An Astonishing Program

I recall the moment when I first walked upstairs into the Excellence Center, having just arrived from Berlin. An incredibly friendly, long-haired man by the name of Muaz welcomed me to the center, followed by Rafat himself.

How should I describe Rafat? If I had to use a singular word I would use unique. Unique in the sense that he’s a Palestinian living in Germany, unique in that he had a dream to create a center where English speakers could teach their mother tongue to refugees. However, what is most unique about him is his unbridled and unrestricted kindness. Rafat is the type of guy who, never having met you before, will offer you tea the moment you step into the center. Personally, I had to split up my stay into two separate segments due to unforeseen circumstances, and Rafat assured me that he would accomodate my needs.

As for Muaz, he’s a teacher whose talents know no limits. I am half-German myself and therefore I know the elementary components of the language. Muaz, within our first lesson, grasped my proficiency level. From then on, he continued to teach me parts of the language related to my desire to study at a German university. We talked about anything and everything within our lessons, and it was honestly the first time I had fun while learning a language.

A small shoutout to Dušan, who is the one of the workers at the center. He’s from Serbia and the conversations we had in Serbo-Croatian made me feel at home. He’s an incredibly affectionate and intelligent individual whose presence lightens up the place.

Ali, one of the Arabic teachers at the center, is someone who intrigues you upon first sight. His outfits will convince you that you’re in Paris rather than Halle, and his fluency in 4+ languages will always serve as an example for the volunteers and students alike.

At first, I felt very frightened by the prospect of teaching given my lack of experience. However, I would say at this point that teaching English was my favorite part of the whole experience, as not only did it improve my German (most of the students speak at least some German), but it allowed me to have a deeper glimpse into the struggles that Ukrainian and Syrian refugees go through in their desire to live a better life in Germany. My students were excellent and I would say that the learning was reciprocal. They learned from me as well as vice versa.

There are several living quarters. I stayed at the “dream house,” where there are three bedrooms and six beds total (two per each). There’s two bathrooms (only one with a toilet, though), a kitchen, and a living room. It’s quite nice and I would say it allowed me not only to see Halle from above (it’s on the fourth floor of an apartment building), but also socialize with the other volunteers.

The only thing that I want to put out a notice for is the organization of one’s stay here. Depending on whether one is doing an intensive learning course will determine whether one also teaches. The methodology and scheduling of teaching are entirely up to the volunteers, although just ask the workers for a little help and they will certainly give it.

Overall, Halle beat all of my expectations and I would highly recommend my stay here. I would particularly like to thank everyone I volunteered with.

P.S. You’re my brother Hugh (I like this guy) !!!