Riana

I met up with Riana on the bus the other day. She was running to catch the bus as she was slightly late. As soon as she was seated, I asked her how she was and remarked that I havent seen her for a long time. She told me that she has been away to It@|y spending some time with her family. And since her daughter needed an operation due to an injury during a ski trip, she stayed home to drive her daughter to campus, as well as pysiotheraphy.

And she told me that while waiting for her daughter to finish class on campus, she roamed around in the University, reliving her days as a student. She already had a Masters in Economics and was lecturing for awhile before following her husband to the M|ddle E@st. Her love was for Economics and Antropology. And she told me that she talked to the people in the faculty and found out that she can do her Masters in Antropology next.

And she turns 61 this year.

"I just want to go back to do my Masters in Antropology. I would be doing it for my personal pleasure"

And I am so impressed. How many of us would have the interest, the energy and the dedication to study again at 61?

That bought me back to my days as an undergraduate in UofC. There were some older students in some of my classes. I talked to one of them who told me that he was doing his Degree in Literature because he wanted to prove to himself that he can do it.

I wonder what I would be doing when I am 60.

Then again Riana doesn't look or behave 60. She appears much younger and is often doing all sorts of things to make herself busy.

But next month she will be moving away and she told me that they are planning to retire in 3 years time. Thank you Riana. Its such a pleasure to know you. And I am inspired by your outlook in life.