“My name is Dom and I am a student from the UK. I have just finished my History degree at the University of Bristol. I have been volunteering at the Excellence Center as an English teacher in Hebron for a month and I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Palestine.

During the volunteer program I participated in, I have primarily engaged in teaching beginner English classes to beginner and intermediate groups of Palestinian students. In this regard, I have acted both as a teaching assistant at the Excellence Center, which is located in the heart of Hebron and in a more central role with another volunteer in a village 20 minutes outside of Hebron. Whilst I had no previous experience in teaching, let along teaching to non-native English speakers, the students’ willingness to engage in lessons and the available teaching resources made these classes extremely easy to get into the swing of.

In addition, I also had the opportunity to teach private Arabic lessons in a 1-on-1 situation. These private lessons were particularly fulfilling as I directly could pass on my skills and knowledge to a student in who actually planned to travel to the UK, therefore feeling like I could use this intimate environment to really make a difference to this student’s life.

Moreover, the positive atmosphere and structural network of support at the Excellence Center made my experience even smoother as the staff were always welcoming and on hand to answer any question or help me in any way they could (especially Ibrahiem!)

For learning Arabic, the private lessons were extremely helpful. Although I had no prior knowledge of the language, my teacher, Marwa, taught me a fair bit of Arabic in the small amount of time I spent in Hebron. Women certainly have an easier time learning the language as they live with host families and thus have full language / cultural immersion, whilst men live together at an apartment that is perfectly located in the centre of Hebron.

The volunteer program also gave me the opportunity to travel extensively to places such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Tel Aviv. With regards to safety in Hebron, I felt totally safe throughout my stay in Hebron and I cannot recommend coming to visit Hebron enough, either as a tourist or as a volunteer.

What I liked most in Palestine was the friendliness and hospitality of the people in Hebron. The locals make every effort to make you feel very welcome and comfortable in an alien and sometimes confusing culture / place. I certainly believe that this a place I will visit again and I cannot stress enough, that if you are slightly interested in visiting the Middle East or Palestine, you should definitely consider the Excellence Center.”