Celine George is a Century Years Old

A free spirit woman with a contagious laugh has been breaking records year after year simply by being alive. This year she has done it for the 100th time.

Raised in the village of Castle Bruce, Celine George spoke of her enchanting childhood growing up in the countryside on an estate with her mother.

She said her childhood upbringing and diet are the reason she is alive and well today.

"I loved the scent of the bread in the bakery when I was passing, the bread and the cake….," said Mrs. George fondly. "But my favorite foods back then was soup with dry meat and pigeon peas, calalou and crab and fish."

She said that their meals mainly consisted of fish during the week.

Although she now resides in Goodwill, George married two years after migrating to England in 1956 to her now deceased husband, Adrien. Her family is four generations long. In 2012, they came to live in Dominica permanently.

A seamstress at heart, she amicably boasted of the embroidery she loved to do, even now, whilst listening to the news during the day or watching TV, she continues to sew.

Genuine happiness. That is what Celine possesses. She has three children, two of them reside in England, Pauline and MacDonald, and they keep in contact with her everyday. She declared that her family is a very loving and that she is grateful for them all.

Whilst she spoke of her youngest daughter she jokingly said, "She is my mother now," as she takes care of her and loves her as equally as she first loved her.

Anthea George, the youngest of the three children of Celine stated that she possesses a very strong relationship with her mother. She gave a reason for that when she explained: "She gives me a lot of respect and I, in turn respect her".

Her favorite childhood memory with her mother was visiting the supermarket in England.

"I used to look forward to it," she said.

When Anthea was asked if she aspired to live as long as her mother, she enthusiastically responded, "Oh yes, I do hope so!"

She had momentarily relented to the fact that the foods they ate in the past kept her mother strong and healthy. A lot of foods that we eat today aren't as healthy as the foods Celine spoke so proudly of growing up on an estate.

Whilst she spoke in detail of how she grew up she expressed great sadness over the fact that so much had changed since she was a little girl, a great deal of things she enjoyed taking part in no longer exists. For example her Saturday chores, when she used to go to the river to wash her clothes, communicating for hours with others, exchanging stories and laughing because technology hadn't invaded their privacy then.

George kept admiring her upbringing; she said that the greatest thing for her everyday is the fact that she is alive, she is truly blessed.

But what truly saddens Mrs. George, along with the great changes that she had seen in modern days, is the lack of discipline that exists.

"Every day alive is a blessing and I am grateful for that," said Ms. George.

She celebrated her 100th birthday on Feb.15 with a traditional mass and a party with her close friends and relatives.

By Shanda Joseph