:Hello, my name is Hannes Dossche and I am about to finish a month of working at the Excellence Center in Hebron. I am 19 years old and I am studying Arabic and Islamic Studies in my home country, Belgium. I participated in the volunteering program of the Excellence Center where I taught English to children but I also had the opportunity to take some private Arabic lessons.

In the English classes I assisted a local teacher with teaching to 7 – 12 year old kids. I didn’t have any teaching experience but you get in the flow quite naturally. I also gave some individual classes to older students on several occasions. The focal point of these lessons was mostly placed on the speaking of the language, so I tried to teach the kids a native pronunciation of English, even though I’m not a native speaker.

The private Arabic lessons are particularly helpful because they are private, and for that reason adjusted to your own knowledge and skills. I just finished my first year of university so I had a basis of standard Arabic (Fusha) to start with and learn the Palestinian dialect. My teacher knew what I could and could not handle and taught me a fair bit of Arabic in the small amount of time I spent here. I also tried to pick up some Arabic of the streets, which worked to a certain extent. Girls/women definitely had an easier time learning Arabic because they have the change to stay with a Palestinian host family. The guys stay together at an apartment, which is conveniently located in the city.

During my stay here I could take some days off to visit the country. I went with some other volunteers and Arabic students on a trip to various cities like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Akko. I even had the chance to hop over to the Jordanian side of the border and visit Petra and Wadi Rum. In the city of Hebron itself it is really interesting to visit the ancient religious sites like the Ibrahimi Mosque and the neighboring synagogue. Hebron is particularly interesting because the city is divided in an Arab and a Jewish part.

I felt quite safe here in Palestine, more than I expected at least. People on the street are very friendly as they are not very used to interacting with foreigners, and will try and talk to you or ask you to have coffee with them. Especially for guys, you don’t have to worry about walking around late at night on the streets or taking taxi’s. Women should take a little more care, but I feel like that goes for every country or city.

The thing I liked most in Palestine is probably the hospitality I just mentioned. As a foreigner you feel very welcome which makes blending in a lot easier. I also just like being emerged in a culture that is quite different from the one I’m used to.

My favorite experience I had in Palestine was probably when me and some other volunteers got invited on the roof of a tall apartment building, which had an amazing view of the city. Also just hanging around with the volunteers made for some very interesting moments and conversations.

The Excellence Center is doing a very good job at teaching English to kids, teenagers and adults who don’t really get the chance to interact with foreigners. A lot of Palestinian people are therefore eager to get educated in any way. I would recommend the Excellence Center to people all over the world, as they provide you with everything you need to have a nice and interesting stay in Palestine.

Finally, I feel like coming here has had great influence on me and on the way I will view Palestine and its people. The images we make in our heads of places like this, with western media as our only source, are so different from how daily life here exists as it does. I will remember the Palestinians for their hospitality and openness to foreigners, while they still manage to cherish their own culture and traditions. I feel like this is a place where I will come back later in my life.