Meet Our Arabic Student Cat from Norway: “I am Cat from Norway, although I study Middle Eastern and Islamic studies in the UK. I am currently studying Arabic at the Excellence Centre in Hebron.
I chose to come to Palestine because it is an interesting place historically, but also because I studied about Israel and Palestine at university and wanted to see it for myself. The Excellence Centre in Hebron looked like the most organised language school in Palestine, and they offered trips and cultural activities alongside the language lessons.
Despite the media reports, Palestine is quite safe to travel in. Hebron, as a large city, of course has the normal risks associated with crowds, but there is little danger from violence. The Israeli military has checkpoints around the old city and at the entrance to the settlements, but they do not restrict tourist access.
Since arriving in Palestine, I have spent the mornings studying at the centre and the afternoons either working or exploring the city with local friends and the other international students or volunteers. At the weekends I have been able to travel around the West Bank to Bethlehem, Jericho, Ramallah and to smaller villages like Hadhul; it is really easy to get around with local taxis and serveeses. This last weekend, we travelled up to Jericho and we swam in the Dead Sea, before driving on to Ramallah and spending Saturday on a climbing trip in Ein Qiniya with Wadi Climbing. Life here is very varied and interesting!
I live here with a host family up in the north of the city by the university. It takes about 25 minutes to walk to the centre, so it’s nice in the mornings when it is still cool and when the shops are just opening up. The family have given us a huge room to live in, and in the evenings we join them in their house for dinner and games or a film. Sometimes we go for a walk around the city at night; Hebron is always alive!”
