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| Behind the Scenes with Ivy Visitacion |
They’re here!
Around 45 Australian teenage students from Southern Hills Christian College in Perth, Australia arrived in Bacolod Sunday as part of their training and exposure to cultures in various parts of the world.
These tours give the students the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, learn invaluable lessons for themselves, and are given the opportunity to assist in an under-privileged community.
From the airport, we had them sample our famous chicken inasal at Chicken House, where the other customers were taken aback by the sight of the mostly blonde and blue-eyed teenagers filling up the entire restaurant. They even tried dipping their chicken in our indescribable local dipping sauce - the sinamak!
Plans are being drawn up to have an international school in Bacolod as a counterpart of Southern Hills Christian College. Who knows? Someday, the students in the international school here might go on a similar tour in Perth Australia as part of their curriculum!
Early the next day, the group was interviewed on ABS-CBN’s “The Morning Show”. Some of the televiewers inquired about the visiting Australians and were delighted to know that, in the past two years, the school has put up an orphanage in Brgy. Cabacungan, La Castellana in Negros Occidental. Last year, after their short stay with the orphans, the Aussie students even cried when they had to leave, as they had bonded with the orphans who stole their hearts. Their latest project is to put up a basketball court, comfort rooms and a training center in Sagay City to help out-of-school youths in the area.
What a wonderful character-building program this is, where young people are exposed to different cultures and circumstances. Welcome to Negros, boys and girls!*
