My Experience at the Excellence Center in Palestine

My name is Eli. I am from the United States, and I am currently pursuing a double-major in Spanish and Arabic at my university in the U.S. This summer I had an opportunity to participate in the Excellence Center’s Teach English-Study Arabic program, which involved taking private lessons at the Excellence Center, as well as teaching classes both at the Center and at the municipality in various villages and camps in the Hebron Governate.
I found my experience at the Excellence Center enriching in multiple ways. First of all, I was able to achieve my primary goal in travelling to Palestine, which was to gain practical conversational skills in spoken Arabic. Between my lessons and the informal experience I acquired interacting with people both within and outside of the Center, I have noticed an unmistakable growth in my ability to comfortably listen and communicate in the Palestinian dialect. Furthermore, I was able to immerse myself in the culture via time with my Palestinian host family, as well as through the various site visits that I participated in over the course of my three month stay.
During my time in Palestine, I was lucky enough to visit various cities both inside and outside the West Bank, including Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jericho, Tel-Aviv, and Acre. Travel between cities was relatively cheap by American standards (the bus to Bethlehem, for example, costs 6 shekels or less than 2 American dollars), and Palestinian locals were generally happy to help whenever I was in need of directions or help.
As far as safety and security were concerned, I never once felt particularly unsafe in any part of Palestine. In fact, I was more comfortable going out at night and travelling to unknown places than I would be in the United States. If you have reservations about travelling to Palestine on the basis of safety, just reach out to any of the volunteers who have worked here—nearly all of them share my feelings on the matter.
My overall impression of Palestine was very positive. In all matters personal, professional, and academic, the people of the Excellence Center and Palestine in general helped me achieve my goals without ever feeling overwhelmed or out of place. I certainly recommend travel to Palestine and a stay at the Excellence Center to anyone with the opportunity. I have never travelled anywhere as rich in culture, history, or hospitality.