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

Hi, my name is Zoe and I am a 19-year-old politics and economics student from the UK.
While at the Excellence Center, I participated in the women's rights programme so I spent most of my time visiting different organisations and talking to women about their experiences living and working in Palestine. It was incredibly inspiring to see their determination and creativity, even in the face of such severe challenges. I especially enjoyed meeting some of the female journalists, both at the WAFA agency and at the Al Huriya radio station. At the core of the Palestinian struggle is a fight against supression of the Palestinian perspective
and narratives propagated by the media. It was shocking to
hear directly from these women about the ways in which the news agencies had been
targeted by Israeli forces; through forced eviction from the building, nighttime raids and
destruction of equipment as well as opposition in the field. While hearing about these
challenges, I was especially struck by their relentlessness and courage which really
highlighted the importance of the work they were doing.
The Arabic lessons at the center were very well structured, focussing on both reading and
speaking. Marwa was an amazing teacher and being able to apply everything we learnt
immediately talking to my host family and other people we met around Hebron made the
language much easier to remember. Apparently, I’ve even picked up a slight Hebron accent!
Staying with a host family was such a privilege as it allowed me to have an insider
perspective on the culture and feel properly integrated into the community. I was even
invited to join my family at a wedding which was an incredible experience!
The environment at the center is warm and friendly so I felt at home after no time at all. The other volunteers and staff get along very well and I have made many friends I know I will stay in contact with. One piece of advice is to try and be really open to trying new things and using all the Arabic you learn without worrying about making mistakes.
I felt safe most of the time in Hebron. There were a couple of times when we came back late
from visiting other cities where it had gotten dark, but the other
volunteers I was with were very good at making sure everyone got home safely. As with
everywhere, it is important to take precautions, but I felt safe enough to travel by myself and
found people friendly and eager to help.
While here, I also got the chance to visit some other cities in Palestine; Jerusalem,
Bethlehem and Nablus. It was really interesting to see the differences between the cities and
experience a broader range of Palestinian culture. I would especially recommend Nablus-
the Kanafeh there is world renowned!
After spending 2 weeks here, I would definitely love to come back! I have really enjoyed
getting to know Hebron and the people here and would like to spend more time travelling
throughout Palestine and further developing my understanding of the situation here. I have
been incredibly struck by the warmth of the people here and the beauty of the landscape and
culture so would definitely recommend visiting!

My name is Joshua Boyes, I am a doctor in the UK about to start training as a specialist in Obstetrics
and Gynaecology. I chose to come to the Excellence Centre to do the Medical and Healthcare
Programme for 3 weeks. For me, this involved visits to various hospitals in the Al-Khalil including a
government hospital, a private hospital and a newly built but non-functioning hospital. On these
visits I was able to meet with and discuss healthcare in Palestine with doctors and other healthcare
professionals. I was surprised to learn that the main barrier to improved healthcare is the allocation
of equipment to the hospital. There are plenty of very competent doctors that I met throughout my
time and their main complaint was not having the resources to do their job. The other challenge was
the sheer volume of patients in a cramped government hospital, while the new hospital struggle to

exist at capacity due to the lack of equipment.

After learning a bit about the healthcare situation in Palestine, I was then able to provide some
lessons to students at the local Hebron University. For me this was the best part of the whole
programme. The students came from a wide range of disciplines including medicine, nursing,
pharmacy, midwifery, lab science and biology. In these sessions I was able to share with them some
of my own clinical experiences and provide some training on communication skills, medical ethics
and academic writing. The students were very engaging and asked lots of good questions, I was
impressed with their knowledge and enthusiasm. They were incredibly grateful for the information I
shared with them. Through this teaching I was also able to learn a lot about them and asked many
questions about the healthcare system in Palestine. We discussed life at university, what they think
of the doctor-patient relationship in Palestine as well as ethical issues in both the UK and Palestine.
My favourite moment was seeing the students debate real ethical cases and present their arguments

for and against.

Alongside the Medical and Healthcare, I also received Arabic lessons from one the of the brilliant
teachers at the session, Saja. The lessons were really fun and interactive, and I learnt lots of useful
phrases that I could then use in daily conversations. The overall environment of the centre was
equally conducive to speaking Arabic, as there were constant opportunities to speak with others and
ask questions. To be honest, there were definitely times when I wish I was studying Arabic at the
centre full time rather than teaching medicine. Furthermore, this experience has given me a great
boost and inspired me to continue to learn Arabic so that I can hopefully come back and explore the

Middle East some more.

