Being Human at 100Apo Pas Ad, aged 110, Buscalan Village, Philippines, 2020
Apo Pas Ad enjoyed the freedom of naked youth, followed by her first tattoo at age 15, then clothing around the time of her marriage. She is the eldest member of her mountain village and is photographed here with her Granddaughter Selma.
Being Human at 100Nguyen Thi Ngaoi, aged 110, Tan Trung, Vietnam, 2018
Don't stay angry for long and eat simple, chemical-free food - Nguyen's keys to long life. She has outlived four of her eight children and spent her entire life in the small coconut village she still lives in. She knows little of the world outside of her village.
Being Human at 100Shelia Kathleen Wall, aged 102, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 2020
Determination is one of Shelia's secrets to long life, she tells me resolutely. She is a woman who has long decided to do what she wants and not bother with what she doesn't want. At 102, she still lives on the farm and has been here for 83 years.
Being Human at 100Esperanca Maria Esperanca Fover Abseus, aged 102, Remedios, Cuba, 2018
It's been 50 years since her husband died, half an enduring life span. Esperanca has 12 children, 40-50 Grandchildren and even more Great Grandchildren, but she can't recall the exact number. Reading is still a great love; astoundingly, she doesn't need reading glasses.
Being Human at 100Haru Miyagi, aged 102, Oogimi Village, Okinawa - Japan, 2019
In Okinawa, World War 2 has left long-felt remnants of sadness, and for Haru, that was with the loss of her husband. Haru never remarried and has just one son. Of her eight siblings, two have also reached Centenarian age, one of them aged 109.
Being Human at 100Bob Moorfield, aged 106, Te Kauwhata, New Zealand, 2019
When I visited Bob, he was still driving, mowing his lawn and cooking his daily hot lunch. He is a community man who gets involved in just about everything. He lost thousands of books in a house fire only a few years earlier but has since collected and avidly read many more.
Being Human at 100Dionsio Rodriguez Loverrero, aged 99, Cienfuegos, Cuba, 2018
Dionisio is one of the oldest members of the male-only Cuban Communist organisation; he is a self-described good Communist who loves his country. Dionsio worked as a lawyer until age 89 and only stopped working when he went completely blind.
Being Human at 100Setusko Miyagi, aged 100, Oku Kumagami Village, Okinawa, Japan, 2019
Facing the warm south winds, Setusko stands near the entrance of her traditional Okinawan home between rooms one and two. She lives in an isolated village, Oku. The isolation has brought independence historically, including its own banking system up until WW2.
Being Human at 100Jose Quilatan, aged 104, Taguig, Philippines, 2020
From 8:00 am to 4:00 pm daily, Jose works for the veterans Federation of the Philippines. The weekends are for attending to his home; he does the laundry (without a washing machine) and cleans his house for himself and his sons who live with him.
Being Human at 100Luc Marina Garcia Alfonso, aged 102, Remedios, Cuba, 2018
Luc's diminutive body is overshadowed by the chair she spends most of her days in. Her frailty is palpable. She longs to walk. Anger and frustration soften, and she shares the heartbreak of losing her husband after 60 years of marriage; wistfully, she says, "I really miss him".
Being Human at 100Evelia Miranda Albardo, aged 100, Monteverde, Costa Rica, 2018
Evelia doesn't proclaim to have any answers on having a long life; she says she doesn't know, and I will need to ask God that question. The framed portrait on the wall is Evelias late daughter; her remaining seven children are still alive, the balloons a remnant of Mother's Day.
Being Human at 100Apo Amoy Polon, aged 110, Buscalan Village, Philippines, 2020
She is blind from cogon leaves used to thatch rooves. Here she uses feel to open coffee husks, her daily purpose. Among her tattoos is a fertility tattoo which her family believes is responsible for the 100+ children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.
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