A while ago, we had the opportunity to speak to Nadja Müller. She comes from Dresden and moved to Singapore with her family shortly after reunification. From ’91 – ’93 she was at GESS (at that time still DSS) and tells us more about life as a second and third grader at GESS and in Singapore.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey after GESS?
When we left Singapore in third grade, we went back to Dresden and I returned to my old primary school class, where I was in first grade. I annoyed everyone for a year with my experiences in Singapore. After that, I went on to Secondary School and graduated after 12 years with German and chemistry in the higher level course. After school, I did a voluntary ecological year. I was in Saxony’s largest nature reserve, the Königsbrucker Heide, an old military training area. That’s where I first came into contact with what I eventually decided to do as a career. I worked in site management and saw how nature would thrive again if people no longer intervened and let things run their course. I did a lot of work on education for sustainable development, i.e. how to impart the relevant knowledge, guided groups of visitors around the site and was also the spokesperson for my fellow volunteers. I think that’s a trait of mine that was certainly shaped by my time in Singapore. I had already developed the self-confidence back then to just stand up and talk to people.
Between 2003 and 2009 I studied classical biology. I also spent six months in Spain for a research stay at the University of Salamanca where I did research in the medical faculty there, learned Spanish and developed intercultural skills in a culture other than Asia or Germany. But somehow I always stayed in Dresden. After graduating, I went straight on to do my PhD in biology, so I am a doctor of natural sciences. I worked in cancer research at the University Hospital in Dresden and was involved in neurosurgical research using immunotherapy to try to combat glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive type of brain tumour, by optimising the body’s own immune cells and implanting them with new receptors so that they can better find and kill the cancer cells. That was my research topic, but I realised relatively quickly that I’m not a scientist in the sense that I want to spend thirty years on a particular topic and find out and research it down to the very last detail. I then remembered what I had already done in my undergraduate studies. I was active in the Amnesty International university group and planned a lot of event organization, stand campaigns and interactions with people. I always really enjoyed interacting with people, getting direct feedback and having the feeling that I could make a direct impact. Of course, you do that in research too, but it’s a very long-term perspective and somehow that didn’t make me happy. I need the direct feedback, the direct conversation with people, so I simply told everyone around me “I’ll soon be finished with my doctorate, but then I want to do something else and if you know anything, let me know”. Networking is always a good idea in any case.
Thanks to coincidences and the networks I just mentioned, I’ve had a part-time job since 2009. I sell merchandise for bands from Dresden and now also from Hamburg, so I’m a crew member and, for example – and this is super cool, so I have to tell everyone – I’ve been on tour twice with Iron Maiden. And this year my band even took part in the Eurovision Song Contest. We hope to tour in Asia one day. That would be fantastic!
And again through contacts, I started working as a project coordinator at Sukuma arts e.V. in Dresden in 2014. We do educational work for sustainable development in various projects using different interactive and creative methods to raise people’s awareness of the global impact of their own lives and their own consumer behavior. At first glance, that sounds so far removed from biology, but of course there is always a cross-link. Sustainability is also a topic that is relevant in biology and networks and symbioses can be found there too. I really enjoy this work and that’s why I’ve stuck with it and developed or refined various projects. I am now deputy managing director and more or less earn my living there. At the end of the year – after almost 10 years – I will be leaving the association. I’ve started studying again and, as an independent sustainability manager, I’ll be helping companies and the cultural scene in particular to position themselves for the future and operate sustainably. We only have this one planet. And I want to do my part to ensure that the Great Transformation we are facing as a global community succeeds.
And I have a Covid-hobby that also links back to biology: I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for herbs and medicinal plants, which is why I trained as a phytotherapist for 1 ½ years last year. I now offer workshops on processing medicinal herbs. It’s a subject close to my heart that I really enjoy.
What is your favorite memory when you think back to your time at GESS?
I actually thought about the question a bit to bring it all up again, because it was all a really long time ago. I was shocked to realize at the beginning of this year that it’s been 30 years, oh my God! But of course those were also very formative years – I was 7 – 9 years old. You soak up all the experiences and adventures like a sponge. I was in the choir with Mrs. Stiehl. In 1993 we put on a musical – Seefahrt nach Rio – and I still have my T-shirt from it.
