| Tales about one’s very important personal affiliation – the family. |
Accomplished educator from the Philippines, now living in the U.S, said. ” God creates the human families and grants them the ability to weave stories of their own existence. The Morada Clan of Bicol, therefore, as any family in the world, cannot claim a monopoly on life’s blessings and crucibles. But let me tell our peculiar stories just the same.”
He continued.” We are neither perfect, nor are our stories grandiose, but it’s our imperfections and their simplicity that make our stories more compelling and relatable. Even before the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, we told ourselves that someone had got to narrate them, or they could lapse and fade into insignificance and oblivion. That’s how and why my role came into being.”
“At work in Texas, they called me Mr. Purple. From an obscure corner of the Third World came this educator with his bio, love affair, work exploits, bittersweet memoir, and family history replete with actual events and genuine people, rolled into one.
With the pandemic as standpoint, here is a look-back at the itsy-bitsy events that form the collective tale of my family and me—and my pursuit of the American Dream.”
About the author: Mr. Arcadio Morada, Jr. was born and raised in the Philippines, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Education and had taught in catholic schools for several years before migrating to the United States in 1992. He worked as a certified educator in Elementary Mathematics (Grades 1-8) and Elementary Self-Contained (Grades 1-6) in the State of Texas.
He also held a certificate in Religious Education and Guidance and Counseling from Mother of Life Center (Quezon City, Philippines) and a Religion Certification from the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas. For 26 years, he had served as a seasoned educator at the Brownsville Independent School District, the Diocese of Brownsville, and the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District until his retirement in 2018. After 44 years of teaching experience, Mr. Purple now calls Woodside, New York, and Camalig, Albay, Philippines, his homes