Sometimes after school my friend and I would dig for worms to catch fish in the rice fields.

We used bamboo sticks as fishing rods.

To make bamboo rods, first hone the bamboo to get a small slender trunk. Then put it on a fire to soften the curve.

When that is done, tie a string tightly at the top of the bamboo and tie a hook with a worm at the bottom of the string. Push the stick into the ground next to the water.

We used about forty or fifty sticks, then we went home and waited. After about three hours we came back to see if we had caught any fish, leaving the sticks in all night.

I had to wake up early to collect the sticks.

Sometimes I found fish to cook, but sometimes I got something else such as eels or frogs. I didn’t eat them!

• Her Life Story