My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, 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 Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Special regards from Quiche, Guatemala! I am Agustin Eliceo Calachij Garcia, and it is a pleasure to share with you a little about my life. I was born on August 12, 2016. By the grace of the Lord, I am a healthy boy. I have a lot of fun playing with my toy cars. My favorite color is white. I love having fried fish for my meals. My favorite animals are cows. I am repeating second grade, and I am so happy because I can enjoy delicious meals from LW after classes at school. I live in Pasojoc III, and school is about a 20-minute walk from my house. The people who I live with are my mother and sisters. I have two sisters, but no brothers. I want to open my heart and tell you that my father is not part of my life because he traveled to the United States, and after a while of being there, he abandoned us. He stopped getting in touch with us about two years ago. His name is Mario Calachij Quino.

Fortunately, my mother is a brave woman, who strives to move forward with our family. Her name is Candelaria Garcia de la Cruz. She is a single parent and works as a day laborer. She also washes clothes for other people to supply the household expenses and our needs. Most of them are groceries. Fortunately, everybody is doing well. We attend Life Christian Church. We live in our own-three room house with a separated kitchen. However, the house legally belongs to my father. It is made of adobe with tile roof, and dirt floor. We have electricity and get water from a natural spring. Luckily, we have enough space at home to raise chickens for our consumption. This is all for now, but I appreciate you taking the time to read my information.

Sincerely yours,

Agustin Eliceo Calachij Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol, A-A-C Secretary / Guatemala