“My name is Connor and I am a university student from Texas who will be participating in the Internship in Palestine program over the next two months. I am a student of International Studies at Texas A&M University and I am minoring in Arabic Stidies. As such, I wanted to spend time in an Arabic-speaking region where I could develop my language skills. I lived in Germany and Serbia for several years so I have always had a desire to visit new places and learn from other cultures, and that passion has brought me to Hebron!

I chose to come here for many reasons. I wanted to have an immersive language learning experience rather than simply going on vacation in the Middle East. Hebron is a much more authentic representation of the Middle East than other places in the region. I also wanted to meet Palestinians and come to a better understanding of what it means to live in the West Bank. The experiences I have had in just a short time here have been much more enriching and enlightening than I could have hoped for. Despite all the difficulties and politicization of this area, the people here are wonderful and there is much more we share than that separates us. The combination of getting to study Arabic so immersively and to experience life in an important area made coming to the Excellence Center in Palestine an easy decision.

While I am working at the center, I will be studying Arabic intensively for the first few weeks and learning about life in Palestine. After that, I will continue my studies through practical application on the streets and meeting people as I visit different political, social and religious sites in Hebron and across the area. For my remaining time, I will be trained and then begin teaching classes at the center on a variety of topics. I believe that during my time and work here I will come to a better understanding of the Arabic language and life in Palestine as make new friends and visit exciting new places.

I am excited for the remainder of my time at the Excellence Center. I feel that it will give me valuable experience immersed in a new culture and language that will help my future studies and professional work. I hope to work in the field of diplomacy, so the skills of intercultural communication and language learning that I develop during my time here will benefit my future endeavors greatly. There is a lot that I still have to learn about Arabic and Palestine, but I am glad that I get to learn these things here in Hebron with the Excellence Center.”