My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is more than a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major corps. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Many greetings from Pasojoc I! My full name is Heidy Rogelia Hernandez Garcia, and I am so happy to tell you a little about my life through this letter. I was born on March 15, 2017. Fortunately, I am a healthy 9-year-old girl. I am in second grade at school. My favorite color is purple and I love playing with dolls in my free time. I like rabbits and my favorite food is fried chicken. I live with my grandmother and brother. I have one brother and one sister. I do not have my mother with me because she traveled to the United States about one year and a half ago with my young sister. Fortunately, they are doing well. My mother’s name is Maribel Hernandez Garcia. She has a job in a poultry farm.

As a single mother, she took the decision to migrate to another country to supply our family needs. Most of them are groceries, especially corn. About my father, I only know that his name is Vinicio Ruiz Calachij. He abandoned us many years ago, and sadly, he did not want to recognize me legally. My brother and I live under the care of my grandmother, Maria Garcia De La Cruz. She is a housewife and raises chickens and pigs for our consumption. We live in a two-room house with a kitchen, which belongs to my grandmother. It is made of adobe with tile roof and dirt floor. We have electricity, but no running water at home. Fortunately, we can get water from a spring, which costs us Q300=$39.09 annually.

We are a humble family and most of our needs are groceries, especially corn. About our spiritual life, I tell you that we attend Spring Pentecostal Church. I am so happy to be part of the feeding program in Pasojoc. This is the main feeding program in my village and to get there, we usually walk for about one hour. However, I can also enjoy my meals at a nearby school in Pasojoc I. This benefits me so much because I only walk for fifteen minutes from my house to get there. It is time to say goodbye, but I hope you enjoyed reading my information.

From the bottom of my heart,

Heidy Rogelia Hernandez Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol, A-A-C Secretary / Guatemala