El-Masdar Academy

At first I was in doubt about this program and very skeptical about what can be achieved in only 3 days.
I was soon surprised by the people in Darijat, especially the children. The hospitality was amazing
And warm. The interaction with the residents was overwhelming.
I guess that learning the language the way we do today, is not sufficient enough.
After visiting the village for 3 days, I was able to reach the same conclusion as Al- Masdar's did before me.
The basic concept of learning a language should be the very source of it:
The people, and equally importnat, their culture and social-dynamics.
Back in the university we were able to learn the basics of the Arab language. We learned how read, write and eventually
to handle a basic conversation. The lectures about the middle east and the Arab world
were both interesting and intellectually renewing. But with all that said, nothing could prepare me for what's to come.

In Darijat, Al-Masdar introduced us to a whole different way to learn Arabic language and culture.
All through our visit, we weren't able to stop learning. The educational experience was so intense that I recall from the first night when we stayed in the village, when I fell onto my bed to sleep at Aiysha's home (our host), I felt like I just finished a whole 10KM race. I was that exhauseted. Maybe because it was close to midnight, maybe because it was the first day we arrived after a long road trip. But putting those reasons aside, I am pretty sure it has something to do with the fact we spent the last 3 hours(!!) Talking, laughing, playing and learning (Yes! We studied too!) with the kids of the village.
By the time Or and Izhaak went to sleep, our Shigg (guest room) and its soroundings were swarmed with children, whom as we all know, are patient-less and full of excitement when they're encountered with strangers. Therefore, we were "forced" to keep speaking in Arabic with them untill the middle of the night.

This wonderful, randomly-created interaction, caused us, the group of students, to lose our fear and embaresment. It helped us gain confidence, trust, and above all, it allowed us to make mistakes and learn from them. All whilst speaking in Arabic with the kids. The more we made mistakes and we were corrected by the kids, the more we learned. The more we spoke, the more confidence we gained and the more we got confident in ourselves, the more motivated we've become to keep on talking.

The learning experience I just described is very much like a child learning to speak from his/her parents. The child at first speaks a few words, but then slowly he'll start speaking fluently. perhaps with some mistakes, but if he is corrected and supported the right way, eventually he'll grow into speaking the language in a healthy and natural way. And I think this is the key word from those days, Growing into talking.

These sort of interactions in the village were our daily routine. Whether it was in the Shigg, the local Elementary School and even during lunch and dinner. The source of our knowledge wasn't only a textbook or a slideshow, it was mainly the families, local teachers and even the village itself and it's history. All of the above helped us to GROW. To grow our confidence, our knowledge and our ability to learn the language.

After only 3 days in the village, with all of those experiences, I feel satisfied and happy.
I feel that the way Al-Masdar chose to teach Arabic and Arab culture, is efficient, accurate and above all meaningful to those who choose to participate. I feel I want more.

My experience in Drijat with El-Masdar Academy was way better than I had expected. In just a couple days of exposing myself directly to the culture and day-to-day life of the community in this village I managed to improve not just my Arabic, but my overall view of this language and culture. This program gives you the real experience of living in the language you're learning- both from walking around the beautiful village, talking to passengers and playing with kids, and from sitting in class and learning Arabic from the true source of it- the Arabic language itself. Great teachers who teach you the language while speaking it, brining their life stories and experiences into the classroom and then inviting you to eat with their family, just to keep the conversation real and alive.

I spent 3 days doing El-Masdar's 'weekend program', which they kindly offered to me during my free days in the week.

I spent the days and evenings with my teachers from the Mazarib tribe of northern Israel, who generously hosted me in the village of Zarzir. They took me in with their families, pro-actively helped me learn useful Arabic phrases, showed me around and taught me the unique history of their village and fed me like a king!

I can't recommend the El Masdar experience enough!

My experience was amazing. It happened in one of most beautiful areas of Israel.. In a druze village which is so authentic and the people are open minded. My course was in an original Arabic house and it gave a great feeling of Being part of the place. The teachers were so nice to us and taught us the real and local language. My host was a great family. They gave me the feeling of being one of them. The house was open for me in all of aspects.. We are in a great connection we speak on the phone and visit each other till now. All along the course we spoke in Arabic.. That we could practice and learn from the locals. From the culture and from the source..thank you el-masdar

Learning in the natural environment of the language in an Arab settlement during the holiday of sacrifice. My knowledge base in Arabic was minimal and my intensive studies jumped me forward. . Suggest this method warmly

I shot a video that reflects the ways of learning and the social side of the week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W-oitQ-aUA&t=5s
The weak side was the hospitality in the family, which in our case was basically just accommodation, when social life took place in families of other learners on the terrace

It was only when I was driving home and was stuck in traffic that I truly appreciated the amazing experience and week I just had. I still cannot claim to speak Arabic well, but I definitely gained confidence, learned new words and now understand many things in the Arabic culture and language that I did not know before.
 
To go into detail about the week, I stayed with a family in the town of Derijat. My accommodation was a 5min walk from the school and my hostess went out of her way to make me comfortable. The kids in the surrounding houses were very eager to speak to me and I am sure that my interaction with them improved my Arabic as well. We studied in one of the classrooms in the school, which was quite comfortable. We had two teachers, the first put more of an emphasis on the grammar of the language and Or Amar (the founder of El-Masdar Academy) spent invaluable time with us in the afternoons making sure we practiced what we had learnt. Personally, I would have preferred to have had more time with Or. In the afternoon breaks and evenings we were free to get together to practice speaking to each other (we did not always have the discipline to stick to Arabic) or to spend time with our hosts. Besides the study sessions, we were also taken on a tour of Derijat which has a few very interesting sites.

When I got back home it was strange that most people asked me “weren’t you scared to go” followed by “Kol Hakavod” ("good for you"). I would definitely recommend this course to everyone. There is nothing to fear, just a wonderful way to learn another language, experience a different culture and a lot to gain.׳׳

The experience in Zarzir was enlightening and interesting. beyond the lessons in class, the real "school" for me was the free conversations with the locals, because i was forced to talk only in Arabic. I learned how they pronounce each word, and also learned local "slangs", blessings, manners and body language.

​This non stop educational studies really pushed me to want to know more. it gave me a lot of confidence in the language and now I'm certainly in a better level.

This combination between books, classes and local tours,  allow each participant to learn independently and to really practice with hosting families. i wanna thank El-masdar Academy for this amazing experience its really is the best way to learn!!

- Classes & Teachers - Very professional classes for beginners - with no background - with local people.

- Location - In the village of Drijat (South of Israel) - cannot be more local & immersive experience.

- Facilities - we slept at the teacher's house and we had the chance to discuss until late with him and all his family.

- Activities - Apart from the language classes - we had Cooking classes, guided tour in the village to learn about the history of the village, local music and EATING AMAZING FOOD !!