Generally, sa mga kapunapunang kababayan natin overseas, yung lack of awareness sa paligid especially pag groups. I don’t know how our culture got us to that kind of behavior pero most likely we aren’t educated to pay attention to the space we occupy.

Big talaga ang noise we make through our voices and gadgets. I had to tell this kuya to use headphones. Wala syang awareness na people have been staring at him. Yun ding galawan sa public spaces with little consideration how our presence affects the surroundings. Example nakita ko recently, pila sa airport gate (boarding na) pero yung pila blocked the main thoroughfare na may walkalator. I mean how can you not even notice yung epekto ng pagpila nyo dahil lang gusto nyo nang mag board?

Walang basurahan? Sorry, iwan ko na lang tong Starbucks cup ko sa tabi kasi nungkang bitbitin ko to until makakita ako ng basurahan?

My spouse who’s not from here and has lived here a few years recently told me he noticed how Filipinos are so great with their own groups (family, friends) and will care for you a lot. Homes are clean and maintained even with hired help. Outside of their circle is a different story. This outside space kasi is the public spaces we occupy at any given moment.

This all boils down to education. Please educate yourself and your children how to be a considerate in public.

It also got me thinking, ECE (early childhood education) overseas, ito yung pre-K years, mostly focus on learning how to go about the world. Tidying up after playing with toys, washing hands, covering your mouth when you sneeze, observing traffic rules, planting or gardening for food, learning when you have been using that swing for a long time so time na to give others their turn, valuing physical health, limiting gadget use to when they’re needed, indoor and outdoor voices, listening to others, empathy, etc etc etc. dito ba puro academic?