We recently had the chance to talk to Jan Marinesse, one of the first students at GESS (or Deutsche Schule Singapur back then). He joined the school during its very beginnings in April 1972 and in this article, he shares many fascinating details about his school life at the Deutsche Schule.
What did a typical school day look like for you?
We didn’t have full days in those times; we had half days. School started at 8am and we finished around 12pm. One of the things I still remember is that there were four classes in one room and there were five or six of us. It was nothing like it would be today where classes typically have around 15-20 students. It was a small family. Of course, my parents told me that I would attend the German school, but the first day when I arrived at Jalan Kampong Chantek in front of a residential home, I thought “This can’t be a school”. My first day at school is also my favourite memory of GESS: going from a typical German primary school with hundreds of children to what was basically a residential house with not more than a dozen kids was quite a new experience. Pure adventure! They were pioneer days in Singapore and I have very fond memories of that period.
What did you learn at GESS that you especially value today?
I learned that with a proper vision and the will to achieve a target, you can make big things out of a small beginning.
What do you think was especially rewarding because you were in such a small class, in such a young school?
At that time, it was probably one of the smallest schools in the world. From that small seed, look at the tree GESS has become!
The schooling system back then was something that you might actually find in modern days – it was very liberal and open. Our teacher had to teach three or four grades at the same time. She would block her time and teach first grade and then they had something to occupy themselves with and then she would have a block for second or third grade. We had this kind of intermittent schooling. School life was very familial, down-to-earth, basic, and very much hands-on. It was up to you to try and get as much out of school as possible; it was not forced learning. It was quite natural and our teacher, Mrs Beckhaus, she was a formidable teacher! I later changed schools and went to UWC but there I did not have the feeling that I had missed out on anything in the previous years. I think it was quite a good schooling experience at GESS and I love looking back. Because groups were small, it was familial and before that and after that I never had the same kind of experience again.
During my time, the school only consisted of Primary School classes up to the 5th grade. Actually, when I left, it was up to 5th grade and then about two years later they started extending the classes, but I would have been a year or two behind all the time. My parents therefore thought it would be better for me to change school systems and go to UWC which was – apart from SAS, the American School – the only real option at that time.
As I moved to larger schools later during my education, I always missed the small, intimate, family-like atmosphere I grew so fond of at GESS.
Thinking about all the facilities our campus has nowadays: canteen, swimming pool, and the buses, how did it work in the 70s? How did you get to school? What did you eat? What did the school look like?
The Kindergarten was on the ground floor and the rest was on the first floor in one room. It was a classroom with tables and chairs and a recreational area and that was it. We did have a slide and we had some sort of basic playground, but no sports facilities, no pools whatsoever. In Jalan Kampong Chantek, we had a sandpit we played in. And later in Chatsworth Road we had some installations, a slide, bouncing beam and things like that which you would find on an adventure playground. And we had a very big garden that was about twice or three times the size of the house. It was gigantic for those times. We used to play soccer or run around and play catch and so on. We did have outside activities, but no such luxury as a pool. There was a bus service that would fetch you in the morning and bring you back home after school. If I remember correctly, many children were picked up by the drivers or their parents. There was no canteen and we used to bring our own drinks and food – our “Pausenbrot”. And it wasn’t like we were there the whole day. We were let out of school around lunch time – in time to get home to have lunch there.
What are some things you experienced that would be unimaginable now?
Even after moving from Jalan Kampong Chantek to Chatsworth Road, our school building was still a residential home. It was a black-and-white house – much bigger than the first school – with a big garden and all the animals that you could imagine in a subtropical garden. There were snakes, lizards, and of course the eternal cockroaches, centipedes that would pass through the classrooms at times. It was nothing horrible but just part of life there in those days. During school hours and recreational times, we would go into the garden and discover these creatures. You probably don’t have that on modern campuses these days. Everything is probably more sterile, and one would try to keep these creatures out.
How has your time at GESS and in Singapore impacted your life?
In the over 9 years I lived in Singapore, I learned to respect different cultures, nationalities and religions. I was able to grow up in a multi-racial environment and lucky enough to have had exposure to many cultural experiences.
What do you miss most about Singapore and your life there?
I consider myself very lucky to have grown up in such a carefree environment. Being able to move around the city freely, knowing I was safe, was a great experience for me. Life was quite easy at that stage of my life and I consider myself very fortunate for having been able to gain that experience.
What motivated you to get in touch with other Alumni and also join our Alumni portal?
I was searching for photos of the Deutsche Schule and I came across GESS and I went to the homepage and saw that there was an event. I joined, because I thought maybe I would find somebody from my schooling days. I did find several people that went to the German School and went to UWC later and I have been in touch with four or five of them for quite a few years now. That keeps the spirit alive. That’s why I joined the Alumni event and I found it quite enjoyable. It was a cool thing, so I think I’m going to stick around.
What was your learning journey after GESS like?
1975 – 1979 UWC SEA
1979 – 1981 SAS (Singapore American School)
1981 – 1983 Hotel Management School Chur (CH)
1984 – 1988 Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne EHL (CH)
Could you share your career path with us as well as tell us a bit about your current job?
During and after my studies in hotel management, I worked in several hotels in Switzerland in different positions, mostly Front Office and F&B (Food and Beverages).
Later, I moved to the automotive industry (Distribution) where I worked for different companies as a Sales Promotion Manager, Area Manager, Product Manager and Network Organization.
In 2004, I was asked to set up a quality and environmental management system for a large distributor of vehicles in Switzerland.
From 2007 onwards until today, I am happy to be a Lead Auditor for quality, environment, health and safety and security printing (ISO and other standards).
Is there any piece of advice or any experience you would like to share with current GESS students?
Live the present! Enjoy every day of your youth. Build friendships and make them last! Keep in touch with your school friends even after school. The first couple of years you might not really find it necessary or suitable to contact people that you have known, because you are going into further education. But time will bring back memories of your old school life. I found that 20, 30 years after leaving school, I started wanting to see these people that I had been to school with. If you can – and today, it’s very easy to keep in touch through social media and all the Alumni platforms – stay in touch and have a look occasionally to see what everybody else you went to school with is up to.
