The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success.

You have to laugh and find humor every day.

You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.

Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

Remember, growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional!

The Montessori Children’s Center International bustled to the sounds of children playing, clowns and parents enjoying the festive atmosphere at the school’s recent Circus Fun Fair. Plenty of fun games were available for the kids, such as the ‘Lion Tamer’, Golf, and the Duck Pond with everyone, including parents, joining in the fun. Traditional party games and food were available for everyone with some wolfing down delicious chocolate cup cakes.

Tough to tame this Lion

Later in the day the horse races began for all students, and the Clown Race was hilarious as the kids had to dress up in a clown outfit complete with red nose. Not to be left out, the parents had their chance to prove their skills in the Coconut Stilt Race, ending up with some of the parents on the ground and coconut stilts flying, much to the amusement of the crowd.

The finale of the day was a Magic Show by Zorro and team. Zorro is one of Asia’s best magicians and pulled more than a rabbit out of a hat to entertain all the children and the young at heart. The Circus Fun Fair was a great success with everyone enjoying the fun and games.

Young ISR boarding students hard at work in the kitchen producing goodies for the sale.

The Primary Student Guild of the International School of the Regents held a very successful bake sale recently and some very hard work by parents, teachers and students alike ensured that some very delicious fare was on offer.

Helping local charities is an important part of the Guild’s work, and the proceeds of the sale went towards buying some furniture for a local children’s home.