Germany’s head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier — which many mistakingly consider the chancellor to be — visited the German School Jakarta on 16th of June 2022.
As a ‘Bundespräsident’ he is utterly popular among the Germans, already serving his second five-year term as Federal President, beloved for his down-to-earth attitude and great charisma. He earned overwhelming admiration in 2010, while serving as Foreign Minister, when he donated one of his kidneys to his seriously ill wife and thus saved her life. The couple shares a daughter.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially visited Indonesia to hold political talks with President Joko Widodo and discuss the strong relationship between Germany and Indonesia. 2022 marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The future of globalization was also discussed, as Indonesia is currently holding the presidency of the G20 countries, the leading industrialized and emerging countries.
This was already his second visit to the school as he visited DSJ back in 2008, then as Foreign Minister.
Federal President Steinmeier comes as patron of PASCH, the German School System Abroad, which includes 140 German schools abroad, and over 1,100 language diploma schools worldwide, all supported by the Federal Republic of Germany.
He was greeted by the students and school community like a Rockstar Star upon his arrival and continuously asked to sign autographs, which the Federal President visibly enjoyed. Everybody had gathered in the school hall, which was bursting with life and excitement as everyone enjoyed this first big event at the school after more than two very restricted years. Our Principal Herr Peter Hoffmann underlined in front of the Press that "It is a great honor for the President to visit us, and I think it really shows how important this school is."
Students from Kindergarten until high school had prepared an entertaining and informative cultural program taking our guests on a musical journey from East to West Indonesia. Congratulations to all our students and teachers for organising such an impressive program — no wonder 'Herr Bundespräsident' keeps coming back.
Thank you so very much Mr. President for your visit and we hope to see you again.
After all — "Aller guten Dinge sind drei!"
(German proverb meaning "all good things come in threes")
