Home Life

Upon arrival, you are assigned a family to live with for the duration of your stay. You are welcomed with open arms into the homes of the local refugee and Arabic communities who can help you practice your language of choice.

You become attuned to the daily life of the family as they invite you to join them at the market or the mosque. Your family provides you with support and perspective, which develops into a lasting relationship.

Morning Language Classes

In the morning before your students arrive, you have your own language classes. Every volunteer is provided with three hours of language classes each week.

You choose between German or Arabic classes which are taught by a teacher who is working towards progressing your handle of the language as quickly as possible. The teachers are also members of the extended Excellence Center’s community and are always offering to go out with you after your work days or on the weekend to further practice your language skills.

Daily Schedule at the Center

During the working week, you come to the center in the morning to share breakfast with the other volunteers before your students arrive for their lessons. Once in a while, you are asked to help prepare the morning meal with another volunteer. This is the time to socialize with your fellow volunteers: have a laugh, make plans for the weekend, and just enjoy each other’s company.

After breakfast, you meet with your first student of the day for about two hours. For lunch, you might go out with another volunteer or with a student from the center to practice their conversational English in a different setting. There are a great variety of markets and small restaurants for you to choose from.

Once you return to the center, you join the rest of the group for the presentations done by fellow volunteers and the other members of the Excellence Center’s community. There are presentations given on different teaching techniques to help keep your classes interactive and to keep your students engaged.

There are also different cultural presentations. You are given the chance to talk to the group about your own country and the refugee situation there. You present snapshots of life in your part of the world. Often there are guest speakers from the community who will talk about their own experiences as refugees and the history and culture of their home countries.

At the end of your day, you might head out to the river Saale to share another meal with the Excellence Center’s community. The Excellence Center Director, Rafat, will prepare a wonderful Palestinian meal.

This community dining brings together everyone from the teachers to the students to the host families. Together you play a variety of games from volleyball to football before you gather in a circle to sing and laugh. You go home, after a wonderful night of socializing, full of good food and warmed by the good company.

Leisure Time And The Weekends

The Excellence Center allows you an ample amount of time to explore Halle (Saale) and the surrounding area. On days when your work at the center is done early, you can explore the city center where there is a busy market place and a beautiful old church and tower.

You can also visit the nearby park with friends from the center for a small game of volleyball or a quick swim in the river. On weekends, you can take a train to Berlin and spend two days taking in one of Germany’s most historical cities. Closer to Halle, you can visit the city of Leipzig, which is only a twenty minute train ride away.

There you can visit the East German Museum or the Art Gallery. Halle is perfectly located for volunteers to make weekend trips around the country.