Intensive Arabic Programs In Palestine (1-13 Weeks)

My name is Jason. I live in the United States, studied as an undergraduate in religion and my graduate degree is in rabbinics. These past four weeks I have been participating in the super-intensive Arabic program here in Al-Khalil.

From the time I applied for the program, I was welcomed warmly into the Excellence Center family. Planning my time here was easy and smooth, as were the directions for how to arrive at the Center in the Eyn Sara neighborhood of Hebron. When I arrived over three weeks ago, I was greeted effusively by fellow students; clearly the Center sets a culture of welcome and kindness for its student that is paradigmatic of the Palestinian culture of hospitality I have experienced in the past, but have experienced deeply and consistently these past few weeks.

My Arabic lessons were—as the program is called—super-intensive. My teacher, Duha, did a great job balancing between her lesson plans and the questions that my classmate and I had. Classes include grammar, speaking and listening, vocabulary, and writing exercises.

The environment of the Center is positive and kind, a home away from home for those of us from abroad studying there and, it seems, for local Palestinian students who take part in the Center’s programs as well. Most of my fellow students have been doing significant volunteer work, internships, or research, and it was clear that the administration of the Center has made wonderful connections to people in the larger community in Al Khalil and beyond.

Some of the wonderful experiences we had as a group were learning how to make stuffed grape leaves at the peak of the grape leaves season, being hosted by a large local family, who welcomed the entire foreign student body into their home for dinner, and seeing the old city and the Tomb of the Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque with local high schoolers as our guides. While I was here, I also traveled to Bethlehem and to Ramallah. While I had been to Bethlehem a few times before, this was my first time in Ramallah, and it was interesting and powerful to tour and compare the museums in each city.

Some people ask about safety here in Hebron. Long before I arrived, I had a sense that I was being hosted by people who cared deeply about the safety of every student and volunteer, and wanted to make sure I was always making good choices to be as safe as possible. Walking around the city at various hours has been quite comfortable for me and part of the pleasure of living here has been the walk to and from our apartment, greeting and being greeted by various shopkeepers, children and youth in the neighborhood, and enjoying the sights and smells of street food—from pastries in the morning to corn at night. I suppose when I think about different places I have lived over the years, this feels like one of the safest.

During this past month, I have spent most of my time in the City of Hebron and other cities, but the last time I was here, I enjoyed some time on the Palestinian heritage trail, which I recommend highly. My time here now is has been in the season of spring turning to summer, and while you can feel the intensity of the sun during much of the day, I have enjoyed noticing the contrast between the warmth of the day and the cooler nights, often with their gentle winds.

The Palestinian hospitality I imagined before I arrived has been met and surpassed at every turn, from people taking an interest in me to cafes encouraging fellow students and I to park ourselves at a table, drink a frozen passion fruit drink or mint lemonade, and study (or relax) for hours.

I am already sad that my time here is coming to an end soon and I hope to return as a volunteer and, with the help of the Excellence Center, inshallah, find ways to help support and strengthen Palestinian society.

We visited the old town of AlKhalil with our best man who explained everything about the actual situation.

My arabic lessons were very nice and funny as well with my teacher. I learned to write and ready and many other things.

The Staff is very nice and friendly and they help you with everything you need.

Th Palestinian people are amazing and i found my second family here, most of the time I spent with the locals, so I know very well how they are, best people. It is safe and you dont have to worry about anything. The food is amazing.

Cant wait to come back, i reccomend it to everyone

If you want to improve your Arabic skills with the help of superb teachers, whilst enjoying a very welcoming atmosphere and delicious food, the Excellence Center at Al Khalil/Hebron is your place to go to!
All the programs offer an interesting experience to learn Arabic and get to know Palestine and its people.
There is ample possibilities to come with personal suggestions, which allows to create your own experiences.
The adventure can sometimes be challenging, but you will be in a safe environment!

