My Experience with the Excellence Center

My name is Chelsea and I came to Palestine from the United States. I already hold a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and came to the Excellence Center to participate in an abbreviated volunteer program.

During the course of my two week stay in Hebron, I assisted with English clubs wherein a longer-standing volunteer led a group discussion on a designated topic. I was also given the opportunity to take Arabic lessons with one of the students from the Evening nglish club. Ordinarily people will do two Arabic lessons per week but my instructor was willing to meet nearly every day due to the short duration of my stay. She was an excellent teacher and toward the end of the lessons we would veer off into small talk about culture and languages.

In addition to the Arabic lessons at the Excellence Center, I stayed with a host family who also taught me a bit of Arabic. I stayed with a mother and her son, and her other son and grandchildren lived below us. I arrived to Hebron on a Wednesday and by the next night I was already traveling to Ramallah with my host family to visit more family members and enjoy Ramadan celebrations.

While immediately traveling to Ramallah and knowing very little Arabic was a bit of a culture shock, it was nice to balance that by spending time with the other volunteers. People hailed from all over the world and we all got along well, at least from what I could tell during my two weeks. It was a little difficult to feel included as the majority of them stayed in the same apartments while I was with my host family. But people made extra efforts to invite me out for dinner or coffee. And on that note, the coffee was one of my favorite parts of the trip and I plan to make it the Palestinian way when I get home.

As far as the staff at the Excellence Center goes, they are very quick and responsive. At times it seemed like there was no plan but then when I consider the fact that volunteers come and go and some only stay for a week, the staff did an excellent job of giving everyone the opportunity to see and experience all that Hebron has to offer. Additionally, my trip was during Ramadan so the atmosphere was much more laid back than normal. During my short visit, I got to visit the old city, the university, the glass factory, and the municipality. I would’ve gone to visit a refugee camp as well if I hadn’t fallen ill with a stomach bug that went around. This, however, gave my host family the opportunity to lavish me with kindness and hospitality as they made sure I got better.

For the most part I felt safe in Hebron. I would’ve felt better if I had known more Arabic. I still would not venture out on my own at night, particularly in a different city as a female foreigner, but during the day in Hebron I had no concerns.

The food in Palestine was delicious and I was fortunate to receive home cooked meals from my host family. People were very hospitable and the streets were fascinating; my personal favorite was the street art which was expressive of how people felt about the political situation. The weather was very hot during the day but the evenings were quite pleasant - though sometimes it was a bit too uncomfortably warm to sleep.

I would recommend this program to anyone who is curious about Palestinian culture or who is looking to practice Arabic. It is also good for having a better understanding of the occupation. I think for me, someone who was more curious about the culture, coming during Ramadan was a good choice. Outside of Ramadan is a more rigorous teaching and learning schedule.