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, hoping you are doing well. My name is Anderson Andres Calachij Alvarado and I want to tell you a little bit about my life through this letter. I hope you find it engaging. I was born on December 16, 2012. I am a healthy boy and I love cats. I attend school as a fourth grader. I have fun playing soccer. My favorite color is blue, and I love eating pizza. The people who I live with are my mother, father, and two sisters. I do not have any brothers. My father’s name is Tomas Calachij de la Cruz. He works as an elementary teacher. My mother’s name is Francisca Maribel Alvarado. She does a fantastic job as a housewife.

We attend God’s Church in our community. My family and I live with my paternal grandparents in their house. Their house has six rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of bricks with a tile roof and granite floors. We have electricity and get water from a nearby river. We are a needy family, and our greatest needs are groceries. The feeding program is closer to where I live because I only walk for three minutes to get there. To end this letter, I want you to know that my mom helped me give all this information to a teacher of LW. I say goodbye to you now, but I would love to hear from you soon. May you have a blessed day!

Kind regards,

Anderson Andres Calachij Alvarado

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala