Immersion, Tours And Excursions: Engage in Palestine proudly offers all of our international participants an immersion in Palestine, as well as tours and excursions included as part of their program, no matter whether they choose a short term volunteer program, internship or intensive Arabic course with us. We will outline our immersion, tours and excursions below so that you have a better idea about what you can expect during your time with us.
Immersion
Engage in Palestine offers an immersive experience to all of its participants, although the level and type of immersion will vary depending on your selected program. During your time with us, you will experience several elements of immersion which we will outline below, including an immersion in the Arabic language, Palestinian cuisine, culture and daily life.
Arabic Language Immersion
For example, our Arabic students will have extra immersion, particularly in the Arabic language. When you study an intensive Arabic course with us, you immersed in the Arabic language for several hours each day inside he classroom and even more time outside of class.
However, even if you are not doing a dedicated study Arabic program, you will still have several hours of Arabic classes per week in addition to being immersed in the language in your every day life.
Immersion In Palestinian Culture & Daily Life
During your time with us, you will be immersed in Palestinian culture and daily life. Each day you will get to experience daily life in Palestine for yourself as well as witnessing it in the local community. You will also get to learn a lot about Palestinian culture through being immersed in it, you will get to learn a lot during your tours and excursions with us as well as through your own experiences in your free time. There are many intricacies of Palestinian culture you can learn about through making observations, talking with locals and asking questions. You will also get to learn about Palestinian hospitality in the best possible way – by experiencing it first-hand!
Immersion In Palestinian Cuisine
At our center each day (except Fridays), we provide a community breakfast for all of our international participants and staff. You won’t find toast or cereal at our breakfast because each day we make a traditional Palestinian breakfast for you. Our breakfast usually has different dishes each day, giving you the chance to try many different Palestinian foods.
If you like cooking, it’s always a treat to go to supermarkets and markets in foreign countries and see what products are available and see local ingredients. When eating out, the vast majority of the restaurants and cafes you will find serve Palestinian food. This allows you to be truly immersed in Palestinian cuisine and try many different delicious dishes!
Tours
One of the key benefits to joining Engage in Palestine whether for volunteering, an internship program or an intensive Arabic course is the tours that we include as part of your program. We include several tours as part of your program, which may vary depending on the time of the year and the type of program you do. We will outline our two most popular tours below.
Tour Of The Old City
During your time with us, one of our knowledgable local tour guide staff will take you on a guided tour of Hebron’s old city in English. This includes learning about and visiting important sites in the old city, navigating checkpoints as well as going to Ibrahimi Mosque and learning about its history. There is a lot to see in the old city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is full of beautiful architecture and shops selling all kinds of products.
Tips For This Tour
This tour usually lasts between 2-3 hours and requires a lot of walking. We recommend wearing sunscreen and bringing a bottle of water with you.
Note About Visiting Ibrahimi Mosque
Note that non-muslims cannot visit Ibrahimi Mosque during prayer time, so we schedule our tours to avoid this issue. We strongly recommend ankle-length bottoms to anyone visiting Ibrahimi mosque and making sure your shirt has sleeves. Everyone is required to take off their shoes to enter a mosque, so we recommend wearing shoes that are comfortable (you will be walking a lot!) but easy to take off, for your convenience. All of our non-muslim female participants will be given a hooded cloak to wear at the mosque entrance to ensure they can enter it respectfully.
Tour Of Shuhada Street
Shuhada Street (“Shuhada” means “Martyrs” in English) is one of the main streets in the old city of Hebron, however it has been closed off and divided into sections by the Israeli occupation. On this tour, one of our Palestinian tour guides will take you around Shuhada Street and to Tel Rumeida. Tel Rumeida is an area where a number of Palestinians live in very difficult circumstances, surrounded by Israeli settlers. Which means Palestinian residents are subjected to daily attacks, harassment and violence by Israeli settlers.
One Of The Busiest Streets Is Now A Ghost Town
Shuhada Street was once the main lifeline of Hebron, a bustling and busy street full of shops and vendors and it was of tremendous economic value. Today, much of Shuhada Street is like a ghost town. Hundreds of the shops have been permanently closed, with many welded shut by the Occupation and a number of Israeli settlers have taken over Palestinian homes along this street and in this area.
Palestinian Access To Shuhada Street
There are parts of Shuhada Street which can only be accessed through an Israeli military checkpoint. The only Palestinians allowed past are the ones who have special permission and live there. Their families cannot even go to visit them there. Our Palestinian staff are only allowed through this checkpoint when they are with our international participants or other international visitors.
Tips For This Tour
Shuhada Street and Tel Rumeida are both in the H-2 area of Hebron, so you will need to make sure you bring your passport and visa as you will likely need them to pass through the Israeli military checkpoints that separate these areas from the rest of Hebron. Also remember to wear comfortable walking shoes, wear sunscreen and bring a bottle of water with you.
Excursions
Another component of your experience with us at Engage in Palestine is the excursions we include as part of your program. Depending on your individual program choice, you will have different excursions included.
Excursions To Local Artisans And Factories
Typical excursions no matter which program you have chosen include to a glass and ceramics factory, where you can have the chance to see how glass is blown and glass products are made as well as ceramics being made or painted by hand. We also take you to visit the Herbawi textile factory, also known as the keffiyeh factory, as this is the last remaining keffiyeh factory in Palestine. Here you can see how keffiyehs are made and have the chance to buy keffiyehs in a range of colours.
Other Excursions
Other opportunities for excursions include local artists, local human rights and women’s rights organizations, Bedouin areas such as Susiya, Yatta and Massafer Yatta, local schools and universities, local hospitals, the Hebron municipality, refugee camps such as Al-Fawwar and Al-Aroub camps and more. If you have a particular interest in a certain topic or field such as art, music and so on, you can let us know after you arrive in Palestine and we can try our best to arrange an extra excursion for you.
Program-Specific Excursions
Depending on your program, you may have program-specific excursions. For example if you are volunteering in medicine and healthcare with us, your program will include additional visits and excursions such as to clinics and other medical facilities. If you are interning in law and the legal system with us, you will have additional excursions to lawyers, law courts and other relevant places. If you are volunteering to teach English in the West Bank, then you will likely have additional visits to refugee camps and/or local villages to teach English there.
In Conclusion
During While interning, volunteering or studying with Engage in Palestine, you will have an immersive experience in Palestinian culture, daily life, food and the Arabic language. We will also take you on a number of tours and excursions during your program which will also help immerse you in Palestine, as well as giving you the opportunity to learn more about Palestinian culture, history and life under Occupation.
