Study Arabic in Palestine

If one word describes my experience here it is “warmth”. I came to Hebron in the depths of winter (note to winter travelers: bring layers!) but warmth permeated every moment of my stay. I spent hours in the Excellence Center kitchen huddled around the fire, drinking sweet and warm Palestinian tea while exchanging sweet and warm words. My eagerness to learn the language and soak in the culture was received with an enthusiasm level that matched my own. Open arms, minds, and hearts opened doors for indelible friendships. I think I heard and used the word “habeepty!” (“my sweetie!”) as much as every other word combined, but it was never unmerited. Marwa taught me to wrap hijab. Shayma took me to a Palestinian glass factory. Abu-Mohamed showed off the Hebrew words he knows while he drove me on a tour through the city. My Arabic teacher Haifa taught me a traditional Islamic wedding dance and I showed her the Hora while we dreamed up plans for each of our someday-weddings.

And each of my new besties / habeepties are powerful and inspiring and brilliant. My teacher Haifa was my older-and-wiser role model until I learned her age. So now she is my younger-but-wiser role model. Her patience, energy, and Arab coffee fueled me through seven days of (brilliantly executed) 3-hour classes. The Center’s coordinator Marwa went above and beyond with around-the-clock assurance and support that made me feel welcome, safe, and loved. I am so grateful for these seven days, short but so full, of linguistic exchange and cultural give-and-take. Thank you for having me.

- Ariel Koren beginner Arabic course 12/21-12/29

Talha, 29 came from Canada to learn classical Arabic (MSA) for a month with the EC in order to understand the Koran.

At Tel Aviv I was stopped by security for three hours and interrogated… three hours of stupid questions about my job in Canada, why I came here, if I knew anybody here, how long I’m staying here… It might be a lot harder to answer the questions the next time around now I know so many people here.

After the airport security issues, getting to Hebron was pretty easy. From the airport I got a bus to Jerusalem, where I spent two nights. The bus from Jerusalem dropped me on the Jewish side of Hebron (Khalil) and from there I got a cab to the Centre. My taxi driver also knew where the Centre was on Ein Sara Street, which was really useful since the street is pretty long.

After I arrived at the Centre, I got an orientation presentation which was good, telling me about safety in Israel, things I need to be aware of, some practical advice, and information about local customs.

Since I’m a guy, I don’t have a host family, so after presentation I was shown by Rafat, Centre manager to the EC dormitories. The dorms are about 10 minutes easy walk from the Centre, or 2.5 shekel 2 minute cab ride. Typically in the evenings I eat outside the dorms since food is so cheap if you just want like a falafal sandwich or shawarma. Sometimes though, I go to nicer restaurants, or I’m invited to a home cooked meal with someone from the Centre.

Palestinians are very warm welcoming people and it’s a very closed society, you know, it’s under occupation. They typically don’t get a chance to travel outside of Palestine, so people are really eager to share their experiences and ask about my life in Canada. I’m often told this is the first time that a person is meeting a Pakistani. Our passport says not valid for Israel on it, so that’s not surprising. But people also really open up here, about their lives. They tell you everything you know… the amount of times I’ve heard people say they’d love to own a car but they can’t afford it since cars are so heavily taxed by the Israelis.

One of my neighbours asked me round for coffee, and told his friends I was coming. Before I’d been sitting in his lounge for five minutes, his brother turns up to talk to me, and then some of his neighbours - just like that - that would never happen in Canada. People can really talk here… I guess partly because they don’t have a lot of outside activities to do, they often just sit in the lounge, talk and smoke, and relax.

Times like that were a good opportunity to use Arabic a bit. Fusha, which I’m learning, is also 70% similar to regional dialect (the pronunciation is different, and a few words) so if you have a grasp of Fusha, the transition to spoken dialect is quite easy.

When I started studying with the Centre, I was at Beginner one level and I studied one month for 15 hours per week. At the beginning, I knew how to read - not very well but - moderate level because I’m Muslim.

I felt from the lessons that I could quite quickly begin to start to break down lines from the Koran and understand it. Even after just two weeks I had enough vocabulary to start recognising a few words, here and there.

The lessons were good and pretty varied. We translated small suraah from the Koran, and one lesson we listened to the national anthem, mawtani (my homeland), and translated it.

Another cool thing about my experience here was meeting a lot of foreigners at the Centre. Like I’d never properly met a British person before, but I met a British girl here, as well as people from Denmark, and Norway, and everywhere. It’s rare to have the chance to meet people from all over the world like that.

