One of the best and most memorable experiences of my life

Introduction + the Palestinian People
I would like to preface this by saying I visited the Excellence Center in Hebron for three weeks from Dec 2022 to Jan 2023. I am in the last year of my college and came from the USA to study colloquial Palestinian Arabic. Upon arrival to Hebron, I was extremely shaken up from the intimidation, inconvenience, and blatant racism I faced at the hands of the Israeli border control since I am of Muslim and South Asian origin. However, it was absolutely astonishing how my feelings and mood changed as soon as I arrived to my hosts' home. The family had stayed up hours waiting for me to come from the airport and I quite frankly have never been treated better by anybody. They were incredibly caring and wonderful during the entire three weeks I stayed with them and truly made me feel like I was a part of the family. One thing many volunteers like myself have noticed about the Palestinian people (from host families to shopkeepers to people you run into on the street) is how remarkably kind, generous, and welcoming they are despite language and global barriers. I have had teens chase me down to give me my cellphone I had accidentally left, to being walked to 3 different banks by a local man to make sure I was able to take out money from a working ATM, to my Arabic teacher from the center getting me a chocolate I had once mentioned I always wanted to try, to many other instances where Palestinians have gone out of their way to be so kind and helpful to me. I have truly never experienced anything like it ever, especially coming from quite a generous background myself. Despite the hassle at the airport that prevents many people from visiting Palestine, the experience I had in Palestine was 100000% worth it and overshadowed the negative inconvenience and intimidation at the israeli airport . It is the Palestinian people that truly make me yearn to visit again.

The Center
My Arabic teacher Mariam was incredibly kind and patient. Her lessons were thoroughly planned and organized. She also asked if there was anything specific I wanted to learn and loved hearing my thoughts and opinions on different things. The 3.5 hours of class did not simply consist of us doing the same thing. She would switch it up to keep me engaged. Homework was also not overwhelming and would reinforce what we learned in class. The other teachers Doha and Saja were also very fun to be around and often took me and the other volunteers out to restaurant, spas, shopping, and anywhere else we wanted to go. The center also organized trips for students to understand the reality of the occupation which were all very insightful. The center is quite unstructured so you might not know what you will be doing until the day of. If there is something specific you want to do for the center or have an idea, reach out to the center in advance with your plan. You do have a lot of free time to yourself though so it is not too intense and overwhelming.

Traveling
It is pretty easy to get around Hebron. Everything I needed was walking distant from the center and my hosts' house. Going to different cities with the shared taxis and buses was also very affordable and easy. If there is anywhere specific you want to go or need help planning a trip, you can just ask the center and they will gladly help you figure it out. Many of us volunteers from the center would also plan trips and outtings together which was nice.

Food
Food in Hebron is cheap as well. It also tastes very fresh and is relatively healthy. There are a lot of authentic places for Middle Eastern cuisine as well as pizza, burgers, juice and smoothie shops, bakeries, and cafes. All the food I had in Hebron was delicious. Most Palestinian cuisine does have meat and dairy so if you are vegetarian or vegan, just let your host family know.

Safety
I felt very safe walking around in Palestine especially as a young international female who had a limited understanding of Arabic. If you get lost or need directions, almost any local will be glad to help you. Many people also speak English.