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 fondly, wishing all kinds of blessings for you. My name is Juana Estefany Jimon Santiago and this is my story. I was born on August 16, 2013, and I am the oldest child in my family. I live with my parents and three younger brothers. I do not have any sister. I attend school as a second grader again. I have a lot of fun playing with my friends at school during recess time. My favorite color is white, I love eating black beans with eggs, and my favorite animals are rabbits. My father’s name is Carlos Jimon Morente. He makes a living by digging river sand and farming the land for other people. While he works outside, my mom works by washing clothes for other people to get an extra income to support our family. Her name is Magdalena Santiago Simaj. By God’s grace, we are in good health.

We attend Prince of Peace Christian Church. We live in our own house that has two rooms but no kitchen. However, my mother prepares our meals in a rustic room made of wood and tin sheets. Our home is made of brick walls with tile and tin sheet roof and dirt floors. There are no essential services at home, but one of our neighbors sells us water and my paternal grandfather shares electricity with us. My parents take turns paying for those services monthly. We raise chickens at home. My parents work hard to provide what my siblings and I need, but their jobs are unstable. Some of our greatest needs are clothes, groceries, and corn. The feeding program is 30 minutes from where I live. Therefore, my siblings and I get there by walking. To end this letter, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. Thank you so much for reading my information! I say goodbye to you now, but I hope to hear from you soon.

From the bottom of my heart,

Juana Estefany Jimon Santiago

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala