Looking Back – August 2005 – The Revamp of Santa Ursula

On 9 August 2005, when Singapore was celebrating its anniversary of independence, I was attending a Sanurian Mass at no other than my high school, Santa Ursula, a green old colonial building in central of Jakarta. They were having a “school warming”, a blessing rite for the newly built level 3 and 4.

The style of the mass was similar to what we used to have before, i.e. decoration, opening, songs, drama, offering, etc. Only those who have attended this mass would understand what I am trying to describe here. It refers to Sanurians and alumni, and also students from Canisius, Pangudi Luhur, Tarakanita 1, Santa Ursula BSD and Santa Theresia who were invited when our batch made a public one on one Sunday in September 1998.

Well, I met lots of my old teachers, most of them have forgotten me (of course, I graduated in like, 6 years ago?) but some still recall though. One mathematics teacher even remembered a (rather embarrassing) punishment she had given me when my graduation was nearing (only few weeks before my final exam).

And of course, we tried to find out what the revamps are:
1. They now have air conditioners in classroom
2. They have radio broadcast room with the speaker (intercom?) in every classroom
3. The main function hall has now a touch of pink colour instead of all-green that we used to have before.
4. They have the additional level three and four which have different interiors than their precedence. The olden colonial interior is no longer prevailing. They use this simple, chic and modern touch on the interior. The ghost stories that we had will only stop at level two and they can’t go up further, simply because the backdrop and setting are just not right for the stories (in other words, it’s no longer spooky up there).
5. The have dance room which looks professional to me; with the floor-to-ceiling, edge-to-edge mirrors.
6. They have new gamelan room
7. They have new OSIS room
8. They have new male toilet (something which was very rare before, I mean the “seen” ones).
9. And many many more

About the toilet, I used to pity my male teachers should they have an “emergency” situation or the uncompromising nature calls as the male toilets were at one corner of the building which is not so near to the teacher assembly room at all.

I used this chance to walk down the memory corridor (sounds so romantic, eh?) and of course, visit my old classroom: 3 IPA 2!!! Oh by the way, they now use 10, 11, 12 instead of 1, 2, 3 (continued from primary school, junior high, and then high school).

PS: The picture above is at the older part of the building, level two (main function hall)