Volunteer & Study Arabic In Palestine (1-13 Weeks)

Every single day was a new adventure and I was impress by the hospitality of the people from Palestine and the friendliness of the other volunteer. I felt always connected to the people there while also exploring Palestine and learning about the life, culture, habits, food in Hebron. It is a must do program for everyone who wants to expand their knowledge.
The lectures I gave to the students at the universities were very rewarding. In 2 weeks I also got the chance to learn basic words and expressions in the arabic language which I found it very useful. It is definitely a different world that I wasn't accustomed with and made me leave my confort zone in every single way. The Center of Excellence helped me with everything I needed during my stay there as well.

My name is Ines, I’m 21 years old and I’m from the north of Spain, but I live in Madrid now. I study International Relations and Sociology there, and this year I’m starting a degree in Law too. I decided to come to the Excellence Center in a volunteer program, teaching English and attending Arabic lessons too. I ended up staying in Palestine for three weeks during the summer.
Once in the Excellence Center, Fridays were my free days, and I usually had another free day apart from it, so I was able to travel around. Also, staff, teachers and students are very flexible, so it was super easy to get to know such a wonderful country!. I usually had three hours of Arabic lessons each week, divided in two days. My teacher and the Excellence Center staff were very flexible with this too, so I was able to change my lessons if they didn’t fit right in my schedule. Apart from that, I usually had English lessons every work day. I worked with two wonderful Palestinian teachers, and some days we did oral exams too. Sometimes, I was with other volunteers in the lessons, so it was super nice to see how other people work with students and learn from them.
I really enjoyed my Arabic lessons. As they were private lessons (just me and my teacher), I always felt listened, and I was learning at my pace. I got to learn a lot of things: in just three weeks, I can introduce myself, ask for the price of things, talk with the taxist, say numbers and days of the weeks, and even read some words. It is a very good start if you want to keep learning Arabic in your country, as you have the opportunity to talk with native people here!
Anyway, my favorite part of the experience was the environment of the Excellence Center. I got to know such amazing people from all over the world, and I made super good friends. I really enjoyed staying at the center until its closing time, just studying (tables, books and computers are always available for us), or chatting with people. I have great memories of having coffee with the staff and some Palestinians students, and I can’t wait to come back here. Also, I got to visit the old city of Hebron with them, and it was a super nice experience, as they explained interesting things about the situation there.
As I wanted to visit the country, I asked for some free days and I went to visit Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerico, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. They are all amazing cities, and I especially liked Bethlehem, which is nice, because it takes less than an hour to get there from Hebron, and it’s super cheap too! It was very nice to swim in the Dead See too, and the landscape is just amazing.
About Hebron, I think it was the best place to stay. It has one huge street, and the center is right next to it, so it’s super easy to get there (most of the taxis go there). Also, there are two nice coffee shops just one minute away from the center. As it is not very touristic, Hebron is a very cheap place, and I loved the old city: it isn’t very big, but it’s probably the most interesting one, and people there is nice too. I always got free coffee and good conversation. As a woman, I was staying with a host family, and that was super great too, as I got to get involved in culture, and I met quite a lot of new people related to them. I also enjoy playing with children, and I got to be with two little girls at home.
Also, there was another volunteer staying with the same host family, so we spent a lot of time together, went to the center or to visit other cities together, and we became good friends. It was a very good way of getting to know Palestinian people, Palestinian culture, and, in my case, Japanese culture too.
When I decided to come to Palestine, I was a bit scared about safety, but here I was feeling as safe as in Europe. At first, it was weird and quite scary to see Israeli soldiers or to pass through checkpoints, but I didn’t see any conflict, and the only contact I had with them was they asking for my passport in the old city. In fact, they are only in some points of the old city and in the roads, so you might don’t see them at all if you don’t go specifically to those places. Routine and day to day life is very similar to European or American life, just normal people going to school, to work, having coffee of going shopping. Also, the main street is quite crowded, so it’s super safe to walk on it (I liked to go back home walking everyday, and it was about half an hour). The other reason why I was feeling safe during my stance here were the Palestinian. People here is super welcoming, always ready to help you (I got lost on my first day and I ended up with five or six people walking me to the center, and about another four or five sharing with me their phones or internet).
So, in general, I felt as safe as in Europe, during the daytime even more (people is definitely kinder and more welcoming here) and at night I just took the normal precautions (avoiding walking alone, but nothing that I wouldn’t do at home). Actually, most of my volunteers friends were also girls travelling alone, and none of us had any important problem. Catcalling wasn’t remarkable at all, better than in other countries I’ve been alone.
To conclude, what I liked more about Palestine was the hospitality of its people, I made a bunch of new friends, and I felt at home in every place I went. I got tons of free coffee, free tea, interesting conversations about the situation here, presents and discounts…every new person I met seemed like a distant cousin who really wanted to get in touch. I feel like I have a second huge family here!. This sensation is stronger in the Center, as every person I met there, staff, volunteers, students or just friends, was extremely friendly and made me feel completely at home.
I absolutely recommend coming to Palestine, and especially to the Excellence Center! You will get to visit a lot of wonderful cities (probably super different than the ones you have visited before), and I also recommend talking with every new person you meet. At the Center, you will get to meet amazing people, learn good Arabic and improve your teaching skills (or, as in my case, discover that you have them!).

