My Story

PT0061                                     

Pasojoc III, where your child lives, is located in an extremely remote area of the mountains in Quiche, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world.  It is a 3-hour walk to the nearest market town.  The people who inhabit the area are Quiche Indians who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiche, however, Spanish is becoming more common.  The climate is basically warm, but it can get very cold at night.  Houses in this area are typically constructed of adobe with tin sheet or tile roofs and dirt floors.  Pasojoc III is an area rich with natural resources.  It is a farming area where the inhabitants grow staples such as corn, beans and other types of vegetables.  Many families also raise domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.  Many of the families travel to the coast for several months each year to find work cutting cane or coffee.  Sadly, many of the children do not go to school because of lack of economic resources and because of the sheer distance they would have to walk to reach school.  As a result, the majority of the people are unable to read or write.  Many of the teenagers leave home at an early age to search for employment in other areas in Guatemala.

Hello, my name is Sandra Andrea Grave de la Cruz.  I was born on June 1, 2009 and I am ten years old.  I am a healthy child and I walk about five minutes to get to the feeding program here in Pasojoc III on Wednesday.  On Saturday when I go to the program at Pasojoc I, I walk about 50-60 minutes.  My mother’s name is Andrea and she is a housewife.  We live in the house with my grandmother.  The house is adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  We have water and electricity.  We travel to the coast to work during the coffee harvest at the end of the year.  We have some sheep, hens, dogs and one cat.  I am repeating 2^nd grade.  My favorite color is white and my favorite animal is the rabbit.  The food that I like best is caldo de pollo (traditional chicken soup with vegetables).   In my free time, I like to play ball.

With much love and many blessings,

Sandra Andrea Grave de la Cruz

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary