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 Armando Benito Simaj. I was born on April 2, 2010, and I am 11 years old. I am a healthy boy, and I am in second grade this year. I keep playing soccer in my free time. I love red, and I like rabbits. My favorite food is fried chicken. I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters. I live about two hours away from the feeding program; my oldest sister is part of the program too. We are attending Prince of Peace Church.

I am under the care of my parents. My father’s name is Pedro Benito Ajqui, and he works as a farmer and day laborer. My mother’s name is Magdalena Simaj De La Cruz, and she is a housewife. My whole family goes to pick coffee beans at the coast for two months when it is the harvest season. We live in our own house which has one room and one kitchen. The room is made of adobe while the kitchen is made of wood; they both have a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We do not have electricity, so we use candles at night. We have to walk for about 20 minutes to bring water from a natural spring; we use jars for it. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

Hugs and kisses

Armando Benito Simaj

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua