Conversation Practice with the Over-Seventies

Diep talking with the elderly

On the first day of the field trip to the Wairarapa, ELTO students had a chance to chat for a short time with some old people from Shona MacFarlane Retirement Village. We met them by chance in a restaurant at Lake Ferry near a beach.

My conversation partner was over seventy years old. She told me they really enjoy life in the village. Some people choose the village because they want to stay active as they become older. They do lots of activities in these retirement places and all the village members join together. Sometimes people volunteer their professional knowledge and skills for social activities. Through these activities they become optimistic, and they feel joy of living. Every week, the village organizes a picnic for their members.

After the conversation with the woman about her current life, we could see that a retirement village is a good place for the old people and it should be more popular in the future.