Intensive Arabic Programs In Palestine (1-13 Weeks)

My name is Bobby Stevens and I am from New York in the United States. I graduated St. Bonaventure University with a Bachelors degree in International Studies. Some of my hobbies include traveling, reading and playing football. I am currently finishing up my volunteer work in Hebron, Palestine with The Excellence Center.
Here at The Excellence Center I am teaching English as well as learning Arabic. As an English teacher I have had many different types classes. I have assisted Arabic teachers who are native to Palestine, I have taught in a one on one setting, and I have also had my own class of 7-9 students at the Intermediate level. My experience teaching at The Excellence Center has been nothing but wonderful. All of the teachers are very well qualified and always so helpful. I’m proud to call each one of the teachers here my close friend that I will never forget. Teaching English has been a very rewarding experience as I have really felt as though I am making a difference in my students lives.
Learning Arabic with the amazing Marwa Shantir has been an absolute blessing. Over these past 3 months I went from knowing basic greetings to being able to participate in conversation with native speakers. The full emersion experience is the best way to learn any language. Aside from having one on one lesions 3 times a week with a highly qualified teacher, I am surrounded by native speakers which forces me to practice at all times of the day. Although I do not have Arabic lessons every day, I am constantly practicing with everyone around me.
The city of Hebron is really eager to improve their tourism industry. For this reason everybody is so generous and kind to all foreigners coming into the city. Every day I am invited to another dinner, lunch or café for a coffee. You really feel like you are home here at Hebron, not just as another tourist in another city. Family life and morals are such an important part of the culture here in Hebron. Reputation of one’s name is very important and because of this I have felt so safe throughout my stay here. From all of the cities I have traveled to, I have never felt safer leaving my door unlocked at night.
I am very sad that my time here in Hebron is up, but I am excited to come back in April and work for a month. Hebron has really became my 2nd home and all of the people here my brothers and sisters. There is no city like the city of Hebron.

I did the 2 months intensive arabic course at the Excellence Center in Hebron. I really enjoyed the interactive lessons with my teacher, and i learned a lot during this 2 months.
Beside my lessons there also were some visits with the Center. I went to Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho and the death sea. But also some visits in Hebron itself, like the Old City and the Ibrahimi mosque, the glass factory and the kufiya factory.

During this 2 months i lived with a lovely hostfamily, they were all really kind and hospitable. We always had dinner together with the family, and i spend a lot of time together with my host sister.

I felt completely safe in Palestine. The palestinian people are really kind, helpful and hospitable. and i did not had any bad experience.
I highly recommend the Excellence center for others, it will be a great experience.
And i already planned to go back to Hebron and to the Excellence center

I'm a 25-years old sociology student from Finland. I studied Arabic for two months in the Excellence Center, Hebron. I ended up in the city by chance: I was originally looking for Arabic programmes in Lebanon until I came across the Excellence Center. I have to say I am extremely happy with my sudden change of plan.

The Excellence Center is definetely worth your money. Not only the quality of the Arabic intensive course is high (I didn't speak any Arabic prior to coming to Hebron and after two months I'm able to handle everyday situations on my own), but the Center will give you a very good opportunity to dive into the local culture. The staff and the many local friends associated with the center invite the foreigners regularily to dinners, weddings and trips. The EC is very willing to provide trips on request - during my stay we for example went to a bedouin village, a refugee camp and many cities in the West Bank. The staff, including my teachers, became very dear friends to me. The athmosphere in general is very family like - we even share the breakfast together.

What comes to safety, Hebron is one of the safest places I've travelled to. Even as a woman I'm not afraid of walking the streets alone. The religious lifestyle of the people keeps crime rates low. People are very welcoming and always willing to help. On top of this the locals are very curious about the few foreigners and are extra keen on helping and making the foreigners feel welcome. Any problems you have the EC will always provide help. I have felt very taken care of since the beginning.

I would for sure recommend the Excellence Center for anyone interested in studying Arabic or travelling in the Middle East. For me this was the first time in the Middle East and I enjoyed my stay so much since the day one. Thank you so much!!

Looking out of the car window on my way back from Nablus, observing the Palestinians busy but laid-back Saturday routine and admiring the rocky hills in the backdrop, I cannot help but feel sad about going back to my home country of France in a few days. In just six weeks, Palestine has claimed my heart.
Its language, despite its difficulty and subtleties, has grown on me. Despite a year and a half of studying Modern Standard Arabic in university, I was barely able to articulate a word when I first arrived. The first few days were mentally exhausting, trying to juggle between the few words I knew and never ending questions from everyone I met. Luckily, thanks to the intensive Arabic course I was following and mostly to my amazing teacher Shayma, I quickly developed my vocabulary and was able to understand more and more situations. With 15h a week, the classes are challenging and require hard work; but Shayma always managed to make it interactive. During my time here, I’ve had Arabic classes involving cooking, going to restaurants, shopping, listening to music... After these six weeks, I feel much more confident in my Arabic and while it is far from being perfect, I feel more motivated than ever to work towards fluency.
The Palestinian food, cleverly mixing local olive oil and spices into heavenly pastries, has conquered both my heart and my stomach. Coming in as a vegetarian, I arrived with the idea that I’d only be eating hummus and falafels during my time in Palestine. Not that I would have complained about this, but I have been pleasantly surprised with the variety of food I am able to eat here. While most of the dishes are made with chicken, there is always on the side the option of rice, vegetables, or a salad. While vegetarianism/veganism are concepts that are still relatively foreign here and can sometimes be met with skepticism, most people will be very understanding and accommodate to your dietary restrictions. One thing is for sure, you will never go without food!
And finally, the Palestinian people, always welcoming me into their homes and sharing their life, hopes, and fears, have become family. My host family, but also friends met along the way, teachers, and other foreigners from the center, have made my time in Hebron unique and unforgettable. Not a day went by without being invited for dinner, for a wedding, for a visit of the city, or for a weekend trip. While prior to coming here I was afraid to become a bit bored, I quickly realized that I would not have enough time to do everything I wanted! Becoming so close to locals has also enabled me to discover the history of the country under new angles. Hearing life stories from Palestinians has been eye-opening and came as a very much needed counter-image to what is often portrayed in Western media. Palestinians are some of the most respectful people I have met during my travels, and while they do endure the effects of the conflicts, they always make everyone they meet feel at home - regardless of origins, nationality, or religion. This has led me to feel extremely safe while strolling through the busy streets of H1 in Hebron, where the conflict seems surprisingly faraway.
My month and a half in Hebron, Palestine with the Excellence Center has been all around incredible and has taught me more than any history or language class could have taught me. While I start getting my bags ready for my departure, my mind is with my Palestinian families whom, I know, I will see again soon.

