1-2-1 Arabic at the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine

My name is Amir, I am an IT consultant from London, England. Having visited the a number of Arabic speaking countries I chose to learn Arabic in Palestine due to my experience with the people when I visited in Ramadan 2016.

I was very pleased with my choice and it totally surpassed my expectations; both from the perspective of learning Arabic but also the amount of activities the centre takes you to.

I couldn't have asked for a better teacher than Dua. The standard of teaching was of high quality and I don't think I would have learnt as much as I did if I wasn't pushed like I was. Dua is definitely good at what she does and is able to recognise when I am having a bad day or my brain is a little frazzled and therefore mixes up the structure of the class. It is impressive considering she has no formal qualification or training in teaching. I think the 1-2-1 sessions really make a difference and I've learnt a lot in a month. I hope I can continue to progress at the same pace when I'm back in London. I plan to come back but I guess I'll have to think twice if Dua isn't here.

In terms of activities, I was fortunate enough to visit Abraham's Oak, Abraham's Mosque, a sandal factory, a kufiya factory, a glass and ceramic factory to name a few.

From the perspective of a male, we lived together in an apartment which was basic but sufficient. We attended breakfast together at the centre as well as a number of dinners. Generally we had lunch outside and cooked dinner together in the evenings. Initially I felt a little lost in terms of cooking and wished I had bought more food with me but once I was familiar with the local shops, supermarkets etc. it wasn't a problem anymore. We even managed to make pizza Hebron style using the local bread and without an oven.

Palestine is definitely a safe place to visit. It is so easy to make friends here which meant that we could spend our time in the evenings with the locals. The hospitality at both the centre and Hebron in general is totally unreal. Everyone is so friendly, welcoming and ready to help, this isn't something you see anywhere else in the world and the best thing about it is that it is genuine and there are no hidden agendas. I can't tell you the number of times someone has stopped me to say hello, ask me where I am from or offer me some coffee. I was invited round to play table tennis at someone's house and on another occasion invited to play 5 a side football at a local pitch.

On one occasion when I visited the local coffee shop I accidentally dropped 90 shekels on the floor. The locals that were with me handed it over to the owner and once we got out they asked everyone if anyone had lost any money. I checked my pocket and realised that I did, we returned to the shop and the owner went through the CCTV and happily handed over the money. I couldn't see that happen in England.

Regarding the centre, the staff really do make a conscious effort to look out for your well-being and on one of the days we decided to go hiking to Wadi Mukalak and the centre happily organised the transportation for us.

I would more than recommend anyone that would either like to volunteer or learn Arabic to seriously consider the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine.