Marilyn Raman:
CLASS OF 1960
Sion AcademyClass of 1960
Saskatoon, SK
Marilyn's Story
I am writing this "story" from my home in Mauritius, a small island in the south Indian Ocean. I have lived here with my husband Majeed since we both retired and decided we had had enough of the prairie winters. My husband was born and raised in Mauritius, making it a logical choice for us. We couldn't be any further from my original home in Saskatoon.
Mauritius is a great place to enjoy retirement. Mark Twain once visited the island and remarked that God first created Mauritius, then made a copy of it called Paradise. It is a prime holiday resort destination for Europe, Africa and Asia and one is never far from a white sandy beach and warm ocean waters. It has quite an ethnic mix and, having been settled at various times by the Dutch, English and French, is multilingual. Although most people I know speak English, I have had to get serious about becoming more fluent in French (and the related Creole)in order to function well here.
People often ask me what I do with with my time. Well I have become involved with an international women's organization which provides a large social network made up of ex-pats and Mauritians. The organization also does a lot of charity work such as providing financial support to a women's shelter and funding for a school for school drop-outs. I have started a book club and enjoy gardening in a tropical garden. I recently conducted a series of workshops for the Education Faculty members at the University of Mauritius in the area of literacy.We also have a very wide network made up of my husband's family. Extended families...Expand for more
are very important here so we are never lost for company. Fortunately my husband Majeed is a master in the kitchen so I have time to do all of these things.
Majeed and I both love to travel and we have seen many places together during our forty-plus years of marriage Since moving to Mauritius we have been able to visit places like India, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. Of course we continue to visit Saskatoon and other parts of Canada as well, usually every second year. This summer we will be attending the wedding of my sister Patricia's daughter in Saskatchewan. Patricia and her husband Ron Anderson and my brother Kelly and his wife Joyce (Pappenfus) and their families still live in Saskatchewan while my brother Michael has retired in Ireland.
(Although I am listed as a student at Sion from 1956-60, I also attended as a primary student from Kindergarten to Grade Three.) After finishing Grade Twelve, I attended the University of Saskatchewan (B.A., B.Ed.)and began what was to be long and rewarding career as an educator. I taught at St. Goretti and St. Matthew Schools before moving to Winnipeg in 1972.I continued my studies at the University of Manitoba where I completed my M.Ed. During my career I held a variety of interesting positions, finishing off as a university lecturer and consultant in Language Arts for the Ministry of Education in Manitoba.
I came across this site by chance. having nothing to do this afternoon. I typed in Sion Academy and saw some names I recognized. I wonder if I will hear from any of my old classmates? Time will tell.
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