As for Palestine itself, there is so much that I could say or write. It is difficult to put fully in to words
all that I have experienced in Palestine and all the emotions that I have felt whilst here. Whilst
initially I was worried about what the situation might be like, I have had no concerns during my time
here. In all my interactions with Palestinian people I have felt welcomed and a desire to connect.
People have been incredibly kind and generous and approach life with a great joy. This has been true
of the Palestinians I have met but also the other volunteers. I cannot speak highly enough of this
experience and programme. On a slightly lighter note, the food has also been a definite highlight.
Every single dish that I have tried here has been delicious and full of flavour. My particular favourite
was eating fresh figs for breakfast, one day I managed to get through about 12!
When I applied to the programme at the Excellence Centre, I did so without any particular
enthusiasm or excitement. I was simply looking for something interesting to do whilst awaiting to
start my new job. However, the time here has far exceeded my expectations. Whilst it hasn’t all

been easy and there have definitely been challenges, I have really loved my time at the centre, and I

truly hope that I can come back some day.

I am a recent graduate from the USA (University of Wisconsin-Madison) with Palestinian heritage. I had never traveled to Palestine before, and was looking for opportunities to serve the Palestinian community and learn more about my culture and history. The Excellence Center was the perfect option for doing so. At the Excellence Center, I did the Volunteer and Study Arabic program for two weeks. I taught English lessons alongside an English instructor and engaged in cultural exchange with my students. Furthermore, I attended a cultural performance show where students performed self-created poems, songs, and plays inspired by their Palestinian experiences. It was incredible to hear them share their stories. Other opportunities offered by the Excellence Center were tours of the Old City of Hebron, Glass factory, Keffiyeh factory, hospitals, and refugee camps. I had three hours of Arabic instruction per week, and it was particularly helpful to learn the Palestinian dialect, which contained many rich words that helped me immerse myself in the community more. The staff and other volunteers were incredibly welcoming, and one of the best benefits of the program is getting to meet people from all over the world. The staff is always engaging with volunteers and available for any support. My host family was also wonderful and I learned a lot from them about the ongoing occupation and how their lives were affected. Despite having misconceptions about safety in Palestine due to Israeli threats, I felt incredibly safe. My favorite things about Hebron were the people and the food! This positive experience has encouraged me to return to the Excellence Center sometime in the future. I highly recommend this experience for those looking to learn more about the Palestinian people and culture.

I’m from Japan, currently pursuing my master's degree on Modern Arab History, and this was my second stay in Palestine but the first one in Hebron. I participated in the women’s rights volunteer programs for six weeks. I am very much satisfied with the overall experience at the center and my stay in Hebron, for the reasons most of the previous participants have already mentioned - welcoming and generous people, richness in culture and history, abundant opportunities to immerse yourself in the local culture. Despite some points that should be improved, I recommend this program especially to those who have never been to Palestine and wish to get a good grasp on the situation of Palestine.

The program consisted of 3h/w Arabic lessons, lectures on a variety of topics by the local staffs at the center/lecturers from the outside, visits to local organisations/humanitarian NGOs and UN offices/activists/artists/Palestinian villages/Palestinian residents in Israeli-controlled areas/refugee camps/settlements etc. Since there were only a few participants in the women’s rights program while I was here, I was put in the same activities as Human Rights program most of the time. Among some activities that are specifically related to women’s rights are visits to local associations such as “Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association” and “Women’s Studies Centre”, where we could ask them about the problems the local women face in detail.

Although I was expecting to have more opportunities to actually volunteer at certain places, the Human rights/Women’s rights program were designed to make participants understand the general situation of Hebron rather than to give them opportunities to actively do something. In my case, the center allowed us to hold two sessions of workshops about the women’s rights for teenage girls at the center, which was one of the memorable experiences to me. If you are looking for interactions with the locals, I would recommend English teaching programs, or to make specific requests to the center on what you want to do, as the center is really open to suggestions and try their best to meet your requests in most of the cases.

As for the Arabic classes, I was happy with all three teachers I had lessons with during the program. If I am to be honest, the level of the lessons was too easy for me as I already have B2-C1 level of MSA and dialect Arabic, but I still benefited from the lessons where I could have a deep conversation with them in Arabic for an hour straight, which was quite an intensive speaking practice.

