Intensive Arabic Programs In Palestine (1-13 Weeks)

Hello good fellows, my name is Andreas and I’m from Norway. I came to Hebron sent by the Norwegian government to work as an international observer in the organization TIPH. A huge part of my work includes interacting and talking to the Palestinian residents of Hebron and the working language out in the field is Arabic. It is of utmost importance to have an understanding of the Arabic language and especially the Palestinian dialect, and by this the Exellence Center and my fantastic private teacher Shayma has provided me with the substance needed.

I have been studying Arabic before I came to Hebron, in classes compiling of several students and by self –studies over a period of a couple of years, but for the first time I have enjoyed the privilege of having a private teacher in the Exellence Center. Together with Shayma we have drafted and put into action a progression plan that has helped me advance to a higher level of mastering the language.

As an observer in TIPH (www.tiph.org) we report on breaches on international laws and regulations, and the Exellence Center with its cooperation with TIPH has been of an immense importance to increase the language level of the Arabic speaking observers, including myself.

My sincere call and recommendation to everybody thinking about studying Arabic in Palestine. The Exellence Center in Hebron is excellent. When I unfortunately in the near future have completed my mission, I will bring with me the great experiences, the acquired heightened level of my Arabic skills, and the great memories of the daily breakfasts and the fantastic feast I enjoyed on the rooftop of the center together with my invited family and all the teachers and students that lovely day in April 2017.

My name is Jana Lindner and I'm a volunteer from Germany.
This was my first time to Hebron and the West Bank in general, where I have been doing the teaching program with Excellence Center for the past 2 weeks and it has truly been one of the best experiences I've had so far.
I have had teaching experience before as I've been volunteering with another NGO in Tanzania in 2016 but volunteering here in Palestine was something completely different, challenging in another way.
In my time volunteering here I was helping local teachers with their English classes, as well as planning different English lessons suited to the individualities of the pupils, which also was the most challenging part, working with a lot of students with completely different English levels.
During my stay I also had 6h of Arabic lessons with my great teacher Ahlam. As for the Center's Palestinian teachers, they were very enthusiastic and willing to teach us as much as possible. I am a university student studying Middle Eastern studies and political sciences as well as Arabic, so it was an amazing opportunity for me not only to learn an Arabic dialect but also to practice my spoken Arabic with my host family.
Therefore I can only recommend this to everyone that is learning Arabic or wants to learn Arabic.
One of the best parts about the whole experience definitely was the love and respect as well as the courteousness and generousness that people in Palestine as well as my host family would constantly express. Locals would always be so excited to see us and they would always want us to eat or have coffee and tea with them. I've been having a lot of very warm and friendly conversations with people from many different backgrounds . Having travelled to a lot of other Arab countries before, I think my visit to Palestine is going to be the one with the best memories at pretty much every turn. I have never experienced a country with such a great hospitality like Palestine.
The country also has various different landscapes and it is very easy to visit other cities around the West Bank or even in Israel.
I have been doing trips to Ramallah, Jericho, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, all of them very different and very beautiful. Yet, nothing can compete with Hebron. It definitely is my favorite place to be in Palestine.
The staff from Excellence Center is more than willing to provide you with any information.
All in all, the Center is more than dedicated to its work and providing local communities with help for English classes as well as caring about their students and the well being of their volunteers. So if you're thinking about volunteering in Hebron, the Excellence Center is the place to be.
I'm leaving with a lot of great memories and I'll definitely be back to Hebron sometime soon, staying for a longer time, as 2 weeks were definitely not enough.

My name is Amir, I am an IT consultant from London, England. Having visited the a number of Arabic speaking countries I chose to learn Arabic in Palestine due to my experience with the people when I visited in Ramadan 2016.

I was very pleased with my choice and it totally surpassed my expectations; both from the perspective of learning Arabic but also the amount of activities the centre takes you to.

