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! I greet you lovingly, hoping you are doing well. My name is Merhleih Elisa Mejia and this is my story. I was born on July 16, 2017. I am in kindergarten and after school, I have fun playing freeze tag. My favorite color is sky blue. I love bears, and my favorite meal is fried chicken. The people who I live with are my mother and siblings. I have one brother and one sister. I do not have my biological father’s last name because he abandoned my mom when she was pregnant with me. I know nothing about him. My mother’s name is Deisy Elizabeth Mejia. She is a very busy housewife. She established a relationship with Mr. Santos Arevalo about six years ago. He lives and works hard in the United States to support our necessities. He has made a living as a mason and has lived there for about two years. He keeps in touch with us every day. As for health, let me tell you my whole family and I are healthy.

My family and I do not attend any church at the moment. We live in a rented house. My stepfather pays Q800=$102.03 per month. The house has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of concrete blocks with concrete roofs and ceramic floors. We have electricity and a well to get fresh water. We raise some chickens at home. Some of our greatest needs are clothes, groceries, and a new closet. My siblings and I attend the feeding program in Zacualpa. We usually walk for 20 minutes from where we live to get there. I will leave you now, but before that, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. See you later!

Sincerely yours,

Merhleih Elisa Mejia

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala