They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that is especially true at the Excellence Center. Here we gather every work day to share a nutritious and filling breakfast with staff and other volunteers every morning at 9:30. The ritual is usually a team endeavour consists of staff preparing a variety of local dishes spread out on the table and the volunteers cleaning up after the meal is consumed. As any shared meal it is a beautiful experience not to be missed while volunteering at the Excellence Center in Hebron.

At the New Excellence Center, Khitam will start cooking at around 9:00, depending on what she has planned to make that morning. The food will be ready by 9:30, when slowly the different volunteers start trickling in, some punctual and hungry, others a bit late and not so hungry as they have maybe eaten something else earlier in the morning.

Perhaps you think 9:30 is a bit late to eat breakfast? some volunteers do and prefer to eat something at their homes before leaving for “work”.  A volunteer from the USA, Lynn, shared that it was difficult to leave the house in the morning without her host family feeding her breakfast. She enjoyed this greatly but still managed to join us at the Center for a cup of tea while the rest of us ate. Others, like me, like to have a light snack earlier, like a piece of fruit or some nuts before walking to the Center and then joining the breakfast with everyone else.

So what is it that we eat every morning? The staples are freshly baked pita like bread, olive oil, and za’atar (spice and sesame mix), the extras will include the infamous hummus, labneh (a type of sour cream), tomato and cucumber salad, eggs, and tea. On special days, like today Khitam will make the eggs shakshoukeh style (fried with a tomato sauce), which was delicious! or yesterday scrambled with potatoes, also really good! The tea is usually black tea and served in a big pot with fresh sprigs of mint, with sugar to taste, quite refreshing!

As you can surely imagine the experience is unique, as we sit there together, breaking bread and reaching across with our arms to dip it in the oil and a little za’atar, or sweeping up some hummus with some veggies, or grabbing the egg mix with our bare fingers. One gets used to the intimate exchange and we compliment the chef as we wipe the last little bit of sauce from the pan with the fresh bread, feeling satisfied and thankful.

Even though the food takes front stage, the conversations are always just as important. It is at this time that most volunteers gather and can exchange impressions and experiences. It is here we all welcome new arrivals and perhaps say farewell to the ones leaving. It is while eating breakfast that we also plan other gatherings and help each other with important questions. It is here that we socialize and make new friends. As mentioned earlier, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, not only for its nutritious value but also for the social and overall wellbeing value it has on us as volunteers at the Excellence Center. Definitely not something to be missed!