An amazing experience

My name is Monika and I am a final year Biomedicine student. I am 28 years old. I come from Poland but I live in London. I also work as a senior healthcare assistant. In my job I provide clinical assistance to healthcare professionaluring my studies I learned about molecular cell biology and studied mutations in DNA. I decided to participate in the Volunteer in Medicine & Healthcare at the Excellence Centre in Hebron, Palestine.
The short time at the Centre was filled with interesting and fun activities. The staff was incredibly helpful and accommodating. They went above and beyond making sure I utilised my time in Palestine. Thanks to them I learned more about the culture, history, everyday struggles of people living here and how the healthcare system operates in Palestine. I visited two hospitals – public and private – and talked to medical and laboratory staff. The centre also organised two meetings with science students during which we could discuss differences between education in UK, Poland, and Palestine. I was impressed by the students knowledge. Together with other volunteers, we went to the Old City and Al Ibrahimi Mosque. We witnessed the difficulty of people living here, who have to go through numerous checkpoints. We talked to so many people from different professionals – from shoe makers, business owners, teachers to healthcare professionals. We also visited Al Fawwar refugee camp where we talked to UN workers. During my short time at the Excellence Centre I learned some very useful Arabic phrases, words and numbers. These have already helped me communicate with locals and the expressions I was taught, will be very useful while talking to patients at work.
The staff at the Excellence Centre is professional, kind and always smiling. They have created a wonderful, friendly environment for the volunteers from all over the world. The atmosphere is very welcoming and a discussion is always encouraged.
As I only came for a week, I will also visit Bethlehem to see more of Palestine. Living with a Palestinian family has been an incredible experience. This was a great insight into the life of people here, who welcomed me with open arms. We bonded quickly, exchange few stories, cooked for each other and I went to my host mum’s beauty salon to use her service. Talking to people here, who are incredibly kind and friendly has definitely been a highlight of this experience.
I felt very safe and comfortable in Palestine. As a single woman I never felt uneasy. Every time I struggled to communicate with locals, a stranger would join and help. People are very hospitable and proud of their culture – I really admire them.
This has been one of the best cultural, educational and travel experiences I have ever had. It was a great time with plenty of opportunities to gain insight into Palestine. I highly recommend to everyone to come here and participate in the programme. The mission and hard work of the staff at the Excellence Centre to educate – that is both Palestinians and foreigners – is truly remarkable and amazing. Everyone, from staff, locals to volunteers was smiling and had a positive attitude. Palestine is a great country with amazing people.