Lunches at the Excellence Center in Palestine: When you volunteer at the Excellence Center breakfast is held at 9:30 for all volunteers. We gather and eat a filling mix of various foods accompanied by tea and coffee. As you can imagine lunch will most likely not happen at the time we are probably used to in the USA or Europe as most people do not get hungry until the afternoon. Nonetheless it is a good idea to organize yourself and get something to eat at some point during the “work day” so you may hold until your host family feeds you for dinner.
According to every person’s dietary needs will volunteers prefer to do different things for lunch. Some are satisfied with two meals a day, and can eat a big breakfast and a big dinner when they get to their families. Most families make an extensive amount of food and expect their guests to eat and eat until they can’t any more. An example is Riley from the USA who eats fruit throughout the day and saves herself for the big meals at her family’s house in the evenings. Others will walk to the nearest falafel or shawarma shop and have a sandwich at the middle of the day. Many volunteers actually survive on falafel and shawarma, especially the male volunteers who do not live with a family and have to cook their own meals.
Falafel and shawarma are good, most people enjoy this kind of food and can have it often, but if you are staying in Hebron for more than a week it can get a bit boring to have the same thing everyday. It is then that we would recommend taking advantage of the kitchen at the Excellence Center. There are plenty of supermarkets in the area, fresh vegetables and fruits are always on season and making food for lunch can be a healthy and cheap option for those that enjoy cooking. Salads are fast and easy to make, as well as vegetable soups with lentils or chickpeas are also a great source of nutrients and easy to make.
There is always the possibility of sharing costs and cooking together with some of the other volunteers. It might be a bit tricky to coordinate your schedules but not impossible, especially during times when there are a lot of volunteers. This week we have been lucky because Amy from the USA is participating in the Center’s first cooking course. Khitam and her go shopping for the ingredients together everyday and make a delicious local dish at around 3:00. So far they have made Maqloubeh and Kofta, today it will stuffed zucchini with rice and meat (Kousa Mehshi). Some of us are not able to join because of classes, but he schedule changes every day so, at least once or twice this week we will get to enjoy a homemade meal made by Amy and Khitam!
As you see there are many options, and you will most likely find that which feels right for you and your schedule while at the Center. As a believer in healthy eating and keeping a routine, we encourage you to find the time to take a break and eat something, recharging your batteries with some good food will only increase the enjoyment of your time at the Excellence Center.
