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! My name is Debora Ashly Gomez Sajbin and I am excited to share my story with you. Before doing it, I want you to know that my dad helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. I was born on October 19, 2015. I am glad because I am healthy. I attend school as a first grader again. I like playing soccer, and my favorite pets are rabbits. My favorite color is pink, and I love eating spaghetti. I live with my biological parents and brothers. I have two brothers but no sisters. My mom and dad work hard as auxiliary nurses to support our family. Their names are Adan Gomez Calachij and Estela Sajbin Menchu. While they work, my siblings and I are under the care of a nanny. Fortunately, my family is doing well.

We are a Christian Evangelical family and attend Christ Church. We live in a rented house. My parents pay Q1000=$127.67 per month. It has three rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of blocks with a concrete roof and granite floors. We have electricity and running water at home. Some of our greatest needs are groceries. My brothers and I enjoy attending the feeding program. We usually walk five minutes from our house to get to the program. I say goodbye to you now but thank you so much for reading my letter. I hope to hear from you someday.

With many blessings,

Debora Ashly Gomez Sajbin

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala