My time here in Hebron

My name is Sascha Kochendoerfer, 28 years old and I am studying Integrated Water Resources Management in Cologne, Germany. I came to Palestine at the first of August and stayed at the center until the end of August but in Hebron in general until the end of October. I took the 60 hour one-on-one spoken Arabic course at the center. I took this course to learn spoken Arabic for job opportunities and because I will definitely return for travelling. Talking to people in their native language always creates a completely different atmosphere and shows appreciation for country and culture. At no point during my stay in Hebron I even felt remotely unsafe. If you want you can spent your time in Hebron without even noticing that it is a rather controversial place. But I can only recommend to visit the settlements and see for yourself how life is there for both sides and how this environment shapes the people there. All the people that you meet on the street or just in the money exchange shop are very outgoing and generous. Everyone asks from where you are, how you like Hebron and if you would like to drink coffee before they ask for your name. Two years before I came here, I attended an introductory course to standard Arabic. I learned reading, writing and pronouncing. In my opinion this helped a lot because learning the alphabet and pronunciation takes time that you can better spend learning new words or sayings. I think our evenings in the coffee shops smoking shisha, playing cards and cooking together for the regular food days, are the most important memories that I will take home with me. But it is actually hard to decide, since I have many amazing memories. I met so many beautiful people with whom I could joke and laugh for hours. All the staff is so funny and nice and will help you whenever you any need help. My time here was really important for personal growth and seeing the conflict not only from a scientific or historical point of view but also from an emotional one.