Study Arabic Hebron Review

"Welcome!", "What is your name?", "Where are you from?". It wouldn't feel like Hebron unless you heard these questions whilst walking around the city. It is one of the friendliest places I have traveled to.
My name is Jack and I live in London. I work for the UK Government having completed a degree in economics.

I spent six weeks at the Excellence Centre learning Arabic. Whilst I started as a complete
beginner, by the end I could have simple conversations in shops, cafes and taxis in addition to reading and writing in the Arabic script. The lessons were well structured and focussed on how to apply the Arabic language, rather than endless grammar. Our teacher was encouraging, engaging, and experienced.

The Centre supplemented our studies with various visits and trips, including visiting a family in the "H2" area of the city and to a refugee camp. The personal stories were very impactful and exposed the situation for Palestinians living under occupation. We also visited a nearby nature reserve where the peace, quiet and views of the countryside provided a great contrast to the bustling city centre.

Studying at the Excellence Centre provided the opportunity to meet people from across the globe and from all walks of life, but with the common intention of learning more about the history, culture and people of Palestine.

My favourite experience - albeit not a unique one in Palestine - was being invited to a family's house for dinner after meeting them on the bus from Bethlehem. As we arrived, huge plates of chicken and rice were brought out from the kitchen and we had a great afternoon eating, drinking coffee and practising our Arabic.

Hebron is a great place to stay. In addition to the friendly people and the huge range of cafes and restaurants, you will witness - first hand - the impact of the occupation on daily life in the city and hear myriad perspectives on how the situation could be improved.
Developing a small amount of knowledge on the complex history and political situation and taking it back to the UK is invaluable. It is also very straightforward to visit other cities from Hebron by bus or shared taxi: we spent weekends in Jericho, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

In summary, I definitely recommend Palestine, Hebron and the Excellence Centre. My six weeks here has gone too quickly!