I adored my maternal grandmother. She was short and plump with a crown of white hair framing a broad round face. Her life wasn’t easy and years of hard work lined her face, but it was a face dominated by wise and remarkably kind eyes. I see the same strength and wisdom and loving presence in the abuelas of Oaxaca. Across years and miles, they bring a little of my grandma back and it makes me smile.
And, speaking of Oaxaca’s awesome abuelas…
Mexican grandmother graduates from primary school at age 100
By Luc Cohen
MEXICO CITY | Wed Jun 26, 2013 11:30pm IST
(Reuters) – You’re never too old to learn: Mexican grandmother Manuela Hernandez has finally graduated from primary school – at the age of 100.
Born in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca in June 1913, the year before World War One began, she left primary school after just a year to help her poor family with household chores.
Hernandez only resumed her studies in October at age 99 at the recommendation of a grandchild, and she was handed her diploma at a celebration on Saturday.
“I liked school very much, but I could not continue studying,” she told Uno TV. “By the next year I could already wash and iron.”
Hernandez will continue her studies in secondary school.
More than half of Oaxaca state residents older than 15 have not completed primary education, the second-highest rate in the country behind neighboring Chiapas, a state education official said. (Reporting by Luc Cohen; Editing by Simon Gardner and Cynthia Osterman)
You might want to also take a look at this brief video of Manuela Hernandez explaining why she had to leave school as a child.
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