The HOUSE at 25 Witte Singel Street in Leiden is no longer there. On that same site now stands the campus of the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University, one of the oldest universities in Europe. Not far from that building stands the KITLV (Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, or the Royal Institute for Language, History, and Anthropology), which is complemented by a library housing a wealth of historical information on former Dutch colonies, from Indonesia to Suriname.
Witte Singel, and later Morsweg as well, are part of Leiden’s old town, and both served as hubs for Indonesian student housing during different eras. Both are close to the center of academic life, the Academy Building (Academie Gebouw) on Rapenburg, whose waiting room walls still bear the names of prominent figures such as Prof. Dr. R.M.Ng. Poerbatjaraka. Understandably, Leiden is a small city and the second-oldest university town. Its city center also served as a venue for political activities, such as Hogewoerd street, which once housed the Anti-Imperialist League.
Meanwhile, Witte Singel itself is the longest and most beautiful canal in a Dutch city, winding like a snake and making it a favorite residential area for both the academic elite and students living in boarding houses. At that location, from 1929 to 1933, Maria Ullfah once shared a boarding house with Siti Soendari, the youngest sister of one of Boedi Oetomo founders Dr. Soetomo. Maria and Soendari didn't share a room, but they shared several other things. Maria received a monthly allowance of 150 gulden from her father. At that time, rent for a room without meals was 40 gulden, while rent for a room with meals was 75 gulden. To save money, she paid for a room without meals. Siti Soendari, who was less careful with her spending, shared the cost of daily groceries with Maria. Maria handled their household affairs.
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