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.

I am so happy to say hello to you through this letter. My name is Rene Valeriano Pascual Hernandez, and I want to share a little bit about my life with you. I hope you find this engaging. I was born on February 4, 2016. I love painting, and my favorite color is red. I am glad because I attend school as a first grader. My favorite animals are cats, and I love eating sausages and rice. The people who I live with are my mother, stepfather, and youngest sister. I do not have any brothers. Sadly, my biological father did not recognize me legally because, when I was born, he traveled to the United States. He is still in that country and occasionally helps me economically. The one who covers all the expenses and needs is my stepfather. His name is Pedro Garcia de la Cruz. He has lived with us for about five years. He makes a living by assisting masons while my mom does the chores and watches my sister and me. Her name is Magdalena Bernarda Pascual Hernandez.

We do not attend any church at the moment. The house where we live belongs to my mother’s relative. He is actually my mom’s uncle, brother of my grandfather. Our relative allows us to live there for free, but my stepfather pays for electricity monthly and running water annually. My great-grandmother also lives with us. The house has five rooms and a separate kitchen. Its walls are made of bricks and blocks; the roofs are tin sheets and tiles; the floors are granite. We raise some hens at home. I enjoy attending the feeding program with my sister. We usually walk five minutes to get there. To end this letter, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. I say goodbye to you for now, but I hope to hear from you soon. May God bless you!

Kisses and hugs,

Rene Valeriano Pascual Hernandez

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala