Personal Observations on Preparing for Retirement from the UN
This would normally be the last in my UN Series, but I think I will be helpful in sharing already my first thoughts. Toward the end of the series, I will come back to this theme of retiring from the United Nations. Now that I am reaching 18 months of retirement experience, let me share a few thoughts. Sharing is how I can express my caring for fellow African colleagues going through similar work experiences. Just the highlights, as follows:
Remaining socially relevant to the community: you will have more time to study: During my time with the UN, I never stopped trying to take a few distance learning projects that I never completed. Life with the UNHCR has been very hectic, as I am sure many colleagues have experienced. After retirement, you have the time to enroll in distance learning, summon the necessary discipline, and complete a few courses. I have done three and I am going for more. Why?
Because we still need to be useful to society, for that society to accept us as wise elders, not as irrelevant people who belong to historical archives. Candles that have run their usefulness. Having seen retired consultants when I was active, it is my opinion that seeking consultancies back with the United Nations, is frankly not opening wide enough other opportunities outside the United Nations. You can do some free-lance paper translations or get teaching at home. Again, more to be busy and useful than to earn money.
Cash and assets: My second experience is that retirement is the period when one needs readily available cash because the family still looks to us for support and succor. Having houses and plots of land is not the same as having cash. It is never too early to start thinking about how you will ensure ready cash to tend to family issues. You do not want to start selling property in retirement to have money to solve family issues. An income-creating activity is important and perhaps should not be started just when you are retiring. Neither should you wait for your monthly retirement entitlement to solve family issues. Retirement income is for your enjoyment after so many years of toiling and working hard and competing internationally.
Health and lifestyle: My third experience derives from my lifestyle experience while in service. As a result of which nowadays I go to a hospital like I was going to the office when I was active. We need to pay early attention to lifestyle, healthy food, to early detection of ailments. The tradition of going for full exam only when the organization demands it, is no longer enough, particularly now that the market is full of foods of dubious quality. I advise an early tradition of a full exam every year, even if you have to pay for the extra. It will be money well spent, in retrospect. I am today on 5 pills per day, because of non-communicable diseases (NCD) that I could have detected early if I had not waited until HR asked me to go for full medicals. Not to mention the cost of medicines and the dependency on such pills for life. A diabetes pill plus a blood pressure pill a day takes TSH8,700 ($3.7). And perhaps apart from the UN Medical Insurance, you want to already start thinking of reinsurance, meaning, a second local/East African insurance that covers your entire family. No rush, but I leave it here as a thought. And listen to your body. It needs rest, it needs water. Start now choosing healthy foods, there is much cancer diagnosis in Southern Africa today. And learn something about NCDs. It is important.
Do not forget friends and neighbours. When you are retired, you will be looking for friends, and they may have been transferred to another part of the country, or life expectancy may have caught up with them. It is very lonely. When I went to Mozambique, I realized I was of the very few old people in my town (Tete). Until I decided to frequent the church, perhaps I would be seeing more of my old colleagues. And the few I met, came to church also to say goodbye to another friend who had died. Suddenly you feel you are of the few survivors, and you look into your telephone directory, to find only old UNHCR colleagues who are no longer interested in hearing you, because you are retired. They are competing in the organization and are focused on themselves and their careers.
Let me conclude by saying that I take it that none of us will retire and go rent a house!!!
Canhandula, Antonio
29 April 2023
Retirement is certainly a sunset which is beautiful
Golden nuggets here, that should be taught to younger colleagues. Let him who has ears listen.