My name is Flor. I was born in 1982, in San Juan Sacatepéquez, near the capital city.Well, my father suffered. He was someone who was very active in our community and during the years ’82 and ’83, they wanted to kill him.There were people in my village who had a list of people’s names, and my father’s name was on it. Some cards arrived at our house that said that my father was going to die!

My parents didn’t know what to do, with four kids already, where were they going to go? We didn’t have money. My father considered going to live in the Petén, a place very far from where we lived, to hide. But he didn’t want to go, he was very involved with doing a lot of projects with the Church.

One time he was hidden in the house.We lived in a very small house, including a part that had been excavated so that my father could hide.And my siblings never, ever could go out. We were always enclosed.And all of this has come to affect us very much.

My mother is…that is, she got sick from everything that had happened.And, after everything returned to being calm and normal,ahugefearstayedwithusalways,thatoneday,thesame thing would happen again. But it never did.

When I finished primary school, my father didn’t want me to continue studying, and this was very hard for me, because I always liked to study. But he said,‘No, what for? Some day this fear could return, one day the same thing could happen. It’s better that you follow the example of your mother who is a tranquil person, nothing ever happens to her.’

But, in spite of what he says, I want to change, I want to move ahead, to rise above this, and to be able to help if someday the same thing happens. I want to be someone who can defend our rights.This is what influenced me to study law. Now I am in the fifth year of the law program.

All children should know what happened during that time. There are books that say this, but to hear it from someone is totally different. It’s not something one can read.

I want to salute my companions that experienced all of this, I am very sorry that this happened to you, but anímate! (take heart!) Here we are, and we have to move forward.