I really enjoyed the lessons and have made a substantial progress thanks to my great teacher. We designed the lessons together so that it fit my needs perfectly. The atmosphere was relaxed and very friendly and it was fun practicing Arabic with my teacher and the others in the center.

I liked the fact that the international students and volunteers meet there with locals studying English and am impressed with the work the center does for their community. I also appreciate very much the many tours and presentations we had, through which we got to know the city and the situation in Palestine in general.

Unlike the female students, who are living in host families, are the men sharing an apartment near the city center. This offers more flexibility and was a very nice experience, also because the owner and neighbour at the same time was very welcoming and invited us to spend time with him and his friends and family almost every evening.

On the weekends I had the opportunity to travel through Palestine, either with the other students, their host families or alone. I visited Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jericho and the Dead See and was always impressed by the beauty of the places and the people’s hospitality. Everyone on the street is ready to answer your questions, give you directions and often even invite you for coffee. I felt very safe and welcome during my whole time in Palestine.

I was surprised to find out that the weather in Hebron is very pleasant even in the middle of summer, because of the relatively high altitude and low humidity, which doesn’t necessarily apply to other cities like Jericho.

Overall I had a great time and hope to come back again in future.

As a place to study Arabic, the Excellence Center is, as its name suggests, truly excellent. The classes are tailored directly to the level and needs of the students, and as such, they are structured in such a way that challenges students to think, learn, and excel in entirely new ways. This is largely due to the strength and experience of the staff and teachers, though credit must also be given to the warm and inclusive environment created by the students and international volunteers that come to the Center, no matter the length of their stay or their form of involvement.
A real strength of the Center is that the instruction does not stop at the classroom. As students, we have opportunities to visit places within Hebron like the old city, a kuffiyeh factory, a refugee camp, and even a settlement, among many others. There are even more places to explore outside of Hebron, including Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Jericho, all of which are simple, inexpensive, and safe to reach. Prior to coming to Palestine, I received all of the usual, worried warnings about the security situation here, and though it is wise to be cautious in any situation (in any part of the world), I have felt entirely safe during my stay.
And more than feeling safe, I have been welcomed with open arms by so many of the people here. This is likely what I will remember the most about Palestine as a whole; it will not necessarily be the food or the weather (which is definitely a challenge in the middle of July), but the kindness and generosity of the people of Palestine. Included in this is, of course, my host family, every single member of which is incredible and kind and intelligent. They enhanced my experience here in nearly every way, and I am so grateful to have another family and another home to return to next time I visit Palestine.
On the whole, my experience with the Excellence Center in Hebron has been incredibly rewarding. That is not to say that there were no challenges - of course there were - but these challenges were mediated by the fact that being here is not about being comfortable, but about learning (sometimes difficult) lessons, both inside and outside of the classroom. I recommend anybody interested in taking on such challenges to give the Center a chance. I’m positive the experience will be well worth it.

I travelled to Palestine alone with no arabic experience. I have travelled alot, but not alone like this before, I was excited and also a little bit terrified of traveling alone in a different country. At the Excellence Center they where very welcomming and since the center is small it was easy to get to know both the teachers and other international students. At the center I got private arabic classes, and that was good for my learning, since the teaching went forward in my own pace. I learned a lot in two weeks, but wished i could have stayed longer. After two weeks it was really sad leaving as I have just started to get to know the people at the excellence center and also my hostfamily better.
The picture I have added is a picture of me wearing a Palestinian dress my hostmom helped me pick out.

I spent 1 month studying intensive Arabic in Palestine. When I started I was a complete beginner, but thanks to fantastic teaching I am now comprehensive in Arabic, after just one month. I stayed in a Palestinian host family which was a brilliant experience as not only was I studying Arabic in the day, but I was also able to speak Arabic in the evening with my family, therefore. Further, my host family were so welcoming and taught me a lot about Palestinian life and culture. Before coming to Palestine, I was slightly worried about safety and travelling, but Palestinians are extremely welcoming and friendly, I have never felt unsafe being here. Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met at the centre, you have made my experience unforgettable and I hope to return to Palestine again soon!