This summer I spend one month in Hebron at the Excellence Center. I was there teaching English and learning Arabic. During my stay I stayed with a host family for a month.
Teaching English at the center was an amazing experience. I taught every workday in two villages outside of Hebron. It was really nice to go here and see the daily life in Palestine and to meet Palestinian kids who would tell me about their lives here in Palestine and when I asked they would gladly tell me about how the occupation affected their lives. I loved teaching in Palestine.
I had 3 hours of Arabic one-on-one classes each week and they were really good. I got to practice my Arabic grammar and vocabulary in these classes and they really helped me to move forward with my Arabic knowledge.
My host family was absolutely lovely and I learned so much Arabic from them. We spend our evenings drinking tea in their garden and practicing our Arabic.
Hebron is a really good place to learn Arabic as there are not many foreigners. People will gladly have conversations with you in Arabic, even if your Arabic is not good.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time in the Excellence Center and I definitely plan to come back next year.

We volunteered at the center for two weeks, we found the center to be a really nice experience. The staff were very helpful on all aspects of thing. They were very welcoming. all the volunteers were very nice and polite. The center is a very family oriented place and we always felt welcome. Overall it was a beautiful experience and we highly recommend the center to all. They showed us a very true representation of life in Palestine. The Arabic lessons were very helpful and give us a good start on learning Arabic and had we had more time we would have learnt a lot more. The Arabic teachers had a very good grasp of the language and also English which helped a lot. The center advised us on all aspects of safety, but throughout our experience we had no cause for concern.

In my view the time I have been here, taking part in the English program and learning Arabic language in the Excellence Center in Palestine have been one of the most wonderful and interesting experiences that I have had in my entire live. I reckon I was useful helping the students in the English lessons and in these situations I have learned a lot about the Palestine culture and the way of life. I am very grateful with the Excellence Center staff, they help me a lot during the time I have been in Hebron and even before arriving here. In fact, I had a problem with the airline company regarding to my luggage and they help me a lot to solve it. Regarding to my Arabic teacher, Ahlam, She was very clear in his explanations and I could learn a lot in just 3 lessons. Besides, She is very kind and helpful. I would love to maintain the contact with us because actually I think I have a new friend. On the other hand, I would only change one thing and it is the time I was in Hebron, only two weeks, but I made the choice of coming back the next summer and probably to keep here more time than in this time. I would recommend this volunteering to everybody that want to know Palestine, its culture and situation and help the wonderful students of the Center.

I spent 6 weeks in Hebron teaching English and studying Arabic and had the most amazing time. The Excellence Center provides a well-rounded experience with plenty of support throughout your teaching of eager-to-learn Palestinian students as well as fantastic Arabic teachers who develop a learning curriculum catered to your knowledge and ability. This center provides a comfortable base to explore an incredible city and country as you are encouraged to engage with the local and surrounding communities. At no point during my time here did I feel in danger because in reality there is no threat to your safety and the local people make major efforts to make you feel comfortable. Palestinians are incredible hosts and the Excellence Center is a fantastic representative of that.

For me, this program was a great way to learn more about the plight of the Palestinian people and feel like I have done something to assist them in their struggle. I think by teaching English, volunteers give Palestinian children and adults a chance to communicate with the rest of the world. I also got the opportunity to learn about many of the obstacles Palestinians face by meetings that the Excellence Center organized for those of us who worked in the Human Rights arena. We got to meet with the governate of Hebron, who outlined Hebronites daily struggles, a community leader in Beit Omar who gave us a tour of her town and explained how the settlements there were impacting the Palestinian residents, and a therapist who worked at the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture and who told us about her work, just to name a few. These meetings were informative and allowed me to really understand all that the Palestinians face in their struggles for equality and freedom.

Hebron, is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. As can be imagined, history is to be found at almost every nook and crannie of Hebron.

Of particular interest to me is the architecture of the homes and old buildings. Homes were built to with stand the harsh summer temperatures, as well as providing protection from the snowy cold winters. All homes are flat roofed which reminds me of the Andalucia and Algarve provinces of Spain and Portugal.

Hebronites are extremely hospitable people and if you don't have a taste for Arabian coffee you certainly will develop one in next to no time. My main purpose in Hebron was to teach teenagers Human Rights. I taught many classes but found teaching in the Al Fawwar Refugee Camp the most rewarding. Rewarding in the sense that the teenagers wanted to know more about Nelson Mandela, his life in prison and his re-conciliatory approach to his captors during the creation of the South Africa Constitution and his eventual becoming the first black South African President.

I also met many interesting NGO's and individuals that have left a mark with me. The Excellence Centre was an incredible platform to be able to deliver these lessons as well as the organising of trips to surrounding villages. As mentioned before, Palestinian people are amazing people and this notion certainly applies to the staff of the Centre.

During my stay in Hebron, I never felt in danger of my life. The citizens of Hebron however have a different experience.

I also used my time well to visit the most amazing cities in the region such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Acre, Jericho and the Dead Sea. The Holy Land is an incredible place and should be visited at least once.