Saar (18): I simply enjoy helping someone else

Saar Jaspers (18) studies Liberal Arts & Sciences in Amsterdam. In doing so, she's doing exactly what she loves — and that's one of the lessons she quickly learned from Petja (93): "Have a good life, do what you enjoy, and appreciate it."

Saar takes her 93-year-old buddy out for a walk of a few hours once or twice a week. Rain or shine — except when it actually rains. "At first I mostly helped her with chores around the house. But then Petja told me she'd love to get outside more often. For her that's quite an undertaking, since she uses a wheelchair. I said straight away: we'll sort that out."

The two women are 75 years apart in age, but the conversation never runs dry. Sometimes they talk about less pleasant things, like Petja's illness. But more often they talk about happy memories. "She shares so many lovely stories from the past. I love listening to them."

Petja is also very involved in Saar's life. "She's so sweet. She really doesn't want me to visit if I'm too busy with my studies, for instance. And oh yes, whether I have a boyfriend yet. Or a girlfriend, maybe, because that's an option too, of course. Yes, she's pretty modern that way."

Petja could also teach Saar a thing or two — about Spotify, for example. "She told me about one of her favourite songs, She by Charles Aznavour. She had ordered a cassette tape of it and couldn't wait for the parcel to arrive. She was amazed: can you find that on your phone? We laughed so much. Suddenly we were dancing together in the living room."

Saar also learns from Petja's outlook on life. "She prefers to focus on the things she still can do, rather than the other way around." Petja only has a landline with buttons — and doesn't miss a thing. "To me, she's living proof that you can easily manage without a smartphone."

Caring for someone else is woven into Saar's DNA. "I simply enjoy helping someone else," she explains. "There's sometimes a prejudice that older people are grumpy. The opposite is true. Many seniors are actually warm and caring, and they always have something interesting to say. And it's refreshing to form a friendship with someone from a different generation. I don't do this just for Petja — I also get a lot of joy out of our walks myself."