A summer in Palestine

My name is Abby, and I am from the United States. I am currently studying International Relations and Public Health at a college in Massachusetts. At The Excellence Center, I have been a part of the Teach English, Study Arabic (TESA) program for the past two months. For most of my time here, I taught in Dura, Palestine for half of the week, and at the center in Hebron for the other half. Dura is a city about twenty minutes south of Hebron. Although some students from Dura come to Hebron for classes, a few volunteers and I went to Dura to teach those who could not come to Hebron to learn English. In Dura, we taught the three beginning levels of The Excellence Center’s English curriculum to an energetic group of students ranging from 8 to 30 years old. At The Excellence Center, I was an assistant teacher to a few of the extremely qualified, bilingual, local teachers based in Hebron. From these local teachers, I learned effective teaching strategies that I then applied to my classes in Dura.
Before coming to Palestine, I had never taken an Arabic class. Thus, I was quite overwhelmed when I first arrived, and most of the volunteers could converse with the local staff in Arabic. However, being immersed for two months has definitely helped me practice the bit of Arabic I’ve learned. When your taxi driver or host family’s guests don’t speak any English, any Arabic is better than none! Although I still cannot have a conversation in Arabic, I definitely can understand more than I expected I would be able to.
The environment at the center has been constantly changing as volunteers and students come and go. The Excellence Center’s local staff and teachers are unbelievably warm and welcoming, and truly care about each and every person that walks through their doors. As for the international staff, being all together most of the day has been a really great way to make connections with like minded peers, as well as meet people from around the world. I now have friends in Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, and the UK! It’s sometimes difficult to maintain a comfortable group dynamic since people are constantly coming and going. Summer time is extremely busy, and although the crowding can be overwhelming, summer internationals get to interact with so many more people!
I visited Hebron’s Old City, Ibrahimi Mosque, a glass & ceramic factory, a kufiyeh factory, the Lebananese border, Acre, and Nahariyya on Excellence Center excursions. In Hebron, we were able to take a “political tour” from a local Palestinian, which was a unique opportunity to hear local opinions about the occupation. Many locals refrain from discussing the occupation, for it is a both traumatizing and depressing topic. This tour was also assisted by an Excellence Center student, who is using her new English skills and studying to become a tour guide! The Excellence Center also organized a day trip to the north, where we were able to see many sites and cities efficiently and at a reasonable price.
On my own and with other internationals, I have visited many places in and outside of Hebron. Many people at The Excellence Center are activists at home or in Palestine, so we want to see as much of Palestine as we can in case this is the last visa we’re allowed! I traveled to and around Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho, Aqbat Jaber, the Dead Sea, and Al Quds in the past few weeks, and hope to visit Nazareth, Nablus, Tiberias, and Jenin before I leave. To most of the places within the West Bank, I take a servees, or large shared taxi. Israeli transport is faster, cheaper, and often more convenient, but my peers and I do our best to avoid financially supporting the occupation. In order to get to places outside of the West Bank, we take Palestinian transport to Al Quds (Jerusalem), and then take an Israeli bus from there. Hebron is wonderful, yet it is still nice to take a break from the area and travel to other places in Palestine. There is so much to see in such a small country!
Living in Hebron City can be cheap, safe, and easy, if you put your mind to it. Falafel sandwiches are 3-4 shekels (~1 USD), locally sourced groceries are very reasonably priced, and you can get to the center of Hebron from nearly anywhere in the area for just 2.5 shekels. Hebron is much, much safer than the media describes it to be. The only place violence would ever occur is in H2, the occupied area of Hebron, and only from Israeli soldiers “protecting” the settlers. Thus, I feel most safe in Area A places such as Hebron and Bethlehem, for Israeli settlers and soldiers are not allowed in these areas. I have occasionally received unwanted and inappropriate comments from local men, but rarely in Hebron. I walk alone frequently, and mostly just experience harmless yet persistent “How are you!”s. Living with a host family in Hebron is definitely a growing experience. Depending on the family, there are varying levels of English fluency and knowledge of Western living style. This has led to conflict for some. However, host families are known to include internationals in family parties, celebrations, and events, as well as for being warm and welcoming.
I loved my daily routine in Palestine. Enough people know English in Palestine that I can get around by myself and have much more independence than I am used to having outside of the Western world. No matter how lost I’ve gotten, I’m always able to find my way home eventually, with the help of local Palestinians of course! The falafel and hummus are delicious, and it is literally always sunny. I have so appreciated the kindness and generosity of the Palestinian people in my time here. There is so much to see and do in Palestine, and so many wonderful people to meet! The Palestinian people are strong, independent, loving, and motivated. They certainly do not need to be pitied, but rather supported and encouraged to continue the amazing things they are already doing!
I had a wonderful experience at The Excellence Center in Palestine. Enshallah, I will come back soon!