Study Arabic in Palestine (1-13 Weeks)

I stayed at the Excellence Center in Palestine for 3 month and did three different programs. The first month I did intensive arabic and the month after i did non intensive arabic. I had private lesson with my arabic teacher for the two first month. This was really good for my learning, especially since I find it very difficult to learn languages. The last month I did volunteering program.

This is the third time I am staying at the Excellence Center and I am planning to come back later this year. Hebron is a good city to come to, if you would like to improve your conversational skills in arabic.

I stayed in a hostfamily which I really enjoyed. This was really good for improving my conversational arabic skills.

I am Bartek from Poland, I came here for 10 days for volunteering in human rights and with children. During my time, we went to a refugee camp, a school for blind children, an elementary school and I taught them basic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and self-defense system. I've been doing martial arts for about nine years and so I wanted to come here to share my skills and knowledge with the people in the community in Hebron. My Arabic lessons were amazing, Saja and Duha are amazing teachers. I even taught Saja some Polish! There is a family atmosphere at the center and it is very welcoming. In my free time, I went with some of the others to Jericho on a day trip. I feel very safe here, people in Hebron are very kind and friendly. The people are what I love the most about Palestine - they are amazing and I'm gonna miss them. I recommend you to come here and experience it for yourself! As a Polish person, I feel very connected with Palestinians because of our history, so I wanted to come here to support people, especially the kids and to put a smile on their faces!

I took multiple sessions of online Arabic language classes with the Excellence Center in Palestine, so far completing 30 hours of classes, and I really enjoyed my experience. In fact I am currently continuing my studies with them because I love how much I am learning! My teacher is really supportive and friendly, and does a combination of teaching me the planned lessons and also encouraging me to choose topics and ask questions based on my interests and curiosity. I appreciate the flexibility of online learning, and I also hope to one day get to visit the center for an in-person program.

I was here only for one week, but I liked it a lot. The people are very nice and helpful.
The classes are fun. I came here to get rid of my fear to speak Arabic. I know already a lot of words, but talking was difficult, but it is going better.
I enjoyed to be in Hebron. Went to the old city, alone or with my peers. It is easy to get from Hebron to Bethlehem and other cities. People are helpful and it safe walk around here and visit the cities. Eating out is easy, nice an cheap and you should do that :-)
It is fun to stay with a host family.

I came to Hebron to study amiya Arabic commencing 1st of January 2023 for 2 weeks, as a taster session in advance of planning a longer trip next year for myself and my husband. I had three hours of lessons every morning at the centre from Sunday to Thursday with Mahmoud, one of the teachers at the centre. The lessons were tailored specifically to what I needed and my level; and they were excellent... Mahmoud was very engaging and provided a good blend of local dialect, some MSA at my request, colloquial expressions and useful phrases.

I feel that my spoken Arabic has definitely improved since I've been here in just 2 weeks and when I come back for longer, I feel it will make a huge difference to my understanding. The experience has been enriched by some excursions organised by the centre; notably to a refugee centre which was both extremely informative and uncomfortable in terms of the plight of the Palestinians, however these experiences are crucial in understanding the lived experience of those who are here.

I travelled in winter when Hebron is cold, and I would recommend people travelling here to dress comfortably and for cold weather. Many of the buildings are not centrally heated, using small heaters instead and so I packed a hot water bottle and it was invaluable!

At all times I have felt safe travelling in Palestine both on my own as a woman and with the group, and the initial trepidations I had before travelling here was assuaged shortly after arriving. People are extremely kind and helpful if you have any issues. Staying with a host family has been an incredibly warm experience where no problem is too great and you are part of the family immediately. On this trip I have largely stayed around the Hebron area, but in future trips I plan to travel more widely and see more of this amazing country. The Palestinians are hospitable and welcoming, the food is amazing, and my impressions post-visit are very positive. I would encourage anybody considering a trip to Palestine to go for it! Much of what we read in the news about Palestine is biased and so I would counsel people to see the country for themselves.

Anybody with an interest in learning more about the culture, the history and human rights situation in Palestine, or learning Arabic should utilise the Excellence Centre as they are set up for facilitating these experiences.

I spent two weeks at the Excellence Center in Hebron in winter 2022/23 and it was an amazing experience. Not only I could improve my Arabic in a very short time but I could join a lot of activities of the Center to get in touch with local people and stories. And also I appreciated a lot meeting all the other international guests who were there during my period. I felt like being part of a big family within just 2 weeks!
A few words about travelling in Palestine: it"s absolutely safe and simple, believe me! And people are so caring and welcoming. I absolutely recommend it!

I stayed at the centre for 3 weeks while participating in Human Rights Program since I wanted to learn about the current situation in Palestine, its culture and people in the most authentic way possible. Moreover, I got the chance to learn Arabic as well and my experience overall was surreal, fullfiling and very humbling.
Excellence centre personel was very kind and helpfull and regarding the safety in Hebron, I personally never felt in danger or unsafe in any way.
Would definitely recommend!!

I came to the center to develop my skills in MSA and Palestinian dialect. I registered for a 2 weeks intensive prgram, which means 4h of courses and some more for homework. Not much time to get bored, but some freetime to go around tozn on your own.

If you feel a little doubtful about discovering Hebron by your own, the center often organizes visits or meetings with local NGOs.

The staff is welcomingm dedicated and very fun. Part of the pleasure comes from being a groupd from various background, and progressing as a team