Hello, I am Alfred Paka at your service.

Who am I?

I remember the movie Who am I starring Jackie Chan. He was thought to be a fugitive but he on the other hand was so clueless who he was. Sometimes, we perceive ourselves according to how others view us. There are also times that we show to others how we want others to perceive us. With this, we can say that we showcase different characters and traits.

Through this blog, I would like you to welcome to my simple life as a husband, father of lovely children, public administrator, and servant of God.

To formally start my introduction, I want to leave you with my favorite expression which is Paka! It means amazing, wonderful, or could be used for other positive terms.

Before anything else, I would like you to meet my family.

I am Alfredo but you can call by Alfred. The woman beside me is my lovely wife, Dahlia just like the flower. We had been married for more than twenty years and I am still in love with her up to this moment. I met her during our college years while taking up education. She currently works as a master teacher in a public high school in our city.

We have three kids who are all labor of love. My eldest daughter, Jhad Lith (who is not in the photo) has been with the good Lord for more than eight years because of cancer. It was one of the lowest point of our lives but I am just so thankful for the years that I spent with her as her father. She has been one of the precious gifts that my wife and I received.

My second child, Johanna Gail or also known as @gailbelga here was the one who introduced this social media platform to me. She is the lovely lady wearing the green but somewhat colorful dress. She is already 24 years old and a freelance artist. As you observed, she loves to travel a lot and write stories about it.

This is how the seaport looked like when we tried to fetch her. She has been gone home for more than 8 days. I was very excited to see her again so we came to the point ahead of the estimated time of arrival. I was reading her blog entries before and it enticed me to join this network.

My only son, Jose Alfred, 22 years old, is currently working in a private construction company in Cagayan de Oro City. He is travelling to Manolo Fortich Bukidnon most of the time because his current project is situated there. At the age of 14 years old, he took up Civil Engineering and graduated with the degree at the age of 19.

I am indeed a proud father who has been blessed with wonderful children.

Aside from that, I came from a big family, with my siblings who are mostly boys. We grew up near the sea port in Cagayan de Oro.

I was not born in a rich family so I really worked hard during my childhood years and even until now. I worked before as a porter. I also used to sell ice and ice water to have some extra income. I was even a scholar to make my dreams come true. Life was so hard way back then but I worked hard and prayed hard to God as well.

What do I do for living?

I currently work as a high school administrator or also known as school principal in one of the fathest school in the uptown area in our city. It has been years since I became a school principal and I must say it is one of the most challenging but fulfilling thing that ever happened to me.

Since 2006 - 2007, I had been a school administrator on eight different high schools (ranging from far-flung areas to city high schools). I was also able to experience handling a school where it experience the Bagyong Sendong or Typhoon Haiyan that killed more than a thousand people as it has caused an urban flood. An alumni of ours was one of the victims that died during the surge.

As a school administrator, I must say indeed it was a blessing. I was able to be in different families. My teachers and I were able to work hand in hand beating deadlines and solving problems in school including teenage pregnancy.

It has also been a blessing to me to be involved in different advocacies for the development of the students, and also protecting the welfare and rights of the students. As a nation-builder of this country, I was, and will still be an advocate for the betterment of the communities by enabling students.

Before becoming a school administrator, and even until now, I travel the country often to facilitate and help athletes from different schools in our city as I majored in Physical Education. It was great to travel to different places (although tiring at some point) and equip players to perform better. I was able to travel with my family too as it often occurs on summer break.

I was also given a lot of opportunities to work abroad, but then I do love giving service to our countrymen. More than the money I earn, it is the sense of fulfillment that excites me each and every day of my life.

What do I love to do?

Aside from the fact that it is my responsibility as a school administrator, I love to engage myself with the community. I firmly believe that it is important to unlock the imprisoned potential of every child and make most of their lives.

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Outside school, I also love to watch sports games and be updated from time to time especially basketball. It is a way for me to destress myself.

I also love to travel from time to time with my family. It is really my wife who loves to travel a lot, but then because I love her that much, I always want to be next to her. It is also a great learning experience to travel.

What can you expect from me?

From time to time, I will share snippets about history, culture, leadership, and a lot more. I might also share my point of view towards different issues.

What I expect from you?

I wish to make friends with you all that would last not only here on steemit but even in personal. I expect to be in a network of people who build up each other morally and even financially. I learned that this platform has helped build and make communities stronger.

Thank you for reading my story and introductory post. Have a great day! Paka!