My name is Elizabeth. I am from Bellingham, Washington, USA. I will be at the Excellence Center to study Arabic language for two months. I decided to come to Palestine because I wanted to learn the local dialect and I am also interested in learning about what it is like to be Palestinian, given the current political situation. I also saw wonderful reviews for the program online.
I arrived in Palestine yesterday evening by taxi. When I arrived, I met another student of the center from the Netherlands, with whom I will be sharing a room in the home of one of the centerโs coordinators. That evening, we had Iftar with our host and her family. Afterwards, they took us to central Hebron and the Excellence Center to help familiarize us with our surroundings.
During my time with the Excellence Center, I will study Arabic (Modern Standard and colloquial), explore Hebron, and hopefully visit some place outside of Hebron on the weekends.
I hope to contribute to the Excellence Centerโs work by always being open to talking with others, trying new things, and making every effort to learn from my classes and my surroundings.
This experience will help broaden my understanding of cultures that are different from my own. I also hope that it will help me achieve my goal of working for an international organization. I believe that if I keep a positive attitude and work hard, my work at the Excellence Center can make a big difference in my life.
