My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world.  It is more than a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa.  Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major corps.  The Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common.  Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello, my name is Santos Oswaldo Toj Simaj. I was born on April 8, 2016, and I am 5 years old. I am a healthy boy, and I am not attending school yet due to my age. I play soccer and with my toys cars in my free time. I love red, and I like roosters. My favorite food is soup. I have one sister and one brother. I live about 25 minutes away from the feeding program, and my oldest brother, Maynor, is also part of it. We attend the Catholic Church.

I am under the care of my parents. My father’s name is Gabriel Toj Garcia, and he farms the land and works as a day laborer; in addition, he goes to pick coffee beans at the coast for two or three months. My mother’s name is Romelia Simaj Quino, and she is a housewife; she raises domestic animals like hens and sheep. We do not have our own house, so we are living with my paternal grandparents. We have our own room, but we share the kitchen and the home expenses. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We do not have running water and electricity, we use jars to bring water from a natural spring and use candles and oil lamps at night. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

With much love

Santos Oswaldo Toj Simaj

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua