“My name is Maria Agustina  and I came from Argentina to do the Medicine and Healthcare program during two weeks in the Excellence Center. We organized a coursed with midwifery students from the Hebron University with a total of 4 workshops where we talked  about medical vocabulary, pregnancy physiology, communication skills and bioethics. It was an honor for me to share with each other our knowledge and it was a very interesting and enriching experience. I shared with them my knowledge but at the same time we encouraged ourselves in our careers, we shared details of us, we got to know each other and we enjoyed together discussing clinical cases and medical ethical dilemmas.

Concerning my program, I also had the chance to visit the Al Ahlil Hospital in Hebron where the staff kindly showed me their workplace and they introduced me in the medical situation of Palestine. Also I had the chance to visit the Hebron University where I specially visited the laboratories, the library and the amazing Media college where the students have the opportunity of learning journalism with real radio and television studios.  

Apart from my volunteering, I had classes to improve my Arabic with the kind, patient, creative and interesting Ahlam. With her I didn’t only learned Arabic but also learned about Palestine, the life here, their culture, costumes, flowers, food, etc. She is an example of the strong, educated and kind women that live in Palestine.

Every day I came from my host family home to the Old Center to do my activities. Located near the city center of Hebron, every morning we start our day by having a traditional breakfast together with “shai”, bread, hummus, cheese, olive oil and spices. But the Center is not only the volunteers and the staff, every day while being in the center we have lot of conversations with all the people that is around, students, mothers of students, local teachers, friends, etc. In the Center everyone is welcomed and being here we get to know a lot of citizens from the city and near villages.

In my two weeks here I visited Bethlehem with two volunteers and one day I took my day off to go the beach in Jaffa. The last Friday I went to Ramallah and the Dead Sea with my host family and staff from the Center. We shared a barbeque steering to the Dead Sea, we swam, we heard to music, we went to Arafat’s Museum and to the Mahmud Darwish Museum. And we ended our day steering the magical city of Jericho from the high mountains near the Teleferic.

During my visit here I stayed in a village called Bait Ummar near Hebron with the family of Ibrahim and Fatina. They and their sons and daughter Shuruq were my families for two weeks. I got to know their family, I ate Fatina’s amazing Arabic food, I ate the figs from their garden, I talked in Arabic with Iusef and I played with the amazing little Mohamed. Also we shared long conversations with shisha, tea and music every night after our work.  

Palestine is a beautiful country, the landscapes are stunning and the energy is unbelievable but what truly embellish the country is the people. I made friends in the Center and in Bait Ummar that made every minute an absolute amusement and joy. They opened their houses and their heart to make my days absolutely special. Here it’s impossible to go to a place and not be received with the phrase: Ahlan u Sahlan fy Falestine.

Concerning to the safety, even if Palestine has a lot of problems I never felt fear. I think that as long as fear does not reign in Palestine, it is impossible to be scared. Also, everyone took care of me as if I were from their family.

I arrived in Palestine without any expectations and I didn’t know what I was going to see here but I have to say I have been surprised by an amazing country with a lot of potentials to grow with happy, generous, welcoming, educated and with a lot of love and dedication to their country people I expect to never forget how amazed, welcomed and happy I was here.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the staff in the Excellence Center for this experience and I hope to return soon.”