I also have very fond memories of being in Mr. Schröder’s class, who was in charge of the second grade at the time. And we had a great class trip to Sentosa, where all of us children somehow disappeared. But Mr. Schröder had a really high level of trust in his pupils. And we went on a night walk on the beach, where we were all totally scared of the crabs. That was great fun.
I also have fond memories of the bus trips with Mr. Lee. There was still a school bus back then. There were lots of great bonding moments when we were all on the bus together. We had burping competitions, did homework and just had a cool time on the bus.
The campus back then was super green, right next to the jungle. We had Fridolin, the school monkey, and the other macaques who jumped around and regularly stole bags in the forum if you weren’t careful. He opened the bags and took out cola – Fridolin drank cola. There was also a giant female glider that the principal, Mr. Lechner, removed from the kindergarten. At the risk of his life and with injured fingers. And I think it was Mr. Prenzlauer who had to chase the monkeys off the railings with a water hose because we couldn’t get out of the classrooms because there was a pack of monkeys sitting in front of the door. It really was close to the jungle.
What do you miss most about Singapore and your life here?
I remember being really impressed and telling everyone who wanted to hear about my experiences in Singapore and how great it was. Looking back, it was especially this great feeling of connection. It was really nice that even as a little second/third grader, you were always supported and included by the older ones. There was this sense of community. The teachers were really great, supportive, open, trusting and you really had an almost family-like relationship with each other. And although the German school had been around for 20 years, there was still a pioneering spirit. And I miss Singapore itself, this colorful mix of cultures and opportunities to immerse myself, colors, shapes, festivities, food, smells. The memories are still very precious to me and I carry them in my heart.
Can you remember any places in Singapore that you particularly liked?
We traveled a lot as a family, went hiking a lot and saw a lot. We left Dresden for the big wide world shortly after reunification, so that was a huge change for us – the opportunities that were available. We traveled a lot during that time and make the most of our time here. There was a German bakery on the way to the airport – Werner’s Oven. It was a super popular destination, we loved going there because they had brown bread, which you couldn’t get anywhere else. It’s crazy when you think about it, but sometimes we just went to the airport because it was a really nice place to go with the aquariums and the water games and to watch airplanes. We also went hiking in the Nature Reserve in Bukit Timah, swimming on the East Coast and I really liked the zoo. Little India, Sentosa and Pulau Ubin were also popular destinations.
How do you think your time in Singapore and at GESS has shaped and influenced your future life?
What I took away from that time was a great openness and curiosity about the world and about people. And also this sense of community. I think that’s actually something we developed together and learned from each other during our time at school. And what I also found formative, and I noticed this even as a small child, was that there were no class or social class distinctions. There were very different people with different family and financial backgrounds at the school. There were many where the parents worked for Lufthansa or Siemens or some other large German company. My dad worked in a local company as a microelectronics engineer. But that was never an issue and it’s nice to simply see the people and the potential and qualities that each individual has. The focus was on people.
What did you learn at GESS, what did you take with you for your life?
As a person, you can simply take intercultural skills with you from that time. My English is a bit rusty, I’m no longer super fit in terms of pronunciation and speaking, but I’m not afraid to just approach people, start talking and get in touch with people.
And even back then, we didn’t care at all. We talked with our hands and feet, just like children do, and it worked. We just approached people with a free spirit.
What makes GESS so special for you?
Because the German community in Singapore was very small at the time, the sense of community was very strong. On a small scale, this was also reflected in the school community. The relationship between teachers and students was very familiar, it was very close, very trusting. The relationship between the students across the grades was very friendly and open, an appreciative cooperation. These were special features of the school and I hope that this is still the case.
And another thing that made the school stand out was the really cool activities, excursions, interaction with the various communities and countless celebrations and trips.
Do you have any advice, experiences or tips that you would like to share with our current students?
Enjoy the time! Soak up everything in terms of experiences, knowledge and adventures. Stay open, stay curious. Looking back, I can say that it was a formative and special time for all of us, for you and for me, and also a privilege to have this opportunity at a school in such a great country. Singapore is very ambivalent, but that also makes it very exciting. Appreciate this and take advantage of the great opportunity it offers you. It is special!