I couldn't have asked for a better teacher than Dua. The standard of teaching was of high quality and I don't think I would have learnt as much as I did if I wasn't pushed like I was. Dua is definitely good at what she does and is able to recognise when I am having a bad day or my brain is a little frazzled and therefore mixes up the structure of the class. It is impressive considering she has no formal qualification or training in teaching. I think the 1-2-1 sessions really make a difference and I've learnt a lot in a month. I hope I can continue to progress at the same pace when I'm back in London. I plan to come back but I guess I'll have to think twice if Dua isn't here.

In terms of activities, I was fortunate enough to visit Abraham's Oak, Abraham's Mosque, a sandal factory, a kufiya factory, a glass and ceramic factory to name a few.

From the perspective of a male, we lived together in an apartment which was basic but sufficient. We attended breakfast together at the centre as well as a number of dinners. Generally we had lunch outside and cooked dinner together in the evenings. Initially I felt a little lost in terms of cooking and wished I had bought more food with me but once I was familiar with the local shops, supermarkets etc. it wasn't a problem anymore. We even managed to make pizza Hebron style using the local bread and without an oven.

Palestine is definitely a safe place to visit. It is so easy to make friends here which meant that we could spend our time in the evenings with the locals. The hospitality at both the centre and Hebron in general is totally unreal. Everyone is so friendly, welcoming and ready to help, this isn't something you see anywhere else in the world and the best thing about it is that it is genuine and there are no hidden agendas. I can't tell you the number of times someone has stopped me to say hello, ask me where I am from or offer me some coffee. I was invited round to play table tennis at someone's house and on another occasion invited to play 5 a side football at a local pitch.

On one occasion when I visited the local coffee shop I accidentally dropped 90 shekels on the floor. The locals that were with me handed it over to the owner and once we got out they asked everyone if anyone had lost any money. I checked my pocket and realised that I did, we returned to the shop and the owner went through the CCTV and happily handed over the money. I couldn't see that happen in England.

Regarding the centre, the staff really do make a conscious effort to look out for your well-being and on one of the days we decided to go hiking to Wadi Mukalak and the centre happily organised the transportation for us.

I would more than recommend anyone that would either like to volunteer or learn Arabic to seriously consider the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine.

I knew Hebron before I came. I lived there for a few months before and was enjoying meeting people. Unfortunately, my Arabic, that I started learning really late in university couldn’t allow me to engage further more with the friends I made here. Therefore I decided to take classes in Excellence Centre. The result is fantastic!

Benefiting from one-to-one classes, I could learn a lot. My teacher is amazingly hardworking. She always adapts to any of my demands. I was trying to acquire knowledge that would be useful in my daily life as much as in a professional context and she was always planning classes according to my objectives. From literal Arabic to dialect, we went through texts, dialogues, and videos or any media that could improve my overall skills. Moreover, the centre was a place where I could receive help in any situation. I also enjoyed sharing lunch with all the teachers and volunteers.

Excellence Centre is more than a centre it’s a big family honouring the traditional hospitality of the city of Abraham.

Paul Elek

Learn success has a lot to do with what you make it, so as the son of an jordanian father, raised by a german mother in Germany, I will never be satisfied by my arabic skills, compared to those of my jordanian siblings. However, having had access to the language before, and not beeing a youngster anymore, it was all up to me, and my excellent teacher was ready to try any approach I would choose. The human factor in Palestine of course plays into their cards within the school or outside, so the staff is lovely, but, of course, there are conflicts. People from all over the world come together and not only the women participants wonder why they have to be back home with their families at early hours while the guys come and go as they please. And they would not only ask why the girls are not invited to the traditional meals in Ramadan, they would demand it. Not an easy job for the staff to explain the extraordinary conservative environment in Hebron, on which, probably, the schools mere existence depends. I would encourage them to try hard and make the decisions as transparent as they can and not just blame far away boss Rafa. So there are long faces, and there are frustrated ambitions, but it is all a necessary part of the process. My experience was all great and I definitely want to and will repeat it. The whole region is one of the most fascinating of the world. It is not only al Quds, I travelled all of Palestine and crossed over to Israel and Jordan for a surprise visit to my family at the end of Ramadan. All of this provides a lot of mixed feelings and crossing borders is definitely a very special experience! In Hebron I was sharing a rather downbeat flat with students from all over the world, and we became a part of the neighbourhood in no time, being invited to meals, singing, dancing, political meetings and much more. (They immediately stopped using our yard as a waste dump and I am pretty confident Rafa will shell out some real beds next time.) To sum it up, it definitely was an unforgettable experience and I would encourage anyone to try it.

