My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult and somewhat isolated from the outside world. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years electricity and water has become available to most people in the area - however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value. Life in Quiché is always a challenge.

Hello! I am Paola Gonzalez Larios and I feel so happy to share with you a little about me. I am ten years old and I was born on March 10, 2011. I am in good health. I attend the Chixocol feeding program. I have one sister. I am in the fourth grade at school, and I receive my classes every Monday. My favorite meal is scrambled egg. I like to spend my time drawing. My favorite color is pink, and my favorite pet is the dog. I live with my adoptive parents. I have the last name of my adoptive father. He is Marvin Gonzalez Chingo, and I have the last name of my biological mother. Her name is Julia Larios Pol. My mother gave me up for adoption because she did not have the economic resources to support me. I had communication with her some time ago. Now, I do not know about her. My adoptive mother is Irma Yolanda Gomez Gomez. Both of my adoptive parents supply our needs by working as teachers. We have our own house which is made of concrete block, tin sheet roof and cement floor. We have three rooms with a separate kitchen. We have two dogs and two cats at home. We have running water and electricity. My sister and I walk about five minutes to attend the feeding program. We attend Christian Church every Saturday.

Many blessings,

Paola Gonzalez Larios

Translated by: Esther Hernández, AAC Secretary/Antigua