RETURN TO THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF KUALA LUMPUR

ISKL

A trip back in time

It takes a bit of stamina to return to a place you had worked for so long mainly after many years of absence. How much has it changed ? How many people you know will still be working there ? Will anyone recognize or even remember you ?

ISKL reception

  ISKL has always been dear to my heart. First of all, this was the first international school I had ever joined. Moving there was a new path in my life at the time. A big gamble that many other people I knew had not approved of ! I owe this posting to Dick Krajczar, our beloved former school-head, to whom I will always be grateful. He trusted me and gave me a chance to start a new career within the IS network. When I first arrived at ISKL coming from the far-away island of Borneo, I had no idea I would stay there for ten years ! And yet, I left after not because I wanted to. At the time, teachers could not stay longer in Malaysia. Anyhow, ISKL remains the school I stayed in for the longest period of time ever. It has always been the institution where I have felt best at ease due to its endemic atmosphere created by the admin, the staff, fellow teachers and a group of fantastic students. Up till now, Facebook has given me the opportunity to keep in touch with many of these wonderful people, who once were caught in the ISKL web.

This is just what I had in mind on the cabby ride to the school. KL has already expanded its network

Courtyard view of administration offices

of expressways ; a new huge construction dwarfing everything else is being built at Ampang Point ; but to my surprise, the school is still set in the same green environment ! Even, the hill cemetery - with all its ghosts - is still there on site ! The school security ushered me to the administration building. Except for the foodcourt area, everything still looked the same. Bridgette E. Miller, Director of Alumni, greeted me heartily. She gave me some memorabilia on ISKL and even provided an Alumni ID card for me. It made me so happy!

My former classroom

  Then, I walked through the school for a couple of hours. So many former staff members are still working here. They recognized me straight away and gave me poignant greetings ! I went to see some former colleagues, like Marie-France Blais in Middle School. But since it was still teaching time, I thought it would be better for me to have lunch here and wait till people would come to the staff-room during their lunch-break. And for goodness' sake that was a riot ! So many of my former colleagues are still here. I had no idea I would meet so many : Sally, Karen, Noreen... Ann Whiting saw me too : we know each other from Balikpapan, East Kalimantan even before being at ISKL ! There are people I would have loved to see as well like John Stupka or Rob Whiting but they were not on campus at the time. After lunch, I walked to my former classroom with a view on the sportsfield. An then I finally visited the language department. I was thrilled to meet Thara, Laura and Nian-Nian, my former department colleagues. We spent a long moment together before I left the campus in the afternoon.

View on the sports field from my former classroom.

My visit to ISKL made my day back to town. I cannot express how much I was happy to be back to the campus. I am really sorry I missed the 50^th Anniversary event last April. But this is because I was not on the Alumni mailing list. Fortunately, this has now been corrected. And for sure, I'll be back !

Christian Sorand,