Language Programs in Palestine

I spent nine weeks at the Excellence Center learning colloquial Arabic. I enjoyed the classes a lot and My teacher Duha was very supportive. There was a great mix of content and activities and I improved a lot in the time I was there. Marwa and Osama do an outstanding job of running the center as well. They were always there when I needed anything, and I had a great time joining in on cooking classes, field trips, Iftar dinners during Ramadan, and Eid celebrations. Hebron is a very safe place to visit as well, so if you're concerned at all about this, don't be!

I joined the Intensive Arabic course in Hebron without knowing a single word of Arabic. Honestly, I was nervous before coming because the language looked difficult and completely new to me. But from the first week everything felt easier than I expected, mainly because of my teacher, Ms. Dalia. Ms. Dalia is one of the kindest and most patient teachers I’ve ever met. She understood that I was starting from zero and she never made me feel embarrassed when I made mistakes (which happened a lot at the beginning!). She explained things slowly, repeated them as many times as I needed, and always encouraged me to try speaking even when I wasn’t confident. One moment really stayed with me. I remember sitting in class trying to read Arabic letters that looked impossible to me just days before. Suddenly I was able to read a full sentence on my own. It sounds small, but for me it was huge. That was the moment I realized Arabic isn’t scary, it’s actually a really cool and beautiful language. After that, I became excited every day to learn more instead of feeling stressed. What helped a lot was also being surrounded by Arabic outside the classroom. People in Hebron were very supportive and happy to help me practice simple words. Step by step, I felt real progress. I’m really grateful for this experience. Starting from scratch and reaching a level where I can read, understand, and communicate basic Arabic in just a short time felt amazing. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who wants a serious but very warm and supportive Arabic learning experience.