As I wrote in the beginning, the experience at the center would be the perfect introduction to your understanding about Palestine. Even for those who are already familiar with the situation of Palestine, you could take advantage of the connections you make with locals throughout the program and visit them individually. As I don’t have difficulties in talking with locals in Arabic, I visited so many Palestinians I have met throughout the program and sometimes stayed at their places overnight, which gave me detailed understating of their culture and daily life. Especially if you have interests in specific fields, the center will introduce you to the right people. In my case, because I am studying the history of Palestine under British Mandate and interested in Palestinian embroidery, I truly benefited from some activities such as the presentation by a local history researcher, who later generously shared with me some primary sources relevant to my research, as well as the visit to a village where I became friends with a Palestinian woman who has a great collection of vintage Palestinian embroidered dresses and is a wonderful embroidery artist herself.

With regards to the host family, I was lucky enough to be placed at a wonderful family, who always invited me to join their family activities- dinner, visiting/receiving their relatives, Eid al-adha celebration, chilling at a nearby cafe, etc-. In case you are not satisfied with your host family, you can ask the center to change your host family like some of my roommates did before they came to our host family’s place.

On the safety here in Hebron, despite frequent Israeli forces’ night raids on Palestinian houses, confrontation between the locals and the Israeli soldiers, and Israeli setters’ harassment to the locals, you will have almost zero chance to be in a dangerous situation as long as you stay away from those volatile areas, and I did not face any difficulties in traveling to other cities either. You have to keep in mind that this is not the case for locals, and you would often be reminded of your privilege as a foreigner (or non-Palestinian) in the racist occupation system especially when you see the difference in the way you and locals are treated at the checkpoints, where the soldiers stop Palestinians and investigate them for ages for no reason.

About the center itself, the staff is all nice and kind people, and ready to offer you a help you need. I must say that the program was not necessarily perfect in every single aspect, such as lack of communication before the arrival (confirmation that the center received the tuition fee and the instruction on the way to get to the center, etc), relatively poor organization of the program as every activity may be subject to change at the last minute, shortage of the staffs to attend us at the visits, where sometimes I and some internationals of Arab origin had to do interpretation between locals and the other volunteers, chances of being put in an activity not relevant to your program (such as teaching English session in my case), but all the good points I mentioned above made up for most of these cons.

Brief notes on the internationals at the center: everyone is nice and friendly, and most importantly, shares the pro-Palestinian view, so I always felt comfortable to share with them whatever opinion I had on the situation here. You will meet people from diverse backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, religion, age, occupation and life experience, and this is another thing I enjoyed at the center as the only participant not from either the US or Europe at the time of my participation.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the center, which allowed me to spend the the most beautiful two months I have ever had in my life here in Hebron, the Hebron people and the internationals I have met during my stay.

My name is Dana and I’m from Chicago, IL USA. At the excellence center, I was a participant in the field study and healthcare programs. I had a pretty good experience at the center because I myself am Palestinian and I got to see and learn so much about my country. I got to see first hand what life was like in Arroob and Fawar refugee camps, I got to go on some of the human rights trips and check out a rep productive and women’s rights center, talk to Palestinian families about their experiences, attend presentations and workshops about the Palestinian reality as it relates to human rights and healthcare, strengthen my Arabic, and also teach English. I had a marvelous time with my host family who are people I now consider family.
At the center itself, the teachers are fantastic and so fun to talk to and laugh with. They are so knowledgeable about Palestine and always willing to answer any questions I had and I really appreciate that. I also made some really great friends here from all around the world! I have friends in Japan, Holland, Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, and the US! It’s so cool to get to meet all these people with different experiences and ideas and have really cool conversations at the center and at coffee shops about anything and everything. In regards to safety, I generally felt very safe. There are definitely people who will stare because we are foreigners and sometimes there are small children who come up to you and want to talk to you, but they’re usually just very curious and excited.
One of my favorite memories in Palestine was when the Tawjihi results came out and for two days the whole country was celebrating with fireworks and music. I even got to attend one of the celebrations and got to see how everyone goes from house to house congratulating the students for succeeding on their exams. It was really beautiful to be a part of. The only suggestions I would make is maybe sending out a welcome packet or welcome call of some sort of everything a person should know before arriving like how to get there, the specific living arrangements, etc. Also things were a little day by day sometimes which is fine, but it’s something to keep in mind that you may not always know what you’ll be doing a few days in advance.
Overall, my experience at the excellence center was very positive! I learned so much about our family history and about what the daily experience is like with the occupation and apartheid. I can’t wait to come back to Palestine again and spend even more time here.

