Summary

An elderly woman recounts her experience searching for a new home in Gran Canaria with her family, reflecting on societal attitudes towards the elderly and expressing her desire for independence and fun.

Abstract

The author shares her journey of exploring potential homes in Gran Canaria with her family, including the joy of riding camels and the serious consideration of living arrangements for her and her daughter's future. She confronts the stereotypes and challenges faced by older women, such as being seen as incompetent or undesirable, and the rarity of services catering to the elderly. Despite this, she celebrates her 70th birthday with a visit to a coffee farm and aspires to continue living independently in Spain. The article concludes with her musings on the solitude she enjoys, her homicidal thoughts towards inconsiderate campers, and the prospect of living in a caravan.

Opinions

The author believes that society holds a negative stereotype of old women, viewing them as incompetent and undesirable.
She is aware of the past and present mistreatment of the elderly, particularly the lack of services and consideration for their needs.
The author values her independence and ability to adapt, as evidenced by her learning to roast coffee and her openness to living in a caravan.
She harbors a strong preference for personal space and privacy, to the extent that she fantasizes about violent retribution against those who encroach upon it.
Despite the challenges of aging, the author maintains a sense of humor and an adventurous spirit, looking forward to a life filled with fun and new experiences.

I Told My Friends I Could Live Happily In A Caravan…

This is What They Found For Me:

Camels for hire at Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. Photo by the Author

Well, they made a great effort, which is still ongoing. My family and I spent a week in Gran Canaria. The main objective of the trip was to look for somewhere to live. For me, now, and for my daughter and her husband, later in life.

We had a lot of fun, saw a couple of possible houses, and yes, we rode camels. A great way of seeing the sand dunes in the south.

Camels, have traditionally been used for agricultural work here in the Canary Islands. Camel ploughing is still used in some countries, though I’ve never seen it. This photo is from Pakistan:

Farmers in Kertee (Pakistan) using a camel for ploughing. By Gumansingh12340, 12 September 2013. wikimedia commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The problems with being an old woman

It would be easier to re-home an adult tiger. I don’t believe anyone really wants old women, though they seldom admit it. You never see an advertisement looking for us do you? Or even an advertisement offering any services we might do?

There’s a whole stereotyped view of old women which is not attractive. We used to be considered probable witches, and treatment varied between avoidance and outright brutality. These days, age is one of the few personal traits you are allowed to insult.

We are “old buggers,” incompetent with technology. Eventually, some of us might forget who we are, wet ourselves, and sometimes wander off. When that happens, any searches are probably rudimentary. You can be sure that at least some of the lost person’s family don’t want to find them. Unless they need someone to sneer at.

I’m still at the technologically-challenged old bugger stage. I might even improve, but at least hope not to get any worse, and to remain here in Spain until death. Which I hope will be quick and unexpected. For now, here’s a surprise about old women:

Some of us want to have fun

I was seventy on 25 April. Appropriately, two of my three surviving family took me to a coffee farm (the third is studying at University). Among the many skills I’ve collected over the years, I learned how to roast coffee in Cuba. I’ve now had a go of this in Gran Canaria too.

I thought I took photos of the coffee farm, but it seems not. Anyway, here’s a picture taken from Pico de los Nieves, at 1.949 metres the highest point in Gran Canaria. The rock is called Roque Bentaiga. In the background, you can see El Teide, on Tenerife, at 3,718 metres, the highest point in Spain. I went up it on my 63rd birthday.

Homicidal Tendencies

So I had a great week, for which I am truly grateful. Also progress has been made in finding me a home. It was okay being back at my tent, but each time others park their tent too near to mine, I want them dead. There’s no excuse for it, when there’s plenty of space for now.

The summer holidays will be a nightmare.

Luckily for them, I haven’t worked out a reliable way of setting fire to their tents without getting caught. Yet.

On the plus side, if I do get caught I’ll have guaranteed accommodation at least for the duration of my sentence. However, it would probably be better to wait and get something more private and comfortable.

Here’s a last picture of the caravan, which beckons:

Camel caravan at Maspalomas, 2023. Photo by the Author.

It might be a useful option.