Volunteer Teacher Experience

Sara Amin
London, United Kingdom
Currently pursuing BA History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies

My time in Palestine has been the most life-changing period I've been fortunate enough to experience. I had no expectations for my time in Palestine, I've been exposed to the culture and the conflict in a way I didn't expect to in that it's been entirely safe for me to live here but also available as a source to explore the kind of situation local Palestinians experience on a daily basis.
My host family have been a valuable asset to my experience here. Living in the tumultuous area of Tel Rumeida, where Palestinians live on the periphery of H2, could have been a much tougher experience had it not been for the comfort and security of my host family, who allowed me to experience what they do on a daily basis within the extent of safety. They were extremely kind, and made me feel at home instantly, which was an important part of my temporary integration into Palestinian life.
A typical day in Hebron for me would consist of walking down Tel Rumeida to the infamous Shuhada checkpoint and Bab-Azoui, where I would either walk or catch a taxi through the city Center to the Excellence Center on Ein Sara Street. Depending on what was planned that day, a typical day could range from teaching for a couple of hours and attending a wedding in the evening with your host family, or taking trips with the Center to some important local sites such as Al Fwarr refugee camp.
One of my favourite aspects of the stay here in Palestine have been all the warm and welcoming people I've been so fortunate enough to spend my time with and make each day a thorough experience. I felt rooted from the moment I arrived and I truly feel that this helped me in the way that I communicated with the students here at the Center. Feeling at home is such an important aspect of how you go on to interact with others and I feel this was the biggest factor in my success here.
I'm not a native Arabic speaker either and so I was worried that this would hinder my ability to feel at home here in Palestine. Fortunately I experienced the complete opposite, the sheer effort the students put into learning English is beyond encouraging in my efforts to learn Arabic, and everyone I met was more than willing to help me along.
I was able to see other cities in Palestine, but Hebron will always mean much more to me than anywhere else I may stay in the future. It has a distinctive atmosphere, a distinctive set of people and I can't imagine anywhere else I would have wanted to spend this month. It has truly been the best experience I've had, and I'll keep an encapsulated memory of this city forever.

Sara Amin