Remembrance of things past

I was born on 6 May 1921, and completed my degree in ‘Indology’ (with an emphasis on micro-economics) at Leiden and Utrecht Universities at a very tumultuous time – I commenced my studies in 1939 and wrote my final exams in 1945. The universities were closed for extended periods during the war, so I completed my degree in fits and starts throughout the war years. The degree in ‘Indology’ was offered only at Leiden and Utrecht Universities for students aspiring to top-level positions in the Dutch East Indies, and following my studies I served for a number of years in junior government positions in The Hague and the East Indies itself. After Indonesian independence in 1949 I returned to Leiden University in 1950 to pursue a Master of Laws, which, on the basis of credits received for earlier studies, I was allowed to take in two years.