Back Where It All Began
Some homecomings deserve their own story. When Yuri Kim Neubert and Theresa Manavalan stepped back through the gates of Garden International School (GIS) in 2026, it had been nearly 50 years since they first walked those corridors as students of the Class of 1978. What followed was something far more than a nostalgic visit— it was a homecoming that reminded all of us why the GIS spirit, once earned, is never truly left behind.
The two old friends had kept the flame of their friendship alive across decades and continents, catching up at weddings, alumni reunions, and the occasional FaceTime calls. But stepping back onto campus together, into the very hallways and classrooms that once shaped them, was something different altogether.
When It Was All Called ‘Infant 1’
For many of today’s families, the Early Years Centre (EYC) is simply part of the GIS landscape. But for Yuri and Theresa, their earliest school memories carry a different name entirely. Before it was ever called Kindergarten, it was simply known as Infant 1— and it was there that their GIS story first began.
As they progressed into Secondary School at the Jalan Yap Kwan Seng campus, the GIS of the 1970s was a world apart from the one we know today. The cafeteria was a far simpler affair, no bustling rows of stalls or diverse menus to choose from. Instead, break time meant hot curry puffs and freshly made mini burgers straight from the oven and fryer, and that was more than enough. Classrooms were cooled not by air conditioning, but by the natural breeze drifting in from the open corridors, a detail that today’s students might find rather difficult to imagine.
And then, of course, there was the vending machine. A can of ice cold Coke for just 20 cents.
Bonfires, Effigies, and a Festival for Every Nation
Life at GIS in the 1970s was also rich with traditions that spoke to the school’s proud British heritage. Each year, students gathered for an annual bonfire and eagerly competed to build the most elaborate effigy for Guy Fawkes Night, the beloved British celebration commemorating the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The bonfires crackled, the effigies went up in smoke, and for one evening each year, the school grounds became a spirited little corner of Britain in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
It was also during this era that GIS held its very first Eisteddfod— an annual festival of music, performance, and literature rooted in Welsh tradition. The initiative was born out of a genuine desire to bring students of different nationalities together under one roof. At a time when international schools were largely restricted to the children of expatriate families, the GIS community was an extraordinarily vibrant and diverse melting pot. The Eisteddfod gave every student a platform to celebrate their own culture, creating a palpable sense of unity and belonging that the school continues to honour to this very day.
Some Friendships Don’t Need Wi-Fi
What strikes you most about Yuri and Theresa is not simply that they have stayed in touch across nearly five decades— but how naturally they still fall into each other’s company. The laughter comes easily, the memories tumble out one after another, and the warmth between them is the kind that can only be built over a lifetime of shared history.
Whether seated together in a music room with Yuri at the grand piano while Theresa looked on with quiet pride, taking a spontaneous selfie together in the school grounds, or gathering over a long lunch to relive old stories, they moved through their reunion as if time had folded gently back on itself. And in many ways, it had.
A Garden That Never Stops Growing
Yuri and Theresa’s return is a beautiful testament to what GIS has always stood for— not simply a school, but a community that shapes individuals for life. From corridor breezes and 20-cent Cokes to bespoke music rooms, and a nationally celebrated Eisteddfod, the campus has transformed enormously. But the heart of it: the friendships forged, the curiosity kindled, the confidence built, has remained constant across every generation.
We are deeply grateful to both Yuri and Theresa for returning to GIS and for generously sharing their stories with us. Their visit is a powerful reminder that wherever life takes our alumni— across careers, continents, and decades, Garden International School will always be the place they call home.