We did a lot of trips together, both with the Centre and in our own time. The staff here took us to Battir one Friday, which was a very nice hike close to Bethlehem. The landscape is really striking - all arid and rocky - very different to Canada.

After Battir we went to Soussia, which was a rural Bedouin village. Soussia is under threat from occupation and settler expansion. They don’t have access to electricity because they’re forbidden to construct anything, and their wells are often demolished. Also the caves they’d been living in were filled in by the Israeli Government, so they’re living in erected tents. It’s sad, but really important to see how people are living in the face of the occupation.

My favourite trip was without doubt Jerusalem. Being in Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock was a really special feeling as a Muslim. It’s the third holiest site in Islam, so I felt very happy and very privileged to be able to be there and pray there. Jerusalem is a very beautiful place; there’s a lot of history here.

After Friday prayer at the mosque, I went into the Arab quarter, which is so lively with people buying and selling you get totally lost in the crowd. And at the same time as you see people selling like galaxy phones, you feel so much history every it’s like a museum. The ancient walls and cobblestone road, and so many old buildings. Every army that came here has left something behind; the Crusaders, Muslims, Jews, it’s an incredible place.

What’s also amazing is that when you’re in the old city in Jerusalem, you see all of the Abrahamic faiths. The Wall of the Al-Aqsa mosque is also the Western Wall, so when you’re the mosque you can see the Wall like fifty metres away. I felt like all of these religions with a special connection to this place are so close together; we come from the same source. But at the same time, we don’t talk to each other. The Jews and Arabs, but we don’t talk. Christians talk to me more, but politics poisons all of that.

There are so many things to see here in Palestine, and everything is so close by. Twenty minutes from the Centre, and you’re in Bethlehem, forty five, and you’re in Jerusalem. And there’s really local things to do as well, like Battir and Masaba.

The Excellence Center offer great opportunities for those who want to study Arabic. Classes are on a 1-1 basis, with really good and inspiring teacher. Having said that, what really sets the Center apart is the environment. The center provides a very friendly atmosphere where there will be a lot of social activities and trips outside your normal schedule. So not only will you improve you Arabic, you will also learn a lot about the culture and political situation in Hebron and the West bank.

The first thing I noticed about this center is how comfortable it is to be there. Really from the first day it was easy to feel at home. The staff, the students, and community that come by are all relaxed, joke around with eachother, and are welcoming in a genuine and calm way. We eat breakfast all together, people randomly make tea for eachother throughout the day, it really does feel comfortable and easy to be part of this learning family. This makes it easy to learn because it is a comfortable place and a supportive environment to make mistakes in Arabic.

Another wonderful thing about this center is how much it supports the education of people from Hebron. Most of the classes are for Palestinians who want to improve their English. I have a lot of respect for the way this center is truly focused on this mutual learning of both English and Arabic. It is inspiring to know that the infrastructure of the school is not just for the benefit of foreigners who want to learn Arabic, but is also, and maybe primarily, for Palestinians who want to learn English. By coming to this center that is located in Hebron, you participate in witnessing disparities, suffering and resiliency of the occupation in ways specific to Hebron and at the same time, you know that by supporting this center you are supporting an incredibly positive institution in society in Hebron and also in Palestine.

The quality of the teaching in the center is excellent. The teachers regularly get training and refresher training on teaching methods and the center has checked in with me a few different times to be sure the quality of the teaching is what I was looking for. They want to be sure there are no problems, and best of all, the did this in a discrete way so if I had anything to request, I felt I truly could have.

My amazing teacher Rashaa has gone above and beyond in a number of ways in the short time I have been here. She really listened to what topics were important to me and taught in creative and effective ways. For example, I am a nurse, so on the 2nd day I show up to a table full of medical type equipment she gathered from her family so we could learn and practice in 3D! Amazing! She also learned I plan to work in refugee camps in Jordan and she looked up videos about the camps in Arabic so we could practice the relevant vocabulary while looking at images and hearing from people living in the camps. Both of these were very effective ways to learn and I definitely feel like I have learned a lot of Arabic. Her dedication is contagious and motivates me to study more!

Overall, I would 100% recommend coming to this center.