My name is Thomas and I am from the Netherlands. I have been at Excellence Center for six weeks and I followe the Intensive Arabic lessons. The lessons were way more varied than I would have expected and offered a broad approach. I thank my teacher Mamom for that with all my heart.In the Netherlands, I focused on speaking, but here also writing and reading were addressed. The lessons have really improved my understanding of the language and they also made me more conscious of what I saw on the streets when it comes to culture, history and habits. Last but not least: I also really have laughed a lot.

Already in the online contact with the Excellence Center, I got the impression that people here will see you as part of their family. That actually was how I experienced my time here. The minute you start to speak a bit of Arabic, you become their "habibi" right away.

In my weekends I have gone to Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem and Jericho. On Friday, I would do a long hike on the countryside, and Saturday I would go into the cities and experience life there. It is a suggestion I would gladly to give to you, because you will also need some rest from all the impressions you will experience. I also had the honour of going to families with interesting stories to tell about how their life is here. Palestine is a special place with so much richess that my six weeks will not be enough. The good thing is that that means I have to come back one day. I am looking foreward to that moment.

I have never felt so safe as I did in Palestine. When you are on the streets, people will offer you coffee or food. Everybody likes to have a fun experience with you, because you are from abroad. I remember occassions when children asked me ten times in a row where I am from. That is what I liked most: the kindness of the people. Some people were able to speak English with me, but most of the time we both had to find a way to communicate with each other. That is a very good way to learn a language by the way.

Palestine, but also its people and the Excellence Center team, all have found a special place in my heart. In order to get an everlasting impression of its richess, I would gladly advise you all to come as well. You surely will not regret it. Not in the least because of all the wonderful people that I have met here and I know you will meet here as well.

I'm Kiley from the US. I participated for 1 week in the intensive Arabic lanugage program. The program was great and my teacher Duha is fantastic! I stayed with a host family near the center. Being immersed at home and in the community helped a lot to make progress with the language. The staff, teachers, and community at the Excellence Center are so special and welcoming. After the first day of being here, I already didnt want to leave! The Center helped organize visits to the Kufiyah factory and the old town of Hebron. I was also able to visit Ramallah, Jericho, and Bethlehem during my week here. I felt safe everywhere I went! Palestine is an incredible place with amazing people! I highly recommend he Excellence Center. I hope to come back to spend more time learning the language and participating in other programs they have to offer!

My time with the excellence center was such a precious experience for me.

I did around 9 weeks of intensive arabic and besides that was able to attend certain trips organized by the center.

Refering to my language classes i was more then lucky to learn with a super professional teacher. He managed to adapt to what i needed from the very beginning.
Because of his experience i could noticably improve my arabic within my stay.
We had super interesting conversations during class and he always managed to keep me motivated in moments i had doubts or was impatient with myself.

During my whole stay i was living with a lovely host family, which made me feel comfortable and welcomed from the first day.
This was my experience with all the khalili people i got to know during my time here: huge hospitality, openess and warmheartedness. After weekend trips to other places in Palestine i was always happy to come back to Khalil, because i enjoyed the atmosphere here a lot.
Ramadan here was an especially festive time that im happy i got to experience.

I really hope that i can sustain the relations i made with the people i got to know during my stay and would love to come back here again as soon as i can.

I have been really impressed with the quality of the Arabic teaching here, and I feel clearer now about what I need to do to become more fluent. I have really enjoyed living with a local family and learning more about life here from them. It has been interesting to be thrown together with a random bunch of internationals from all over the world, and to hear about their different motivations for coming here. We have also had quite a lot of opportunities to do or own thing and explore for ourselves.

I specifically wanted to learn the Palestinian dialect and was excited to be able to find a teacher in Hebron who could provide online learning for me. My teacher was so patient and friendly. She was also very flexible and forgiving of my inconsistent schedule. I am older and was afraid I would be a slow learner but my teacher was always encouraging and positive. I feel like I have made a friend as well as learned a lot. I hope to travel to Hebron and continue my studies in person at the center. I had private lessons and so my learning was individually paced which suited my needs exactly.