Running Errands and a Nostalgic Back-to-School Tradition of our family

Hello friends and dear hivers in this lovely community! I’ll be sharing with you again an experience most Asians like Filipinos gets excited about when summer is almost over and it’s time to be back at school.

Summer Vacation is almost over so it’s about time to prepare for the opening of classes here in the Philippines. In line with this, buying school essentials and supplies is one of the most awaited part of being a student. So, today, we went on a school supplies shopping and a quick grocery run with my mom and my cousins.

It has been our tradition to buy school supplies for my cousins’ weeks ahead of the back-to-school season. We do this to avoid the crowds of people rushing to shop at the last minute. Some benefits of it aside from avoiding the rush include better and enough time for selection of items, less stress, still getting time for customization of your things, early bird discounts and of course the peace of mind that it gives you knowing you’re already ready for the upcoming school year. So, thanks for the opportunity to be able to save up so we can do this yearly tradition on time.

Now that I’m already an adult and a teacher, I find joy in buying these things early because it helps me heal my inner child. Back when I was still a student, there were times that we really struggled financially and buying school supplies used to be done at the last minute. Sometimes, even if you want to shop early, you just can’t, especially when the budget is tight. As a little way of sharing what I have, I extend help to my cousins by helping their mom in paying for some of their school stuff.

We went to Lee Plaza and searched for the items we needed. I am surprised with the variety of stuff we can choose from bags, school uniforms, notebooks, pen & paper down to school shoes. Reminiscing about the good old days, I can still remember that good quality notebooks were just ranging from 10 -20 pesos but now, a nice notebook costs 20 pesos above. Knowing inflation, I’m not anymore shocked with the price so even though my tita prepared enough money, I insisted on paying some and buying my cousins a new pair of jeans and shirt.

We couldn’t find the shoes we’re looking for at the department store, so we went to this local shop that offers good quality shoes named GIBI. I promised Ikay, my cousin who lives with us to buy a new pair of good school shoes. Although it’s a bit pricey, I did not hesitate to buy it for her. It’s an investment. Quality shoes last longer and can handle daily wear and tear. You might spend a bit more since this cost me around 2,000 pesos, but I know it will save us from having to replace them often.

Just a little back story about why this meant so much to me:
Back when I was in Grade 6, my mom bought me a pair of hand-me-down school shoes from a garage sale. That pair was branded and it still looked nice. My mom proudly told me that it was a good buy for its price. But one stormy day, I had to walk through flood water to get to school and the sole of my shoe completely came off. I arrived at school soaking wet, wearing shoes with no soles and to make it worse, my classroom was on the 3rd floor of the school building. I had to walk up all those stairs with my broken shoes. It was such a humiliating and uncomfortable experience for me.

When my mom picked me up after school, I couldn’t help but cry. But instead of comforting me, she got mad. I was too young to understand that maybe she was also tired, or she may have felt bad and didn’t know how to show it. I told her about this vivid memory today, and we just laughed about it. She even said sorry. That moment made me realize that maybe back then she wanted to comfort me but couldn’t because she also felt bad and didn’t know how to control her emotions. I’m in awe thinking how she had to hide her pain and act strong even when she knew she couldn’t give me the best at the time.

This experience stuck with me. So now, buying my cousin a good pair of school shoes doesn’t feel like a splurge, it feels like giving her the comfort and confidence I once wished I had.
Right after buying school related stuff, we had lunch on my treat and a quick grocery run. We only bought a few items to replenish our stocks at home. As an adult, my greatest wish is to be wealthy enough to be able to shop without looking at the price tags. Sometimes going to grocery stores feels like a slow-motion robbery. The prices of basic commodities really drain pockets so I hope may we all be blessed with opportunities to earn more to be able to provide.

Now that I’ve shared my story, I wonder if do other families across ASEAN Community have the same back to school tradition or stories? Or maybe it’s just a Filipino thing? Either way, I will always carry this little moment with me that shaped me and continue to shape how we care for those we love.

That’s all for today! Thank you for reading!

• All photos used in this post were mine and edited through the help of Canva.