I have a bachelor's degree in law. At the Excellence Center, I did the volunteer program with children.

Because Arabic is my native language, I got advanced classes which were super instructive and good for me as they allowed me to improve my reading and writing skills.
The employees in the EC listen very carefully to what you want and help you to achieve it. It was very nice and easy for me to communicate with them.

In addition to the program, I had two days off each week. I could decide for myself what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. Because other volunteers are also present, we were able to travel together in Palestine and go to other cities. During my stay I went to Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus and Jaffa.

I felt very safe during my stay here in Palestine. At no point did I get the feeling that it is unsafe here.

It's hard to choose my favorite thing about Palestine because I enjoyed everything here: the food, the people, the atmosphere. Genuinely everything. If I had to choose just one thing it would be the people. The People are hospitable, nice, sweet and super helpful. The country is beautiful and the people who live here are even more beautiful.

The EC was a good place for me to learn more about Palestine, the situation, the people, and everything around it. Thanks to the EC, I've been given the opportunity to do thi

My name is Saranne, I’m a primary school teacher from Ireland. I’ve always had an interest in Palestine and the issues the Palestinian people face. And the excellence centre seemed like the perfect place to get an insight into every day life for the people living in Hebron. This is why I chose to participate in the women’s rights program. I got the opportunity to visit many female activists within the community who are defending the human rights of Palestinians against the occupation and met different groups who promote women’s voices within the Palestinian community. The knowledge I gained from my visits to community groups was invaluable. I also participated in Arabic classes and really enjoyed being immersed in the language and culture by my wonderfully patient teacher Anais. Shukran kteer! I stayed with a lovely host family who took great care of me and did their best to ensure I was safe and comfortable in their home. I truly felt part of the family and got to share in many happy memories with them during Eid. Overall I felt extremely safe in Hebron, the locals are friendly and Marwa and Oussama the centers coordinators were always there to help me or answer any questions I had. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone who is interested in learning more about Palestine and you will be not be disappointed with Palestinian hospitality!

My name is Nico, and I am from the U.S., where I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in
Middle Eastern Studies. Here at the Excellence Center, I was part of the Women’s Rights and
Human Rights volunteer program for two weeks, which consisted of visiting local human rights
and women’s rights organizations in order to learn about the work they were doing and the
challenges that they faced.
While I was here, I also took some Arabic lessons, which I found helpful and appropriate for my
level. I knew some Arabic before coming, so the lessons were focused on getting me to speak
more in conversation, and to fill in words and phrases specific to Palestine and Hebron that I
hadn’t learned anywhere else. In all, they were exactly what I had hoped they would be when I
signed up.
The staff, other students, and everyone involved at the Center were incredibly welcoming,
friendly, and helpful. Any time I needed help finding an ATM, an open restaurant, or how to take
a trip to a different city– I could ask others and they would happily give me the information I
needed (or point me in the direction of someone who would know). People in Hebron were also
very friendly and welcoming– every day I would be greeted by “Hi! Welcome to Hebron!” as I
walked past people. I felt very safe in Palestine, as people may have been surprised by the
presence of a tourist, but often went out of their way to see if I needed help or advice. I never
felt unwelcome or uncomfortable in Palestine or in Hebron.
With the center, I visited areas around Hebron and took a bus trip with many other students and
teachers to Mar Saba Monastery near Bethlehem, one of the oldest still active churches in
existence, to the village of Bitar, where we sat in the natural park and visited the roman bath and
pool, and to the wall within the city of Bethlehem. By myself, I visited the Old City of Jerusalem,
Ramallah, and Bethlehem, where I saw the Church of the Nativity and many other historical
sites.
People in Palestine and at the center were incredibly welcoming and helpful. One of my favorite
stories was when I took a taxi to Bethlehem and the driver asked me if I liked arabic coffee. I

told him yes, not thinking much of it, but the next thing I knew we were pulled over on the side of
the road and he was buying me a cup of coffee and water. Like this experience, people here go
out of their way to help and to welcome you, and every day was a wonderful new experience
that I would suggest to others to take!