The following is edited version of interview for a book on older working women, Not (Yet) on the Shelf by Elizabeth F. Fideler.
Calling one’s blog “ma prochaine aventure” (i.e., “my next adventure”) tells a lot about a person, and this is true of Karen Sheaffer, who has just signed up to teach for a third year in Dakar, Senegal. Karen is a kindergarten teacher at the International School of Dakar. She enjoys the direct work with children and the new experiences of living and traveling in Africa.
Karen’s contract ends and she will turn 70 in 2012. She has decided to retire then in order to have more time to travel and do some of the things that she cannot do now because of her work schedule. With her usual verve, Karen concluded the interview with the following advice for other women who are considering working and adventuring beyond age 60: “Only do what you enjoy, keep learning, and try new things.”