Day 1: Outrageous Ambitions

Today we had the kickoff session with all of our clients hosted at the University of St. La Salle. After the opening remarks, each of our clients gave a presentation on their current challenges and how they would like to use our time here. We also gave a presentation on IBM, the Corporate Services Corps program, and our team background and skills. I love our clients here because they all have OUTRAGEOUS AMBITION. We could easily spend months here with all that they want to do. In particular, my client Councilor Jocelle Batapa Sigue is a force to be reckoned with.

Everyone here is so incredibly friendly and welcoming - they invite us to join in their celebrations, offer their help to organizing events for us, and want to ensure we enjoy our time in Bacolod. Hospitality is definitely a core part of the culture here.



In the afternoon, Jaana and I had the chance to attend a high school academic competition on the history of Bacolod. They have organized the event to encourage the students to learn more about their local history which had not previously been taught as part of the curriculum. It was great to see the focus on fostering education and the excitement of the students to participate in the 'quiz show'.