My stepmother had a large family, so my stepbrothers and stepsisters faced difficulties in life, too. I went to school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I stayed at home to help with cooking, feeding the pigs, herding buffaloes, farming, and so on. Despite the difficulties, I felt secured since I had my father protect me. But liver cancer took my beloved father away from me, when I was 12. I felt absolutely powerless and gave up on life. But, as time went on, we continued to live and study with the love and care of my stepmother and brothers and sisters. Because our circumstance was so terrible, I dropped out of school several times. However, I had a tremendous desire to continue my study, so I went to the highlands in the summer to peel the bark of acacia trees to earn money to buy school supplies. Then, just as things were beginning to improve, my older sister died of an illness while I was in 12th grade. I was devastated since the last of my beloved family passed away.
