Meet Luca from Germany who came to volunteer in Palestine: My name is Luca. I am from Germany and 24 years old. I am an English teacher in the ‘teach English, speak Arabic’ program and visit Palestine for the first time. Because I am very interested in the Middle Eastern region, its culture and its conflicts, I always wanted to go there and visit it myself. Since I finished my pre-master in International Relations at Groningen University in winter 2018 and my master courses start in September this year, I got the chance to fill some time with gathering experiences.

On the internet, I could find information about the excellence center in Palestine as well as experience reports of many different students that took part in its courses. The information I got was so promising that I decided to apply for this program. I arrived only one day ago but everybody is just so helpful, friendly and welcoming. I am overwhelmed by all the impressions since Europe can be obviously very different from Palestine.

When I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Yesterday, I took a service (Arab for taxi/cab) to Damascus gate in Jerusalem and another service to Hebron. Everything went perfectly and I felt safe and comfortable at all times. When I could not find the Excellence Center at first, someone simply stopped by, talked to me and helped me out; Palestinians are so friendly and helpful! I spent the rest of the day getting to know co-workers and other people I directly became friends with. We smoked shish/hookah and had tea and coffee.

Today I will be helping out in an English class for the first time and a soccer match with internationals and Palestinians is organized for the afternoon. Other activities in the next days will include a visit to Bethlehem and going on a hike on Friday, which is a holiday in the Arab world. I would also like to visit Nablus and go to the Dead Sea when it’s getting a bit warmer outside.

As an English teacher at the Excellence Center, I will give my best to help Palestinians to learn the English language. Even though I never taught in class before, I am confident that I will be able to make the students’ time a valuable experience. Moreover, I will contribute to a cultural exchange between the locals and internationals like me. People in Palestine are as eager to share their culture and knowledge as they are interested in learning about the culture of others.

All the experiences will surely contribute to my personal development. A common saying is that traveling teaches you the most. Since I am interested in the Middle Eastern conflicts, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, I will get to know the opinion and experiences of the people affected by it. Moreover, in my studies, international relations/international security, I specified in the Middle Eastern region and my experience will help me and my fellow students to understand the conflicts in a better way. Lastly, I hope that having been to the Middle East and also (hopefully) speaking a sufficient level of Arabic, in the end, will help me, with a bit of luck, to get a job in the end.

I think that my assistance and work at the Excellence center can contribute to a growing cultural understanding for everyone involved. Making a small difference would be great and I think that I can help to make this difference with my work. Today, speaking English offers opportunities in a globalized world that is otherwise denied to people. If young Palestinians can speak English and express their thoughts they will be able to pave a way for an increased cultural exchange and can tell the world about their dreams, wishes, and fears.