IN THE spirit of celebrating international student relations, the Ateneo welcomed SOAR English Camp 2023 participants from the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology Jiangong Campus (NKUST) for this year’s Ateneo Cultural Encounter (ACE), which ran from last July 7 to August 1, 2023.
Led by the Ateneo’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the month-long program aimed to immerse visiting students in Philippine culture. The project was a continuation of the department’s partnership with the NKUST established back in 2019, before ACE was initially placed on hold due to COVID-19.
The delegates were given the chance to tour various locations such as the National Museum, the Binondo area, Bulacan, and local shopping malls within Metro Manila. Along with these tours, participants engaged in team building and enhancement activities to further enrich their stay.
Ateneo goes international
Aside from being an opportunity to form international student relations, ACE also aims to help international students hone their proficiency in the English language.
“NKUST initially wanted their students to enhance their English speaking skills in practice. They find our ACE program as an ideal partner where students can enhance their English speaking skills while encountering cultural and societal practices other than their own,” ACE Project Head Trish Carbaja said.
However, during this year’s implementation, Carbaja revealed that the inclement weather heavily affected their itinerary. Heavy rains by Super Typhoon Egay limited the delegate experiences to indoor activities such as asynchronous lectures and online forums.
Despite these, the visiting students were still able to interact with different aspects of Ateneo and Filipino culture through the different campus offices, organizations, and people from all walks of life.
Exploring an immersive Manila
In order to further immerse NKUST students in the local culture, the delegates were also given opportunities to appreciate the Philippine landscape and demography.
NKUST Delegate Elin said that one of her cherished activities was hiking in the Masungi Georeserve at Tanay, Rizal—a “new experience outside of Taiwan.” She added that these experiences were more meaningful as this was the first time she and most of her group have traveled and engaged with people abroad.
“In Taiwan, we don’t engage with the Filipinos a lot, but [during the ACE program, we] were able to talk to them and break our own stereotypes of them,” stated Elin.
NKUST Delegate Troye agreed with Elin’s sentiments, as he appreciated the hospitality of the ACE volunteers and facilitators. “[They] helped me a lot and were very patient. I appreciate all of the volunteers [who] helped me and let me learn more about the Philippines’ culture,” Troye said.
Strengthening foreign ties
To culminate the entire program, a closing and awarding ceremony was held to thank the NKUST students for their active participation.
After the ceremony, Troye reflected that the volunteers of ACE were very “approachable, generous, and accommodating” despite the language barrier. According to him, they were able to learn the value of hospitality from the Atenean volunteers and professors who accompanied them in activities outside of the Ateneo.
Similarly, Elin stated that the ACE experience has been a “precious memory” for those who have participated as it helped enrich their knowledge of culture and overseas relations.
With the success of the program, Carbaja disclosed ongoing discussions about the ACE’s continuation, hoping that the next batches would be just as inspired to interact and understand everyday Filipino life.
With reports by Chaezie Chariz Cabel