What I expected when I came to Hebron was a week of Arabic lessons, a place to sleep, and a few excursions. What I got when I came to Hebron was a second family. Not only was my host family quick to adopt me - by my second day, they were calling me their new daughter - but the Excellence Center itself, staff, students and volunteers, felt like a big, chaotic, warm family. Everyone eats breakfast together in the morning, works or talks or drinks sweet tea and bitter coffee in the kitchen between duties, and cooks a communal dinner together on Thursdays. The students and volunteers come from all over the world - during my time here, I met people from Australia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the USA, and Mexico - and all of them have interesting stories. Equally, all of the Palestinians I met were incredibly welcoming, and happy to be able to show visitors their country.

I have studied Arabic for three years, including a year living and studying in Amman, Jordan, so this wasn’t my first experience in the Middle East. From my previous experience, I can say that the teaching at the Excellence Center is of a high standard. With my teacher Afnan, I studied both Palestinian colloquial and Modern Standard Arabic. We looked at a wide range of material and topics, from rap songs to poems to newspaper articles, jokes and comic folktales to documentaries. I really appreciated her calm and patient approach, as well as her ability to be flexible and adapt to what I wanted.

Outside of lessons, I got to see much more of Palestine. In Hebron, we visited the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, as well as excursions to see local industry, such as glass-blowing, pottery, and leather workshops and the factory which makes the Palestinian keffiyeh. Outside of Hebron, I went with the center to visit Ramallah and Jericho: we visited sites including the Mar Saba monastery and the new Yasser Arafat museum in Ramallah.

Additionally, I really benefited from the time I spent with my host family - being able to immerse myself entirely in spoken Arabic in a home environment was challenging but has proven really rewarding. It wouldn’t have been possible without their amazing hospitality. Practising my Arabic with the staff and teachers at the center outside of lessons was a great opportunity as well. I also appreciated getting to know the other volunteers, and the experience of being among only a few native English speakers in a place where English is the lingua franca has been eye-opening.

Finally, I have one piece of advice for anyone planning to come to the Excellence Center, whether to study or to volunteer: you really do get out what you put in. It might seem exhausting (I know it has been for me!), but if you try your best to participate, help out, and talk to people whenever possible, you will find you learn as much outside your lessons as you do in them, not to mention the real friendships you will create. I wish I could have spent longer than a week in Hebron, and I’m definitely hoping to come back in the future - inshallah! (“If God wills,” a phrase anyone studying Arabic will learn to use often...)

My name is Laura, I am from Melbourne, Australia. I have a Bachelors Degree in International Studies. During my time in Hebron, I completed a one-month intensive Arabic course at The Excellence Centre. The intensive Arabic course helped me to improve my Arabic, by working one on one with my teacher. My teacher was highly skilled, professional, and provided a supportive and flexible approach to learning.

During my time at The Excellence Centre, I also participated in a number of excursions provided by the centre, including day trips to Bethlehem and Battir. The excursions were a great opportunity to explore Palestine, meet local people and learn more about Palestinian history. I was also able to visit a ceramic and glass factory and the old city.

The staff members at The Excellence Centre were welcoming, helpful and make a consistent effort to ensure I was happy and comfortable during my time there.

During my time in Palestine, I stayed with a local family, who were supportive and friendly during my stay. They were happy to introduce me to their friends and family, and I was even able to attend a Palestinian wedding.

The most enjoyable experience was a visit with my teacher to the Hebron Governate to meet with government officials. During this visit the officials discussed current government initiatives and programs such as women’s programs, youth programs and financial aid programs.

The most challenging aspect to my stay was the weather, visiting between November and February saw very cold weather, and it is important to be prepared for buildings with low insulation. A good quality sleeping bag or a hot water bottle is recommended for visiting in the colder months.

