I have nothing but great things to say about the people at the Excellence Center! They were extremely friendly and welcoming. I have met amazing people and learned amazing things that I will always hold near and dear to my heart. My only regret is not staying longer. I think this is an excellent program and I would highly recommend this experience for others. I would like to come back to this program as soon as I can. You will create memories that will last a lifetime. If you’re looking for an adventure, this is your place.

I am really glad I found out about this opportunity. There are not many places like this that allow people my age to teach English and learn a critical language like Arabic. I think the center is a great place for cultural exchange and to develop cultural competency. The staff was very helpful and if I had a problem, I felt comfortable discussing it with them. I taught around 7-10 hours and received 2-3 hours of Arabic lessons a week.

My teacher, Muaz, introduced me to Arabic-speaking countries, the different dialects, and helped me learn the alphabet to be able to read some Arabic. I also learned some basic phrases and practiced them outside the center. He even took me to a falafel shop, and I learned about his experience as a refugee.

It was a really moving story. As for my English students, they were a range of ages from 8 to 32, some regular German students, others refugees from Ukraine/Syria. I really enjoyed listening to their experiences and understanding how Halle is an ideal place for those who have been displaced. Another thing that was great was that I had a lot of creativity with my classes and how I taught them; a majority of them were English conversation classes, but with my oldest student I had him give me a tour of Halle in English to practice it outside the classroom, and with my younger students I taught them the names of countries on different continents in English (a fun activity).

Most of the students come in with a good understanding of English grammar and vocabulary, but I wish I had been able to explain things about the English language that did not make sense to them (i.e. varied pronunciations). Here are some things I think would be helpful to know before you come: January is the quietest time of the year to come. I met two volunteers my first week, but was the only one left for the remainder of my time. There was nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I wish I could have done activities/traveled with other volunteers.

I think summer is the most ideal time to come. Another thing is that you may have to get your own dinner when living with a host family. Breakfast is covered at the center and then lunch/dinner are on your own. I think this was the most surprising thing for me because it had not been like that with other host families I had stayed with. I was able to eat with them on weekends but not weekdays because my host mom was not able to prepare as much food. I can understand this, but it was a little lonely eating dinner by myself in my room. However, the family I stayed with was very nice and the younger sister gave me my own room.

So, I think if you are going to stay with a host family, just know that it might only just be for accommodation purposes, and it is up to you to interact with the family and feel included. I wish I had practiced my Arabic with them more often and had been less shy, but towards the end I started to feel less isolated. It takes time to adjust to being in a new country, and just when you starting making friends and feeling settled, you have to leave.

This was a positive experience and I hope to return to Halle in the summer. Thank you Rafat, Radwan, and Muaz for this unique experience.

P.S. You get bonus points if you can make Radwan smile :)

My name is Ross and I joined The Excellence Centre in July 2022 for one month. I am 22 years old and from Scotland. As a recent graduate from university, I did not have a plan in what I want to do with my life straight out of university. After finding this online I thought it would be a beneficial opportunity for me. And it was, so rewarding in many ways. The other volunteers that you meet from all over the world and understanding their cultures is something that find so interesting. Different words for things, different food and different interests are all intriguing and makes me want to learn more. I liked having time in the evenings and weekends to meet up at the park and go swimming in the Saale with the other volunteers.

The teaching aspect is something that I have not done too much before so I was slightly nervous when I met my first students. However, after we introduced each other and spoke about what they struggle with and what they want to lean I was at ease. My students were a mother and son from Ukraine and had a good level of English. This meant that it was a pleasure to teach them and they were extremely grateful. My German teach was cool and really good in helping me understand the language more. The experience really opened my eyes to understand first hand the impact of what is going on in the world. I and feel that I played my part in helping people.

I stayed in a single student accommodation north of the city which was only 15 minutes away from on the tram. And a five-minute walk to the supermarket. The accommodation had plenty room and I liked that I had my own bathroom, cooking area and washing facilities. Everyone that I met within the accommodation was extremely friendly. For example, I struggled to understand the washing app as it was all in German but another student helped me.

The city of Halle is beautiful and has a rich history. There are lots of buildings and statues that have interesting designs and meaning around the city. I was also grateful to have a tour and presentation of the city from someone that works with the centre. The zoo is also big here and I recommend everyone to go. And, to visit the nearby city of Leipzig which is only 30 minutes away by train. It also has lots of museums and shops.
Overall, I would highly recommend this to people that want to teach, develop their understanding of a language or meet new people!

