Tag Archives: Jakarta

After several days in Singapore it was time for Ursula and I to move on. And move on we did. We boarded the Holland America ship MS Volendam for a 14-night cruise round-trip out of Singapore for the country of Indonesia. Here we would have many adventures among several of Indonesia’s beautiful islands. Our first stop in Indonesia was Jakarta. And here, as is often the case, Ursula had us scheduled for a tour. The first stop on this one was an elementary school.

Now, that may sound boring to some, but this particular school has a bit of U.S. history associated with it. The Besuki School is one of two schools attended by a certain U.S. president, and they are quite proud of that fact.

Yes, if you look closely at the lower right corner of that wall board above, you’ll see to whom I am referring. But just in case you need a closeup:

“Barry” Obama, who moved from Hawaii at the age of six, lived in Jakarta from 1967 to 1971. He attended the Roman Catholic Santo Fransiskus Asisi for two years, and Besuki School (State Elementary School Menteng 01) for about a year and a half. (see: Jakarta school claims part of Obama childhood and Barack Obama Education)

As you might have guessed, that’s quite the diverse background — attending a Roman Catholic school, then moving to a local school where Christian and Muslim students learned side-by-side. Indeed, Muslim students would attend prayer at an onsight Mosque, and in classrooms Christian students would recite Bible passages and sing hymns.

More images of this public school, including a statue depicting “Barry” Obama as a youth:

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