I spent two months volunteering at the Excellence Center teaching English. In addition to teaching English I took six hours of Arabic per week. My teacher was Du’a Qasim. Overall I was satisfied with her teaching methods and what I got out of the lessons. She’s very knowledgeable, communicative, and attentive to concerns. She has a lesson plan set up but she’s open to exploring personal interests her students may have. Moreover, she’s an exceptionally caring individual who is genuine in her goals and committed to her job. The staff at the center also encourage Arabic usage. This is helpful in applying what you learn in the classroom and translating it to everyday experiences. The fact that you’ll be living in a city of over 200,000 people who speak Arabic is just another incentive to learn and improve your language skills.

The center offers three hours of Arabic per week for every volunteer who works at the Excellence Center. However, one can certainly add more hours at a reasonable price. For those coming from the United States, it’s certainly more affordable than anything a university would charge per credit hour. And in my opinion, this is just as effective if not more. I’d encourage volunteers to take additional hours.

The Excellence Center is sanctioned by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and at the end of your volunteer period you will receive a certificate from the Center acknowledging your participation in the teaching aspect and completing the Arabic lessons. Moreover, one can certainly just enroll at the Excellence Center to take Arabic lessons. A few of the individuals I met in summer of 2016 at the Excellence Center attended the Center exclucivly for the Arabic lessons. Again, this a combination of reasonable cost, social environment, and a cadre of capable local teachers who take their profession seriously.

As I mentioned, my teacher was Du’a Qasim, who has been just wonderful in every sense of that word. Extremely helpful and effective as a teacher. I would strongly recommend her as my personal experience dictates as such. The Excellence Center’s staff are capable of working with people from beginner, to novice, to intermediate, to advanced levels. So if you want to learn basic Arabic to more advanced literary and comprehensive understanding of the language, the Center can provide teachers who are capable.

Lastly, the Arabic lessons are a good complementary experience that will certainly help you get around Palestine.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the center. I feel that it has been highly beneficial to my Arabic studies. One would be hard pressed to find a better program to learn Arabic in the land. The teachers are knowledgeable and more that helpful, and the staff is always looking for ways to improve the center to help both current and future learners. If you are wanting to learn Arabic, do yourself a favor and give this center a try.

I enjoyed learning Arabic. My Instructors were great at teaching. On my off time I found travel buddies to site see. I traveled to various cities and Bethlehem is only 45 minutes away via shared taxi. I suggest share taxis for just about everywhere you want to travel in Palestine or Israel. I visited Bethlehem many times and there are so many things to see in the Christian quarter alone. One thing I will miss is the amazing fresh food you can find everywhere. The falafel sandwich and lamb shawarma are my favorite.

Program completed in 2015:

I enjoy the program in The Excellence Center. My teacher was really a good one, very pedagogue. And I was really well welcoming by the Center as the family who was hosting me. Both way to learn the language and the culture as well. I booked 2 weeks, who were going too fast. I wish I could stay more. But I will be back to going on my arabic. For those who wondering, there's no safety problem in Hebron. The place is really safe, and people really nice.

Program completed in 2016:

It's my second time in the Excellence Center, and for sure not the last one. It's a very good center with good teachers, and the best way to learn arabic in an efficient and fast way (of course if you study). Everybody here are very welcoming and helpful. Some people can be concern about the security, and it's understandable. But in reality, and I talk as a woman who use to travel alone, Hebron's streets are very safe, and there are some cool places where you can have chicha or some soft drinks. One regret ? Yes: I wish I can stay longer.

I studied Arabic at the Excellence Center for three weeks. Overall it was a really good experience.

I was very happy with the classes and my teacher Shayma. She is a really good teacher and she always prepared her classes very well. I learned a lot from her and the classes were useful and fun.

The Excellence Center organised some trips and dinners, which gave me the opportunity to meet some new people, and all of the peope from the center were very nice.
All the Palestinians I met were super friendly and hospitable and I made some great friends.

I was living with a host family, this gave me the opportunity to experience the Palestinian culture and enabled me to practice my Arabic on a daily base. My host family became like a second family to me. I did not feel bored at any moment because there was always something fun to do.

I recommend this program because I learned a lot, not only Arabic but also about the Palestinian culture and what it is like to live in Palestine.

I only had a short time but really enjoyed my stay. My teacher was lovely and helped me improve my Arabic even though my time was limited. The staff were great, always checking in to be sure there were no problems. They were also very flexible with the tour times to be sure whoever wanted to could come along. Host family were amazing. I really enjoyed my time with them........................................

