My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes generally constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small, specialized stores, a body repair shop for buses, mechanics, plumbers and many other small-town tradesmen. It also has a large open-air market which serves much of the area. Even with all of this, the poverty level is very high, and the children are very needy.

Hello! I greet you excitedly, hoping this letter finds you doing well. My name is Alison Mariana Tomasa Conoz Xon and this is my story. I was born on December 18, 2016. I am in kindergarten. By God's grace, I am in good health, and so is my family. My favorite color is lilac, and I love cats. There are many delicious dishes, but there is nothing better than chicken wings in barbecue sauce. I love playing with my dolls and drawing. The people who I live with are my parents and sisters. I have two sisters but no brothers. My father’s name is Manuel Alberto Conoz Perez. He makes a living as an elementary school teacher. He works until noon and after school, he takes care of my sisters and me. My mother is also a teacher. Her name is Maria Elena Xon Chumil. She gives classes at a junior high school in another town in Quiche. Therefore, we can only spend time with her on weekends.

We attend the Catholic Church in our community. We live in a rented house. My father pays Q600=$76.53 per month. The house has three bedrooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of blocks with a tin sheet roof and ceramic floors. We have electricity and running water. My father pays for those services too. Some of our needs are groceries. My sisters and I attend the feeding program in Zacualpa. Getting there takes us five minutes by motorcycle. To end this letter, I want you to know that my cousin, Luz Maldonado, helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. She is the one who takes care of my sisters and me while my mom and dad work. I say goodbye to you for now, but I hope you found this engaging. See you later!

Many kisses and hugs,

Alison Mariana Tomasa Conoz Xon

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala