Meet Our 69 Years Volunteer from the USA: “I was at the Excellence Center for most of the month of March 2018. At 69 I must have been one of their older volunteers, but age was never an issue. I took the opportunity offered by the Excellence Center to be immersed in a different culture because I have grown increasingly concerned about the issues faced by the Palestinian people. The Excellence Center does not address that per se, but believe me one learns plenty just by being there.

I never felt unsafe; in fact all Palestinians were quite friendly (this is not true of most of the Israelis I encountered). For example I took a taxi out to the natural area near Hebron (Wadi al-Quff) to study and enjoy the plants there, and by the time the 25 minute ride was over the taxi driver had invited me to his house for a meal and given me a children’s book that himself had written and illustrated. That level of friendliness is not unusual.

I was interested in and concerned about the situation in the village of Nabi Saleh, where the Tamimi family lives. You may know some of their story: Ahed Tamimi just completed 8 months in prison for trying to get Israeli soldiers out of her front yard. I was completely free to travel, and thus went to Nabi Saleh (2 hours from Hebron) twice and spent several hours with Bassem Tamimi, Ahed’s father.

If you want an education about the real world it is ready and waiting for you in Palestine, through the Excellence Center.”