(Continued from Part II…)
How did you decide that you wanted to be a nurse?
I like science. My older sister wanted to be an engineer; she liked math and became a math professor. My other sister likes books—law books. She memorized a speech from beginning to end.
I’ve always liked science, even when I was little. I liked to look at science pictures and science books. My dad always said, “Why are you looking at all those science books about how your heart works?” I just always liked to do that. That’s how it is, though; you find what you like to do, and then you study it. You go into it, and the deeper you go, the better you like it. The human body is a wonderful machine. Treat it well. That’s good advice. Treat your body well, yes.
Did you and your husband travel around the world?
Oh, yes. He traveled to Japan for work. I was supposed to go with him, but I couldn’t go because when I didn’t work anymore, I volunteered a lot in the library and was the school nurse. I was busy all the time, sometimes doing home care for elderly friends. See, I learned how to use my time; you have to be efficient because there’s a lot of work. You don’t get much time for yourself, but you don’t need time for yourself! (We all laugh…) You can always go to sleep.
What is one of your main accomplishments that you’re most proud of?
Everything. Sometimes, when I was young and working in surgery, we would get patients from France, Libya, and Algeria. There was a princess, a very nice lady, who needed surgery at our university hospital. I was asked to fly home with her after the surgeries. So I did. I could just stay a couple of days and then go back to work.
I’ve always liked adventure. That’s great that you jumped at any opportunity. As long as I was available… I just used all of my days off because in France, we didn’t have many days off, but that has changed a lot in the last fifty years. In France at that time, we worked six days a week, but I tried to introduce them to the five-day work system, which was hard to do (with new laws for the workplace and muck more). Now, it is done.
I also tried to install the new intensive care for big surgeries and to train specialized nurses. That’s why my surgeons sent me there [to the United States]. So you could bring back these ideas and concepts. Right, to work more efficiently.
You said that reading was one of your hobbies. Do you have any other hobbies that you do right now?
Well, I swim everyday here, and in the wintertime, since the pool is not heated, I go to our gym and enjoy the spa. I always have much writing and reading to do.
This is just a funny question: if you could support one genre of fine arts, what would it be?
I love the symphony and Opera, operetta. We love pretty music in my family. My sister was a pianist, and her husband was an organist; I think he played every church organ in Europe. He’s a great person. I like music—concert music, and when we were young, we all played the piano.
Have you had any pets during your life?
Who has time? If I lived in the country, I would like a Great Dane. I love the Danes. Some French have Danes; they’re just adorable dogs. I don’t like the little Chihuahuas. (We laugh…)
What are some of your philosophical beliefs about life?
You have to enjoy life. You have to be happy with what you do. Don’t look down at what you could’ve done; do it! Do something nice. Have life in you. Be energetic. Help someone who needs it; there is plenty of need for it.
Yesterday, looking down from my balcony, I did a lifesaving act—poor guy. I went down to the pool fast. He couldn’t get out of the pool. He’s a very nice person; he lost his balance. He couldn’t get back on his feet, so he was hanging on the handrail and just lying on the steps. He couldn’t figure out how to put his feet down. He kept on lying there with his head in the water off and on and called for help. He thanked me profusely afterward.
How would you define a successful life, and what do you think has made your life successful?
Just having a positive outlook on your life, and listen. There’s so much to learn from other people, and I’ve learned from everybody. I learned from you. You’re pretty young to do all that [interviewing]. Are many young girls interested in that nowadays? Would you like to become a journalist or a writer? You are on the right track, already a Girl Scout. Congratulations. Thank you so much!
I know my granddaughter’s boyfriend is a nice guy; he is an Eagle Scout. He is very outgoing, plays the saxophone well, and is always helping someone. You have to prove a good attitude and respect and stay dedicated to your work, your faith, and your actions. I think you’re right; I think it’s the way you grow up, too. Yes, you have to be taught when you are young. Yes, and seeing the way things are when you don’t have food and learning to survive. It was tough… even now, see, because you still have that barrier. I can still remember when my parents were mistreated. You know, you don’t forget that in your life, but you will try to forgive. It affects you in some ways, and I know some people who do not know what war is, only when you are in the middle of it. But science is interesting; science is so wonderful. Now, they have come up with this nanotechnology, though; I haven’t gotten that yet. (We laugh…)
It really is amazing how technology has opened the doors to knowledge and everything. I know; it’s amazing. It’s unbelievable, but my husband had, at that time, a lot of knowledge about that. When he started with his company in programming—when I met my husband (husband-to-be, at that time)—his company in the 60’s had computers that were big drums. The computers had to sit on a solid big block of cement with a certain cool temperature in the room. And the printouts… they were little strips of paper with holes in them. I would say, “How do you read that?” He would say, “Oh, I can read that. It’s easy.” (We all laugh…) It’s totally different, now.
It’s mindboggling how technology came from those big drums. It was very expensive to have those machines in the office like that. They got smarter and smarter—and now those computers are getting smaller and smaller. I have to learn how it works. Well, we will never know enough; the children will learn and know much more in the coming years of their use.
You can find all kinds of information and much, much more. Now, I have a cell phone. My son would say, “Keep your phone hanging around your neck, so you find it fast when I call; it might be my last call.” When he learned to fly helicopters, he was in Kuwait and Korea.
Were you really scared for [your son when he was overseas]?
Yes, I was always worried for him. He’s doing a very good job, like his dad. Now, I get after him because he’s too strict. He says, “Mom, you taught me that.” Yeah, right… (We laugh…) Blaming it on you… He’s so efficient, too, and with a good memory. I guess I had a good memory, too, when I was younger.
When I was working, I used to go climbing in the mountains—high mountains, on a rope. That’s amazing. What kind of mountains have you climbed? In the Alps. You have to go to the Alps if you go to Europe. You haven’t seen Europe if you haven’t seen the Alps. I remember one named L’aiguille du Midi, which is part of the High Alps, which is about 15,000 to 16,000 feet high. If you climb up that mountain, you’re going to see the world.
Did you climb it? No. On the ropes you did, wow. We went down by skiing. That’s a major accomplishment. That’s amazing! That’s one thing I learned when I went to college. In high school, we didn’t have time, and it was a very expensive sport. You need a lot of training before you climb high. We didn’t have time because we had so much to learn. So, in college, you learned how to ski, and you skied down that mountain. Yes, but slowly. It was fresh air; I’ve always liked fresh air. Fresh air is important, not air conditioning.
What advice do you have for young people, like me?
Learn, learn, learn as much as you can, and I add, you never stop learning; it is an ongoing process. There’s so much to learn, to see, to hear. Help others. Stay mobile, stay active, stay in good physical shape. Eat the right foods, but do not forget to pray.