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.

Hello! It is a privilege for me to greet you through this letter. My name is Eskarleth Aryana Grave Castro and I want to tell you a little bit about my life. I was born on January 8, 2018. I am in good health, and I attend preschool this year. My favorite hobby is playing with my dolls, and I love rabbits. My favorite color is red, and my favorite dish is spaghetti. The people who I live with are my biological parents. I am an only child. My father’ name is Oscar Romero Grave Ortega. He has his own business where he sells some construction materials like tin sheets. My mother’s name is Petronila Marisol Castro Quintanilla. She dedicates her full time to our family.

My family and I attend Liberty Church. We live in our own house; it has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of bricks with tile roof and concrete floors. We have electricity and running water; my father pays for those services monthly. We have a lovely dog at home. We are a needy family, and our main needs are groceries. I live near the feeding program. I only walk 15 minutes from my house to get there. To end this letter, I want you to know that my mother helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. I will leave you now, but I appreciate you reading my letter. See you later!

With much love,

Eskarleth Aryana Grave Castro

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala