Engaging in Teaching, Cooking, and English Club: My name is Veronica. I am from America and I did the Teaching English and Studying Arabic program at the Excellence Centre for three months. On top of teaching, I cooked in the Center’s kitchen, led an English Club, participated in a few excursions, and made so many friends.
A Warm and Welcoming Environment
The staff at the center are friendly and hospitable, and I immediately felt like I was part of the family. I started teaching on my first day, helping another volunteer with an intermediate English class which I ended up taking over for the remainder of its run time. I quickly got to enjoy speaking with my students and learning more about their lives.
Daily Breakfasts and Group Activities
The daily breakfasts and group activities make it really easy to get to know the other volunteers well, and people plan excursions to explore Palestine outside Al Khalil almost every weekend. My first week I joined a group going on a day trip to the Dead Sea, and in the last three months I was able to see Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Tel Aviv, and Eilat too.
On top of weekend trips I got to experience multiple excursions through the center such as teaching kids in Arroub refugee camp and speaking with Human Rights Defenders in the old city. One day we went on a very memorable day trip to Mar Saba Yatta; another we had a barbecue in beautiful Loza with some of the Arabic teachers on our day off. During Ramadan we had Iftar at the center at least once a week.
Learning Arabic and Cultural Immersion
I learned Arabic with my amazing teacher Maryam, who I am really going to miss. The other Arabic teachers are lovely too and would always answer questions or help me if I needed, especially Ma’mon who let me join in a few of his lessons too. I am very happy with the amount of Arabic I was able to learn while I was here and got plenty of practice every day.
Living with a Kind Host Family near the Old City
I lived with a host family near the Old City who were so kind and friendly. I had my own room and felt very comfortable and like I was part of the family too—I was able to get more Arabic practice and chat with my host sisters who speak English too.
I felt very safe and happy here, even walking in the old city. Honestly, my favorite thing about my experience here has been the people. Hospitable does not even cover it; they are so welcoming and kind. Everywhere I went everyone was so kind and offered me food or help with anything I needed.
Feeling Safe and Happy in Al Khalil
One day, I was walking while on a break from the center and stumbled upon a lovely garden, where a woman was sitting. She waved me over, and even though I hadn’t learned much Arabic yet, she sat me down and proceeded to feed me lunch complete with fruit grown in the garden and coffee afterwards.
Two hours later, after showing me her daughter’s wedding photos, giving me her grandchild to hold, and giving me a tour of her garden, I had to go back to teach a class. We managed to communicate through the immense generosity that I have found in countless families here in Al Khalil. This is the number one thing I will remember about my time here.
Recommending Al Khalil and The Excellence Center
I cannot recommend coming to Al Khalil enough. The Excellence Center provides invaluable help in getting here, connecting foreigners to the local community, and providing an environment where you can meet many many new people. It is a truly unique experience. The overall feeling here is of family, for better or worse, complete with some of the chaos that comes with it.
Find us online
Whatsapp:+972-599-479880
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellence.center
The Excellence Center’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter
Excellence Center’s Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron
Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg
Visit and Explore Palestine: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorePalestine
