BY Fr Oskar Wermter SJ LONG time ago, I wrote a report on my initial journey from my home in Europe to Zimbabwe. That was more or less 50 years ago.
Recently, I went in the opposite direction from Zimbabwe to Europe and back.
Before I left Zimbabwe, a friend asked me: “Are you going into retirement and will not come back to Zimbabwe? ”
Some people say they look forward to their retirement. A colleague told me that retirement means to stop work and spend the whole day doing nothing, except possibly watching TV.
I never looked forward to my retirement. I liked my work and I still like it very much. I only regret that COVID-19 has forced me to retire sooner than expected.
I did not like the isolation and being unable to reach out to friends and colleagues, companions, brothers and sisters.
I spent 50 years taking care of people, being in touch with the old and the young. It had become my daily routine, and now it was suddenly snatched away from me.
I know from some of my friends that retirement can be very painful and most unwelcome.
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In most countries, people retire from work at the age of 65. My mother and sisters retired even earlier, around 60.
I think people should not be retired, but retire when it suits them, taking into account their health and retirement benefits.
I had a friend who was retired at 58 when he was still quite fit. He did not want to go, but his company left him with no choice.
His wish to carry on a bit longer should have been respected considering that he had been a pillar in the company.
He still had a lot to give, especially to his younger colleagues. He was told he had to go because he had to make room for the new generation.
I never thought much about retirement. For most of my life, I had to work hard because we were always understaffed, and I had to fill many gaps.
I found it is good to know you are still needed and you are still welcome in your old work environment and old colleagues still want you to be around.
In fact, I never really retired. I got sick, had a bad collapse and was forced by circumstances to stop.
I was not asked whether I wanted to retire and sit in the sun doing nothing. A friend told me I had done enough. Now I should enjoy doing nothing, except maybe watching TV in the evening.
In other words, turn into a “couch potato”. I just can’t enjoy “doing nothing”. Being not so much under stress — Yes, I admit that the freedom that comes with retirement has its advantages.
Being able to do what you enjoy and not to be under great pressure can be a blessing, and I am grateful for it. But as a priest, I could not just switch off and walk away.
There are people who are “married” to their work and in love with the people in their care. And others who can give up more easily. Maybe if you have another hobby or occupation, it is easier to say “goodbye”.
Ever since my health improved, I began to think: Now what next? What can I still do? Who stills wants me to be around and share my lifelong experience with them?
I found that I belong to that category of workers who are “married” to their work and role in their old environment.
That may be the reason why I said “yes” to the question, “Are you coming back?” Quite apart from the fact that I had already a return ticket.
When I first came out on a boat via the Mediterranean Suez Canal, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Dar Es Salaam, Beira, I had no idea where the journey would take me.
Now I know. I have arrived in Zimbabwe and have no intention of going anywhere else.
When we left Harare to catch a plane in Johannesburg, South Africa, for Frankfurt, Germany, we were disappointed: our flight had been cancelled. We found a place to stay for the night with colleagues. We arrived in Frankfurt 24 hours late. I was happy to see the old city where I went to school. The huge cathedral with two towers was still there. The River Rhine was also still flowing down to the Atlantic.
And quite a few of my old schoolmates were there to welcome me, and a few friends with whom I had been together in our youth association. A few others had passed away, far too soon, as far as I was concerned.
On Sunday, we met at a church service and a party to celebrate our get-together. Even two Zimbabweans, at present in Germany, had also been able to come.
My stay at home was short, but very enjoyable nevertheless.
There were two topics which could not be avoided: COVID-19 (we had been tested in Harare, before we were allowed on the plane). The situation concerning this pandemic was more or less the same as in Africa.
The war in the Ukraine was talked about a lot. People were scared, they are after all much closer to the battlefield than we in southern Africa.
How will we be able to feed our people without the wheat shipments from the Ukraine? We are more familiar with hunger and famine perhaps than those people of Eastern Europe.
The time was too short to see Zimbabweans in exile in the United Kingdom, or to see Berlin where I had been a student a long time ago.
The war propaganda from the East was frightening. In our family, we used to say after World War II: Let us never have a war again.
And now we saw devastating warfare virtually next door. I have seen wars in different parts of the world. I have had enough.
If I can contribute a little towards keeping the peace between the Limpopo and the Zambezi, I will be very happy, and my move to southern Africa will have been worthwhile.
Our return journey was uneventful. The planes were all on schedule and I looked forward to seeing Zimbabwe and her people again.
