# 11 - Khanom Zrein Harris, 100 years old

Meet Khanom Zrein Harris. For 74 years, she has lived in a modest apartment above her family's store in rural Nova Scotia. She was born 100 years ago in Lebanon. At the age of 26 -- an old maid in the eyes of her family -- a marriage was arranged. So the educated city woman left Lebanon to join her new husband in Canada. He had a dry goods store in Westville, a small coal mining town in Pictou County. The mines have since closed, and so has the Harris' store.

But Khanom still lives above where it used to be. She is a fiercely independent woman in amazing health. She doesn't need a walker. She uses glasses only for reading. She watches arabic shows on satellite TV. And she says her daily prayers towards Mecca.

The CBC's Mary Lynk stopped by for a visit, along with her Aunt Laila Houssian. They are relatives of Khanom. And Khanom had prepared a complicated Arabic lunch, including homemade yogurt, grape leaves, kibbeh, and Lebanese sweets. Over lunch, Laila asked Khanom about her arrival in Canada.

Here is their conversation: