An incredible and memorable stay

My name is Lena, and I come from Denmark where I am currently studying Political Science. I spent three weeks in July 2019 in Hebron, Palestine studying Arabic at the Excellence Center. I participated in the individual Arabic program which meant that I together with a teacher studied Arabic three hours a day, five days a week. My teacher did not speak much English and thus I really got a chance to practice my Arabic. However, for future students I would recommend that you tell the school before coming whether you think you need a teacher who speaks a higher level of English or not. I loved my teacher and I learned a lot from her, but at times it could have been useful with some deeper clarifications in English.

Before coming to Palestine, I had already studied the Levantine dialect for a year through an evening school program in Denmark. I was interested in improving my spoken Arabic by learning new words and engaging in conversations with Native-Arabic speakers. Studying for three weeks at the Excellence Center did just that and it has encouraged me to improve my Arabic even further.

I had been very excited to live with a Palestinian host family because I was highly interested in learning about the Palestinian culture and people. It was truly an amazing experience. The Palestinian people in general are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. My host family was warm and welcoming towards me and I quickly integrated into the family. We spent many hours either visiting other family members or hosting friends and family at our house. It was a great way to learn about Palestinian customs and practices, practice my Arabic and have a good time. I was also very lucky to have a host mom who cooked the most delicious Palestinian food.

As written above the Palestinian people is one of the most hospitable and helpful people I have ever met. I experienced this on a daily basis regardless of whether I was with my host family, on the street looking for the right bus, or at the Excellence Center studying Arabic. Two experiences stand out in particular. During my stay in Palestine I visited Nablus in the North with two other girls from the center. Because we visited Nablus on a Friday everything turned out to be closed. We were walking around looking for a place to eat but couldn’t find anything. At some point a man approached us and offered his help. He showed us the part of the city, where shops and restaurants were still open and of course the best place to eat knafe in town. The second experience involves my lovely teacher who invited me to her brother’s wedding. I felt truly honored that she wanted me to join this very special moment. It was my first Palestinian wedding, and what an amazing experience. Because there was not room enough at my teacher’s house her aunt and uncle, whom I had never met before, offered to let me sleep at their house after the wedding. Palestinian kindness at its best.

The Excellence Center also offered a lot of activities before or after class. I participated in a political tour through the old city of Hebron, a visit to the Mosque of Ibrahim, a trip to a Bedouin camp surrounded by Israeli settlements, and a political trip to Shuhada street and the surroundings of the Israeli settlement inside the old city. All very interesting tours that informed us about life under Israeli occupation. Other activities though were less serious. Together with the center I visited a kufiyah factory and a traditional Palestinian glass factory, and I learned how to make stuffed egg plants and zucchinis – yummy. There was always something interesting to do.

Finally, I want to highlight the feeling of safety, especially for women travelling alone. I have been to Palestine travelling by myself several times now, and I have only been met with kindness and generosity from the Palestinian people. My friends often ask if it is not dangerous travelling as a woman by myself in such a place. My answer is that I take the same measures in Palestine as I would do in any other place. Regarding the Israeli Occupation, this is not something that directly affects you as a foreigner. The occupation is there, and it is visible both physically, and mentally, but it is not something that in my opinion affects the level of safety when travelling in the region.

I want to say a huge “thank you” to the Excellence Center, my teacher and my host family for making my stay in Palestine an incredible and memorable experience. Inshallah I will be back soon.