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.

It is a pleasure to greet you through this letter. My full name is Victoriano Benito Hernandez, and I want to share with you a little about my life. I was born on July 3, 2014. I attend the fifth grade at school. My favorite pastime is playing soccer. I like the color blue, I love eating fried chicken, and my favorite animals are hens. I tell you that I live with my parents and siblings. I have five brothers and two sisters. Some of them are older and have their own families. My father’s name is Santiago Benito Chivalan. He makes a living as a day laborer and farmer. He also works on a coffee farm at the coast for one month at the end of the year, in order to earn extra income.

My mother’s name is Pabla Hernandez Grave. She is a busy housewife, who raises chickens and cows to contribute to the expenses with the income that she gets from occasional sales. Fortunately, my whole family and I are doing well. We attend a Christian Church called Christian Life. We live in our own two-room house with a separated kitchen. It is made of adobe with a metal tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. We have electricity and get water from a nearby spring. To cover the household expenses, everybody contributes. We are a humble family and most of our needs are food and clothes. I tell you that LW serves delicious food at a nearby school here in Pasojoc I, which is a great blessing. To get there, I usually walk 20 minutes from my house. Goodbye for now, but I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards,

Victoriano Benito Hernandez

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