My name is Alex and I am British. I am 38 and worked as a lawyer doing human rights for ten years before taking a career break. I spent two months doing an intensive Levantine Arabic course (four hours a day) at the Study Levantine Arabic School.
The Arabic Levantine classes were brilliant. My teacher, Saja, was brilliant! I was a complete beginner, and the amount of material we covered in two months was incredible. I will spend at least six months after this reviewing what I have learned to consolidate my knowledge. I learned a great deal and gained confidence in reading, writing, and speaking. Saja was very kind, patient, and knowledgeable. And I think she also knows more about the English language than I do! She was able to pitch her teaching to my level and was very encouraging. I couldn’t have asked for better quality teaching. In winter, there are fewer students at the center compared to summer, and as a result, my classes were often 1:1. I was not expecting such individual attention. I think being here is the best way to learn Arabic as you have the opportunity to practice all the time.
In addition to my Arabic classes every day, I was regularly invited to join other volunteers on trips around Hebron, such as to visit the Old City and meet with local activists. It was very educational. I learned all about life in the city for Palestinians, what it is like to live under occupation, and how people find ways to live and enjoy their lives as much as possible, despite the limitations imposed. We visited the parts of the city that are controlled by the Israeli army, and I was invited into several family homes for dinner. I witnessed a lot of resilience and resistance by Palestinians in Hebron, which was very inspiring. On Fridays and Saturdays, I would go on trips to visit other parts of the West Bank, such as Bethlehem, Ramallah, the Dead Sea, and Nablus. People cannot move freely in the West Bank due to the military control imposed by Israel. I experienced just a small piece of this – long delays at checkpoints as soldiers check cars and interrogate drivers, closed checkpoints, and as a result, lots of traffic jams. I had the opportunity to see quite a lot whilst I was here, but you cannot make plans in the same way that you can in a country with freedom of movement. You have to be flexible depending on the situation and the day.
