individualities of the pupils, which also was the most challenging part, working with a lot of students with completely different English levels.
During my stay I also had 6h of Arabic lessons with my great teacher Ahlam. As for the Center's Palestinian teachers, they were very enthusiastic and willing to teach us as much as possible. I am a university student studying Middle Eastern studies and political sciences as well as Arabic, so it was an amazing opportunity for me not only to learn an Arabic dialect but also to practice my spoken Arabic with my host family.
Therefore I can only recommend this to everyone that is learning Arabic or wants to learn Arabic.
One of the best parts about the whole experience definitely was the love and respect as well as the courteousness and generousness that people in Palestine as well as my host family would constantly express. Locals would always be so excited to see us and they would always want us to eat or have coffee and tea with them. I've been having a lot of very warm and friendly conversations with people from many different backgrounds . Having travelled to a lot of other Arab countries before, I think my visit to Palestine is going to be the one with the best memories at pretty much every turn. I have never experienced a country with such a great hospitality like Palestine.
The country also has various different landscapes and it is very easy to visit other cities around the West Bank or even in Israel.
I have been doing trips to Ramallah, Jericho, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, all of them very different and very beautiful. Yet, nothing can compete with Hebron. It definitely is my favorite place to be in Palestine.
The staff from Excellence Center is more than willing to provide you with any information.
All in all, the Center is more than dedicated to its work and providing local communities with help for English classes as well as caring about their students and the well being of their volunteers. So if you're thinking about volunteering in Hebron, the Excellence Center is the place to be.
I'm leaving with a lot of great memories and I'll definitely be back to Hebron sometime soon, staying for a longer time, as 2 weeks were definitely not enough.

This was my first time to Hebron and I only had a short stay while I was in town. I was running a small academic project in which I was interviewing English teachers in Palestinian educational institutions to learn about their experiences and I was lucky enough to have learned about the Excellence Center online.

Hebron is my penultimate place to visit in Palestine (I have been here for about 10 days in which I visited Ramallah and Nablus) and one thing I am struck by is how courteous and generous the people have been. I would say that my experiences of just going-around and meeting people has been quite positive. I have been to a number of other Arab countries before (mainly in the Gulf) but I think my visit to Palestine is going to be the most memorable. I've been having very warm and friendly conversations with people at pretty much every turn.

The foreign volunteers here are very motivated to learn Arabic and they work very hard to plan their English lessons. As for the Center's Palestinian teachers, they were very enthusiastic and I was happy to get a chance to meet and interview them. They care about their students, which is probably the most important part of a school. All in all, I think the Center looks dedicated to its work and they care about their students.

My name is Lucie and I am originally from the Czech Republic. I graduated 3 years ago and I have a Masters degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture. I decided to come to Palestine as a volunteer because I have always been interested in Arabic culture. Since I was already working in Tunis, I wanted to get some experiences in the Middle East. Joining the Excellence center seemed to me the best option for discovering the culture, and doing something useful for the local people. As a volunteer, I participated in different activities such as workshops at the universities, assisting with English classes, and teaching private English lessons. It was really great experience to see the motivation of the locals to learn English. Sometimes it was a challenge to keep them quiet, but as soon as we switched to some games or interesting topics, we always had a lot of fun together in our lessons. And all the students were really nice and enthusiastic about learning English. All the volunteers had Arabic lessons twice a week with a local teacher. I think those lessons were very efficient as they were “one to one,” so the teacher could adjust the lesson according to your requirements. I think my Arabic definitely improved during my 6 weeks in Palestine.
The Center environment is nice, they take care of the internationals and help you with everything that you need. As Friday is the day off in Hebron, the Excellence Center sometimes organizes the trips around the country to show the internationals other places outside of the city. Accommodation in Hebron depends on your gender. As a girl,I lived with a host family. I think it was very interesting to see how the local families live, and join their lifestyle on a daily basis. My family was very welcoming, and always took me with them to visit their relatives or neighbors. Whenever I needed any help they were here for me. I think it was a unique experience to see how the Palestinian people live, and you could not see this lifestyle as a tourist living in a hotel. I am really grateful for the adventurous life in Hebron. Generally, there is nothing dangerous about going to Palestine, although as a woman you need to be more careful. For example, I avoided speaking with random men on the street or with taxi drivers a lot, especially after the sunset. They are all very nice people but they are not used to the foreigners. So sometimes they may see your kindness as a flirtation and you might risk some harassment as a woman. But if you are careful and respectful of the local traditions, you will feel really safe in Palestine. The food in Palestine is very delicious. I fell in love with Falafels, the local bread, and with different kinds of the “dips” such as hummus, “baba ganoush” and the local olive oil. Also with the local tea with lots of sugar and local spices - it’s a real paradise! Every morning we took a breakfast together in the Center and it was the best way to start the day. After volunteering in Palestine I would recommend it to everybody who wants to help the locals to improve their English, and anyone who wants to discover the local culture. I think it is important to say that Palestine is not the same as we know it from the media. The most interesting part for me was visiting the locations around the Israeli settlements, and also the separation wall in Bethlehem. The political situation is really complex. On a daily basis you cannot see anything special and it may look like a peaceful environment, but around those particular places you can always feel how difficult the life for Palestinian people is and what things they have to face. It was an unforgettable experience for me and I am really happy I went there. Inshallah I will visit Palestine in future again !