My Life in an African Village

I grew up in a village in Africa. Growing up was not a hard experience for me. My friends and I played with toys we made, built traps to catch small animals and hunted rabbits.At night we told stories and sang folk songs. I helped with the farm work. Since I didn't have any sisters until later, I had to do some of the chores(琐事) usually done by girls.
When I finished primary school, people in my village were living in poverty. They could not find markets for palm oil （棕榈油）， which was the main source of income. My father had gone into debt and could not afford to give me a high school education. But this was not too serious. In those days, it was rare for boys from my village to go to high school.
I became a primary school teacher in another village when I was 16. I met many new people through teaching. But for the first time I was alone-without my family and the villagers I had always known.
After I had taught in the primary school for five years, I was admitted to a college. When I graduated, I faced great responsibilities. My family expected me to use my education wisely. My home village saw me as special because of my education. The villagers expected me to lead them because they had a great desire to “get up". Our people used this expression to mean that they wanted to become part of the modern world. Could I help the town get up? This was the question I faced when I finished college.

11. The writer's childhood experience was not hard because he（）.