"You are welcome to Palestine!"

There is always some apprehension and anxiety when traveling abroad. Especially to a place you have never visited before. This is perfectly understandable. However, I want to relieve some of those anxieties for people.

I volunteered two months at the Excellence Center teaching four classes and taking Arabic lessons. On my off days, I traveled throughout Palestine. Managing your time and preparing your lesson plans ahead of time is crucial to keeping students engaged. The staff will provide you with lesson plans depending on the student level you will be teaching. Furthermore, the staff encourages the volunteers to come up with their own creative ways to keep the lessons interesting and fun (games, field trips, etc).

I understand safety is big concern for many who are contemplating coming to Palestine. For the two months I stayed in Palestine, I personally have never felt threatened or in danger. It goes with out saying, staying out of trouble will most likely keep you out of trouble. One will have to get accustomed to seeing soldiers and checkpoints throughout Palestine but after a couple weeks you'll adjust to your surroundings.

Traveling is pretty organized and efficient. The cabs in Hebron are affordable and dependable. There are shared service vans you can take to different parts of Palestine -- Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, etc. Going into Jerusalem and Israel will require you to take a bus, which you can do in Bethlehem. All this transportation is reasonably affordable. In addition to traveling on personal time, the staff at the EC will also take you on weekly field trips to areas in Hebron and around it. You'll get an insightful opportunity to meet the locals and hear their stories.

No need to overpack personal hygiene things. You can purchase everything upon your arrival in Hebron. It's Palestine's most populous city with bustling businesses and shops throughout.

People are INCREDIBLY friendly and hospitable. This type of generosity is very common in the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries. As an international you'll stick out like a sore thumb but this is no reason to fear. People will ask you in the streets where are you from and after you tell them, you'll get the same response, "welcome to Hebron! welcome to Palestine!"