Visiting Palestine

My name is Saarah, I am from the UK and I am studying law in London
During my time at the Excellence Center I took part in many activities including talking to a legal trainee about her work in the Sharia Court and learning more about how the Islamic Law is applied to family disputes. I also visited Hebron University and spoke to the Dean of the Law College to learn more about the structure of the course and the areas the students choose to more specialize in, I also gained insight into the origins of Palestinian law and how it has been influenced by British, Jordanian and Ottoman rule. Whilst at the university I attended an arts festival and was impressed by the powerful recitation of famous Palestinian poems as well as the student's reenactments of Shakespeare and other plays and literature.
Alongside this I participated in site visits to the old city of Hebron, Fawwar refugee camp Battir Village, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In particular I was struck by the resilience of the Palestinian people when visiting Shuahada street in Hebron and meeting a woman living in the midst of settlements who has resisted being removed from her home for almost 20 years and has had 25 stints in Israeli prison. In addition to this I spoke with volunteers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society about the work they do and their thoughts and feelings on women's rights and issues in Palestinian society.

Throughout my time in Palestine I have had regular Arabic lessons at the Excellence Center which has improved my confidence in speaking the language as well as making life living in Hebron at lot easier. I also learnt about the different dialects within Palestine as well as the different accents and colloquial ways of talking within Hebron itself. I stayed with a host family who lived close to the center and was also able to practice my Arabic with them, I particularly enjoyed eating a traditional Palestinian meal every with them every night and I will miss them a lot .

What I liked most about Palestine was the welcoming nature of all the local people including their excellent hospitality and their willingness to help out in any way they can even when it was difficult to communicate. I also liked tasting all the local food and visiting all the historical sites as well as enjoying the amazing weather during my time here and these are the reasons that I would love to visit again soon.