Ekaterini “Katerina” Karnarou, considered to be the oldest woman in Greece, celebrated the milestone of her 114th birthday among family and friends on Saturday.

Kornarou was born in Grylos, a village on Greece’s Peloponnesian Peninsula, in 1905.

Before her birthday, we visited her home in the town of Krestena, where she lives today with her numerous family members, including hone great-great-grandchild.

Her life, which spans the entirety of Greece’s modern history, was not an easy one, by any measure. “I went through a lot of difficulties in my life, but I was in company of good people,” she says.

“In life, you don’t have a choice — when you have people that need you, you just keep going,” she explains.

Karnarou was initially rejected as a prospective bride by her husbands’ family, and a trick, which was commonly used in this days, was needed so that she could marry the man she loved.

“We had an amazing marriage; but he died young though, and I was left alone to raise our children,” she says, noting that her husband’s family finally did accept her, and support her.

Watch our exclusive interview with the Greek supercentenarian below, and get a 114-year-old’s perspective on the nation of Greece: