2 weeks in Palestine

I was on the "Teach English and Study Arabic " program at the Excellence Center in Hebron for 2 weeks in July 2022.
I had a really good, enriching experience. My Arabic teacher, Rana, was excellent, with a good pace to the lessons, a variety of materials, relevant topics, pitched at the right level, and fun.
I was in a class with one other student, who was a very similar level. I had previously studied "fusHaa" Arabic, and I had a few words of Maghrebi Arabic, but I was new to the Levantine dialect. The fact I had some knowledge of Arabic before I started meant I was able to make the most of being in an Arabic-speaking environment from the start.
The teaching side was not too demanding, and mainly consisted either of helping local teachers or team-teaching with other volunteers. The timetable was flexible, and on average I just taught a couple of hours a day.
There's a great community atmosphere at the Center (the "Merkaz") and I spent many enjoyable hours chatting and finding out not only about Palestine but also many other countries in the world.
There were lots of trips and activities, and the social side was great. The centre organised a day trip for everyone at the Excellence Center in a big coach to Mar Saba, Battir, the wall at Bethlehem (for a small 40 NIS charge), and a trip to old Hebron. One of the highlights of the whole trip was a supper organised in a garden near the Merkaz. There were also films, and presentations/ talks on various topics related to Palestine.
There was also free time available to do your own thing, and I visited Jerusalem for one weekend, which was amazing.
I stayed in a flat about half an hour walk away from the Center, with 3 other guys from the Excellence Center. The flat had hot water, fridge, cooking facilities, a washing machine and a nice balcony. The owner dropped by from time to time to check we were fine, as did the Merkaz managers. A couple of the other male Merkaz students dropped by to do laundry.
Palestinians in the street in Palestine make you feel welcome all the time, and always want to practise their English or help you out. There is tension around the Ibrahimi Mosque and the old city between the settlers and the Palestinians, but these are still definitely places to see.
I stayed for 2 weeks but some on the program are staying for months. There's a wide range of different levels of Arabic among students at the Center.
My main memories of my stay in Hebron will be of the friendly people, great Arabic classes, fun times, long chats and amazing trips, especially to Jerusalem.