Gabby from the USA Experience in the Volunteer to Write about Palestine: “My name is Gabby, I am from the United States and I have spent the last three months volunteering with the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Middle East Studies with a minor in Arabic so my participation in the “Volunteer to Write about Palestine” program at the Excellence Center fit right in with my previous experience.

My volunteer tasks

My main task each day at the Excellence Center was to write two articles that would be put up on the EC website or distributed to other travel and volunteer information sites. I covered a range of different topics in my articles.

I interviewed other international volunteers and wrote about their experiences and the work they were doing at the center. I got the chance to sit down with the director of the center for a discussion of which I later wrote about.

Culture in Palestine

Cultural and social norms of Palestinian society was also a topic I touched on regularly, these articles were important because they let prospective foreign volunteers get a sense of what Palestinian life is really like from the perspective of an international volunteer on the ground.

For future volunteers

Additionally, I wrote about practical subjects for future volunteers such as what to expect from security at the airport, how to navigate travel from the airport in Tel Aviv to Hebron, items current volunteers wish they had packed and items they packed but did not need, how to stay in touch with loved ones at home and how to dress in Hebron.

Arabic course

My Arabic lessons at the center were an enormous help and definitely one of the highlights of my week. Having studied Arabic before my modern standard Arabic was already pretty solid but I was completely unfamiliar with Palestinian dialect, so that was what my lessons focused on. My Palestinian Arabic teacher at the center was certainly the best Arabic teacher I have ever had.

Site Visits in Hebron

Fairly regularly the EC would gather up all the international volunteers and take us to site visits around Hebron or in the surrounding area. During my time at the center I got to visit: a kufiyah factory, watch glassblowers in their workshop, see ceramics artisans molding and hand painting pottery, visit Bethlehem, eat traditional Palestinian food at the house of a student at the EC, walk through the old city and enter the Ibrahimi mosque.

Traveling around Palestine

On my own time, I went to Jericho and swam in the dead sea as well as visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem several times I also greatly enjoyed visiting Ramallah. Living with a Palestinian host family was one of the most important aspects of my time volunteering in Hebron.

Stay with a host family

I was immediately taken in as one of the family and I never ceased to be amazed by their hospitality. I would never understand the Palestinian culture and people as I do now without my homestay experience. I will never forget my time living with my Palestinian family.

Secondly, my Arabic improved leaps as most of my family spoke little to no English. My Palestinian family gave me a sense of safety and security, I knew I had people here who cared and would look out for me. During my time volunteering in Hebron, I have not once felt my safety was I danger.

Leaving Palestine

Knowing I must leave Palestine and the Excellence Center in just a couple days it is hard not to think of everything I am going to miss. I think the hardest part will be saying goodbye to my host family. Leaving the special aspects of Palestinian culture such has their welcoming and inclusive spirit will certainly be a huge culture shock when returning to the west.

Lastly, I would not be truthful if I did not mention the food in Palestine. It is so delicious that I do not even want to think about being without it in just a couple of days.

Final remarks

Overall, I had a great experience volunteering in Palestine with the Excellence Center and I would definitely recommend this program to any who are interested. The more people we have come to Palestine and see the true day to day life, feel their open and caring demeanor and witness their love for life and their fellow humans, the better.”