I am a 20 year old guy with a South Korean nationality. My cultural background, however, is a mix of Latino, African, North American(USA), and east Asian. This is because I spent my school years traveling from continent to continent, following my Father’s work; born in Dubai, started pre-school in Florida, then Georgia(USA), California, S.Korea, Cameroon, and Chile, where I started and finished my high school. Now I live in the great state of Bremen, North-West Germany, where I am majoring in Computer Science with a minor in psychology.
My family was not the picture-perfect asian family. On the outside, both my parents were self-made, born into poverty but each found their way to become middle-class providers. But within our walls, arguments and family feuds were a constant. At one point, my sister, who is three years older than I, took charge of my growth, and I thank her every day of my life for her; if not for her, I would not be here today. My friends in high school were not the most caring nor the kindest people. I look back at those years and think if I had found a better group of people, I would not have been feeling so down for such a long time. When I got to college, things stayed the same. Same kind of friends, same kinds of activities, and so forth. But in the summer of 2022, I traveled. For the first time in my life, I traveled because I wanted to, and not because I was following my Father’s life or anyone else’s. I met people with extraordinary stories; from refugees escaping a war ravaging country to people who were kicked out of college for burning their dorms down. I heard their stories, told them mine, and I learned a lot about respecting and dealing with people.
In Halle, I joined the Excellence Center and met so many amazing people. I taught for the first time in my life. I had to re-learn English grammar, I had forgotten that things that came naturally for me had actual words for it; like prepositions and adverbs and conjunctions. I did not feel comfortable with the idea of teaching people anything, but I wanted to try it because of that exact reason. If I had not taught this summer, I doubt I would have ever done it in my life, and I am thankful for the people who made it possible for me to try new and uncomfortable things.
I learned German with Max. The first few classes were confusing and too fast-paced but towards the end, many people had left back to their home countries, and the class structure changed to a more small-talk oriented dialogue based class, which I enjoyed much more. I learned more in my last 3 classes than I did in the first “all”.
I met people who I took a lot from. Whether it was about immigration policies and perspectives of actual refugees or experiences of adoption. I listened to their stories and it has shaped my view of the world.
The Excellence Center is what you make of it. If your focus is to meet new people and learn a new language on the side, you can do that. If you want to learn a language intensively and meet new people on the side, you can do that too. There is no one holding your hand telling you what to do next, which was perfect for me because I am a bit spontaneous.
Halle is an extremely small city for me. Having lived in the capitals of all the countries I’ve been in, I did not know what to expect of Halle. But the experience of waving to people you know on the way to a restaurant or to teach a student is an amazing feeling.

I visited the Excellence Center with the aim of learning more about different cultures as well as some conversational Arabic. It was a truly unforgettable experience. I met amazing people, ate amazing food and came away feeling truly inspired. Rafat has a gift for bringing people together and the Excellence is a hub for a diverse range of lovely folks.
At the time of my visit, the other volunteers were mostly American and we had a lot of fun talking even talking about our own cultural differences (I was trying to teach them proper British pronunciation…).
I was incredibly lucky with my host family who were so friendly and of a similar age. They were very generous with sharing their traditions; including films, music and of course more food!
Teaching English was also very rewarding and my students were always keen to learn - even if they had just worked a night shift at the hospital...
My Arabic teacher was very informative and really tailored the lessons to my level. We had a book, provided by Rafat, which helped to structure the content too and has given me something to look back over. It was also good to be surrounded by German because you couldn’t help picking up little bits of that too.
I would highly recommend the Excellence Center to anyone looking to explore Arabic and German cultures simultaneously and connect with wonderful people.

Working at the Excellence Center in Halle last Summer was an experience that will remain with me for a long time to come. The work is meaningful, the management is kind, understanding and competent. The sense of community around the Excellence Center is unmatched: community events are commonplace, and people are so hospitable that making friends is truly a breeze. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to step outside of their comfort zone while doing meaningful and rewarding work, anyone looking to learn new languages, or anyone interested in seeing European history play out before their very eyes!

My experience at The Excellence Center in Europe was fun, enlightening and very worthwhile. When I first arrived in at the center in Halle, I was warmly welcomed and was able to start working the day I got there. As I was given a tour of the facility, I started to realize that I was about to be apart of a pleasantly tight-knit group of people who care about the wellbeing of the community and its inhabitants through means of intercultural-change and understanding.
While working there, I was very in control of my schedule, who I wanted to teach, and how I wanted to teach it. My boss, Rafat Shantir, was very understanding of people who wanted to take a little time of to do things like travel. He was also very accommodating of the things we would want to teach. My coworker, for example, started a class that taught people who were interested in learning how to do computer programming.
The relationships that I built were probably the most important takeaway from my experience at The Center. I mainly taught in a one-on-one setting, and I really got to know my students throughout the 3 months that I taught there. As most of my students were Syrian refugees, I was given an opportunity for an intercultural dialogue, the likes of which I had preciously been exposed to, especially coming from the US. Overall, my work at The Center was a great life experience and has opened my eyes to new cultures and the importance of all of us sharing and exchanging our cultures. Through these intercultural dialogues, we can build a world of tolerance, harmony and mutual understanding.

I had been awarded a fellowship from my university to come to Halle. The trip was extremely affordable and worth-while. Halle is a very economical city and living with a homestay is ideal in terms of learning. Even without the fellowship, the trip would not have been overwhelmingly expensive like trips to European cities can be.
I found the Excellence Center through a classmate of mine at the university. As I am interested in language learning, I took it upon myself to apply to the Center and check out the times that I could come. The Center was super flexible, as I was able to come during my Spring Break while abroad in Spain. I was here for about a week, and within this week I have had so many new experiences that I did not even expect to have.
On my first full day here, I came to the Center to have a Palestinian breakfast. This was very different for what I am used to eating in the US and in Spain, but it was delicious and healthy. On this day, I also had a chance to check out the Marktplatz in Halle, which is filled with beautiful architecture, local residents, and tons of authentic German street-food. During the evening, I got to have a Syrian dinner. Trying all of the different foods was something I had the opportunity to do many times over the course of this week. This is a very unique opportunity, and the mix between German culture and many different Arabic cultures makes Halle as well as the Excellence Center a multicultural hub for interesting cuisines, music, stores, and aesthetics.
While teaching English was certainly the most challenging part of my trip, it was also the most rewarding. My first-day teaching was the hardest, as I had never really led a class by myself before. By the third day, however, I could already see my teaching abilities improving and the students seemed to be getting a lot more out of my classes. Seeing this improvement and learning about teaching was extremely gratifying.