My Experience Center at the Excellence Center

I arrived in Palestine at 9 in the morning on the 28th June after a sleepless night full of travelling. I didn't really have the energy to appreciate my first sight of the country during the trip from the airport to Hebron or reflect upon my expectations of my time in here for the next two months. However, after a good sleep at my accommodation in the city of Hebron I was ready for it.

I decided to volunteer in Palestine for a number of reasons. Firstly, I come from Northern Ireland a place that has shared similar experiences with Palestine. In my city of Belfast Palestinian flags can be seen flying in certain areas in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This was something that was present in my life for years and built it built a connection to Palestine for me before I had even visited. Secondly, I am a student of Politics and History. Therefore, Palestine is a region of the world that clearly holds a lot of interest for me as a place that is steeped in history and rages with a number of major political issues. I have studied the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in detail both in formal education and of my own accord. I realized that I can read and research as much as I want about Palestine but would I really know the country unless I actually went there? In my opinion experience often trumps knowledge and therefore I made the decision to gain that experience. I didn't want to go to Palestine to rage against the Occupation, to march and protest. Rather, my main goal was to simply live in Palestine, let Palestinian daily life become my daily life and through this be I would be able to experience to a certain degree life under the Occupation and to meet regular Palestinians, see what their life is like and what their opinions are.

My volunteering would consist of teaching English at the Excellence Center in the city of Hebron. I would work here every day of the week except Friday and one other day of my choosing for 4-8 hours usually. My responsibilities would include assisting Palestinian teachers teach their classes as well as leading classes myself usually with the help of another international volunteer. I enjoyed this aspect of my stay in Palestine as through this I was able to meet a great deal of Palestinians and a lot of the time the English classes I taught would lead to discussions about a great range of issues which were very interesting to me as I was able to hear a variety of opinions on many matters.

As an international volunteer teaching English the Excellence Center also provided me with 3 hours of Arabic lessons a week. These I enjoyed immensely as I was very enthusiastic to learn some Arabic. I only wish there were more hours in the day so that I could teach English and learn even more Arabic. The great thing was that living in Palestine I was able to practice any Arabic I learned by the very fact that I was in Palestine surrounded by Palestinians speaking Arabic. This is, I think, the best way to learn a foreign language. Before coming to Palestine I knew absolutely no Arabic and now by the end of my stay here I am satisfied by the Arabic that I have learnt and am very pleased that I have learned to read and write in the language. I hope to continue practicing the skills I have learnt here.
Living in Hebron for two months was a great experience. From the very first I felt warmly welcomed. When I arrived it was Ramadan and so everyone was fasting during the hours of sunlight. Though not Muslim myself I decided to fast alongside them and though difficult at times I am glad I did it as when the sun went down I was invited to many iftars (breaking of fast)and was able to enjoy them as much as much as my fellow fasters. The Excellence Center itself also provided me with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. All the staff, teachers and volunteers at the Center were what really made my stay in Palestine a great experience. The atmosphere was fun and congenial and this is something extremely valuable and important when doing something such as this volunteer programme. The Excellence Center also organizes excursions for its volunteers so that they can get to know Hebron and its surroundings better. I enjoyed these because they were usually very interesting and informative to me. I especially liked seeing the refugee camp near Hebron as well as touring the old city of Hebron itself but most of all I enjoyed the trip we took for a day and night to the village of Susiya in the desert south of Hebron.

As this was my first time in Palestine one of the things I of course wanted to do was travel and to see as much of Palestine as I could. I am pleased at the success of this objective. During the two months I was here I was able to make use of the Friday and other day off I had from volunteering at the Center to explore the beautiful country that is Palestine. From lying by the Mediterranean Sea at Jaffa, to climbing the hills of Nablus, to exploring the Old City of Jerusalem there was always something I was doing in Palestine. Travelling was a great joy during my stay here as Palestine is a place full of history and beautiful things to see and do. Even sitting in the transport as I moved across the country was a pleasure, just to be able sit and look out at the gorgeous scenery .

After two months now volunteering at the Excellence Center my stay has come to an end and I must leave Hebron and Palestine. My experience has been invaluable and I will look back with fondness at my time here as well as sadness that I had to leave. Palestine has proven to be an extremely beautiful and welcoming place to the volunteer and traveler. Though the sites of Palestine are wonderful and I am very glad I have had the opportunity to see them, it is the people here that I have met that I will miss the most, those who made me feel right at home in this country. My stay here is over and I must leave but I hope that it is only a temporary departure and that I can return in the very near future. Inshallah.