Hebron and the Excellence Center

Two weeks wasn’t long enough. I really enjoyed my time in Hebron and at the Excellence Center. I was very apprehensive travelling to the West Bank due to the fact of being a Muslim with a Pakistani background and with my passport full of stamps from Islamic countries. After the shenanigans at the airport (over 4 hours of waiting) the journey to the West Bank was very straightforward.
Throughout the 2 weeks I travelled to Jerusalem for Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa and Bethlehem and I felt very safe. In Hebron itself, it felt like being at home. The people are so welcoming and friendly.
At the Center the staff and students are amazing. I supported within lessons and I also taught lessons. Introduced the Countdown game to the students and this went down really well. I also had the opportunity to teach at a school in a village. I could read and write Arabic and this helped me throughout my time here.
The fellow volunteers were amazing and I have definitely made some friends for life. We (male volunteers) stayed at the apartment of Shykh Abed whom is very gentle and friendly man. The laughs and banter at the apartment were priceless.

During our free time we visited the local people, drank alot of Arabic coffee and enjoyed the food.

The visit to the Ibrahimi Mosque and to the Old City was an eye opener and very moving.
This definitely was a like changing experience and I am already planning to come again.