This is my first longer visit to Palestine. I am a 52 year old teacher from Passau, Germany and studied catholic theology from 1985 until 1991 and in these years I learned some basic Arabic for reading the Quran and to compare with Our Christian Bible. As a master of theology I teached the Old Hebrew language of the bible for some years at the University of Passau and at the Catholic University of Linz, Austria. Because of the many contacts with refugees during and after the refugee crisis I have many friends now from Syria and Iraq which speak Arabic and now learn German. For improving my contacts I now learn Arabic and did so for 2 weeks at the Excellence Center here in Al Chalil Hebron.

I learned at the Excellence Center in Hebron Arabic and travelled with the staff to many locations in Palestine to meet Palestinian people and discover the interesting country. Starting with Jerusalem on my way from the airport to Hebron by Bus and Taxi everyone was nice and gave me a friendly welcome. I remember Betlehem at most, because I am a Christian and teacher of Christian children in Austria. But also the national ecological garden in Battir was a very good experience when walking around and see the nice locations around the roman bath there and on the hills. Even the town of Hebron with the Ibrahimi mosque and the Suq was a very interesting visit. In Betlehem even the wall and the political background was of interest as was the refugee camp nearby called xxx. We will visit on my last day Jericho and Ramallah and I am looking forward to this warm and healthy places now in winter with 22 degree!

My Arabic lessons were an extraordinary experience, because my teacher Sazmaa forced me to immerse into the Arabic language as I hoped to when booking this course. I asked her to study Fuscha, the traditional high level language of the books, and she engaged totally during every lesson within my 10 days of study to lift my level from reading holy texts to also be able to speak and to talk about the experiences. I never had such an inspiring course even in University and she used modern teaching methods which made learning an adventure and activated all senses to learn Arabic. I am really grateful about this. I will try to write some Arabic at the end to show the effords I made with my teacher.
The hospitality of the people at the ME is really great and the mixture of students of Arabic and International volonteers helping Palestinian students to learn English by the help of native speakers was inspiring me even to learn some better English like I did before. Everyone is highly engaged in developing the education of the local people and the students and volonteers .
During my stay at the Excellence Center here in Al Chalil Hebron I lived with two other male students in an apartment with kitchen and 2 rooms where I as the oldest one could use one for me alone. The rooms are basic but comfortable and the cooperation in kitchen and when learning makes fun.
Safety had been guaranteed all the time at any area in Hebron. Even when walking around alone it was fun to be in contact very fast and feel a warm welcome everywhere. There was no security problem when I was visiting the mosque or Shahada street alone or when I went to the local barber. Everyone wanted to talk about Germany and the differences of my Christian faith and the Islam and the welcome of refugees in Germany which the Palestinian people appreciate and honor very much. I felt that it is a question of hospitality for any inhabitant in Hebron that I as the guest felt comfortable and of course secure at any time. Also when visiting alone Shahada street, the mosque or the suq I felt secure.. The hospitality when offering us local meals like maqluba or local Palestinian breakfast impressed me most, but also the historical places and the holy churches and mosques were amazing. Nature is nice even in winter.
When I arrived at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem early in the morning at 4 a.m. a nice guy started me speaking Arabic in front of bus 231 from al Quds to Betlehem, and the Arabic adventure begun in the first minutes. The first words I repeated and learned with him were the starting point of the studies here and this continued every day. The people here are kind and polite and I felt welcome all the time.
The tolerance between all the staff, the teachers, the volonteers and the students of the Arabic language was overwhelming (even jewish students could learn Arabic here during my stay).
I highly recommend the ME for studiing Arabic or volunteering and think about further chances to come to Hebron to continue my learning Arabic here. For older persons like me it might be of interest, that local hotels with a high standard of service might attract people which need a higher comfort.
انا درست اللغة العربية في المركز اكسلنس فالخليل من 27.12.2016-7.1.2017. انا احب هذا المدينة وكل الناس به. اليوم نحن درسنا كل العدد من 20 الى 20000. هذا كثير لي.
انا اريد ان ادروس لاستطيع لاقرا هذا اللغه الجميلة قي الكتب العربية