Hi, my name is Kristie. I am from the United States and in medical school. I came to the Excellence Center to study Arabic and to learn more about Palestinian life and culture. While I am only at the center for a short period of time, I hope to continue my studies and use what I learn in my future as a doctor.

I arrived in Palestine just days before the celebration of Eid Al-Adha, one of the two major holidays in Islam. I spent the holiday with my host family, learning about their traditions and eating amazing food. The children had a great time bringing me random objects from around the house and teaching me their names in Arabic. While “tray” and “table leg” might not be the most useful words at this point in my Arabic studies, we had a great time! Over the next two days, I met around 30 members of the family. For my second day in a new country, with a new language, it should have been an overwhelming experience. However, to my delight, they were some of the most enjoyable days I have spent in a long time. The whole family was incredibly warm and welcoming, going out of their way to make me, the foreigner crashing their party, feel comfortable and included.

Once the holiday ended, I began my Arabic lessons in earnest. 3-4 hours a day I had private lessons with my teacher Alaa. While the beginning of learning a language is always difficult and somewhat frustrating, Alaa made it manageable and fun. While teaching me the basics, she helped me focus on medical vocabulary so that I could immediately learn the Arabic most useful to me. Overall, the experience was fantastic and exactly what I hoped for by going to Palestine. I will hopefully be back in the future!

My name is Amalie, a 21 years old student from Denmark. I study Arabic and Islam Studies in Denmark. As a part of my education I travelled to Palestine to learn the shaami dialect and to improve my fusHa language.
I stayed at the Excellence Center for a month, and had classes 5 days a week, 3,5 hours per day. I had a great stay and the breakfast with all the staff and people staying at the center, was a good opportunity to meet people and personalities from all over the world.
I was taught by Shayma, a 23 years old girl from Hebron. She had graduated from her studies in fusHa from Hebron University, so she was an expert. She was an amazing teacher, always happy and she actually became more a friend than a teacher to me. She took me with her everywhere and showed me the Palestinian culture. This hospitality is also a characteristic of Palestine and the Palestinian people. They will treat you as their guest and will do anything for you to feel safe and happy. Therefore the security will never be a problem, though it is a country with problems and chaos. You will be treated as a part of their family or friends, and the Palestinians will not allow anything to happen to their guests.
During my stay I lived in the ground floor and had my own apartment at a Palestinian family. This was an amazing experience and the family made sure that I never missed anything, and I felt as a part of the family, but still I had the possibility to have my privacy, when needed, in my apartment. Furthermore they cooked and took care of me, and became my second family only after one month. I am sure I will see them again in the future.

The most unique thing about excellence centre is the atmosphere of the place. It reflects the Palestinian customs and culture and gives the students a good idea on the friendliness, generosity and good heartedness of the people. The program is well tailored for the individual student and this makes the actual learning experience even more fun. My teacher always thinks of new ways to get me engaged and I love the energy he brings to the class room.

Being at Excellence Center has been at enjoyable experience. You are not just a student here, but you are so part of a broader relationship between all people here. The friendly atmosphere between staff volunteers and students makes is a good environment for not only studying but so living. The course we have had was perfect for us, Because We got the opportunity to make it Exactly how we want it accordion to the curriculum provided from university. The center is located a few kilometers away from the city center. We have been living in Bethlehem and the services made ​​it easy for us, by stopping just in front of the door to the center. Hebron is a very interesting place to live if you want to understand the life of the Palestinians and the impact of the Conflict On Their daily life's. Nonetheless Excellence Center is located in a peaceful part of the city and we have never experience any trouble. We highly recommend Excellence Center Whether you just want to learn a few phrases or to continue to ongoing study.

Sallaam min ID Denemark! Morten og Marie

I wanted an opportunity for an intensive improvement of my qolloquial Arabic language, and this was the perfect fit. With daily classes and endless possibilities of practising conversation at the center, social gatherings and with my host, this was what I was looking for. The centre has a lively and fun atmosphere, with foreigners studying or volunteering, and the staff is friendly and fun. The classes are one to one, so the teaching and topics are tailored to your wishes and interests. I, for example had less interest in writing and more in speaking and expanding vocabulary.
With intensive classes, accomodation and social arrangements as well as good people, the centre did provide the full package one needed for a stay without other connections.
The centre arranges optional tours which are great for learning about the situation of daily, though normalised, occupation, even if your stay is short.
No city in the West Bank is alike, and with Hebron in the more conservative end, one should take time to visit other cities as well.