Film Screening: Good Bye Lenin! (June 24th 2022)

/

The Auckland Goethe Society’s latest film screening was the classic German tragicomedy Good Bye Lenin! (2003), courtesy of the Goethe-Institut. This film begins in October 1989 in East Berlin, right before the fall of the Berlin Wall, where Alex Kerner is living with his mother and sister. But his mother, a loyal party member, falls into a coma and misses the revolution. After she wakes, doctors say any jarring event could make her have a heart attack, meaning the family must go to great lengths to pretend communism still reigns in Berlin. Our film nights are always a fantastic opportunity to engage with German films you may have never seen before—or seen several times! Approximately 30 people attended the film night and also enjoyed the free snacks: popcorn, juice, and Gummibärchen. We host film screenings semi-regularly, so keep an eye out for our next event.

Written by Eve Walter

AGS Speaker Event: Dr. Stephan Resch's Book Launch (June 16th 2022)

/

We had a good number of attendees both in person and on Zoom at Dr. Stephan Resch's book launch for his critical edition of Stefan Zweig's Ungeduld des Herzens. It was interesting to hear about the different editions of the book, including errors made by Zweig, and how those had all contributed to this latest edition. The audience was engaged and asked insightful questions. Stephan was pleased to have sold out the signed copies of his book and attendees enjoyed refreshments and a more informal discussion after the end of his presentation.

Written by Courtney Sole

Stammtisch (May 26th 2022)

/

We had a smaller group at Stammtisch this month, which provided a great opportunity for everyone to speak German with each other. Attendees who attended our other events this week expressed that they enjoyed themselves, while those who couldn’t be there were keen to attend future events. We had a couple of new faces as well as some familiar faces and everyone had a great time chatting about various topics while sipping on their drink of choice.

Written by Courtney Sole

Online Quiz Night (May 24th 2022)

/

The Auckland Goethe Society hosted our annual German Quiz Night—for the first time ever on Zoom! After being unable to host the quiz night in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, we looked forward to reinstating the tradition. Despite technical difficulties with breakout rooms, the night was a fun test of German trivia knowledge and teamwork. There was an excellent turnout with 55 attendees and 14 teams, with the winners set to receive goodies from the Goethe-Institut. We also enjoyed listening to the fantastic song requests for German music while marking was in process, such as “99 Luftballons” von Nena, “Mensch” von Herbert Grönemeyer, “Rockstars” von Malik Harris (German’s Eurovision entry this year), and “Eisgekühlte Coca-Cola (Tchio Tchio)” (a catchy children’s song). Bis zum nächsten Jahr! We hope to host the next annual quiz night in person for 2023.

Written by Eve Walter

Kaffee & Kuchen (May 22nd 2022)

/

In what is becoming one of our most popular events, the Auckland Goethe Society had another wonderful Kaffee und Kuchen at Gloria Jean’s Coffees on Lorne St (this time at a more traditional time of 2:30pm). We had both new attendees and regulars who had lively chats about everything from the best museums to visit, to what dialects are the most difficult to learn, speak and understand.

We are looking forward to seeing people again at another unconventionally timed Kaffee und Kuchen (due to Café opening times) at 10:30am on Saturday 18th June.

Written by Sofia Manai

Stammtisch (April 28th 2022)

/

Our third online Stammtisch of the year had great attendance once again! After introducing ourselves, we discussed topics on Essen (food), Filme (films), Hobbys und Reisen (travel). One of our members, Anthony, showed us his feijoas and pieces of artwork he had created.

The next Stammtisch will be hosted on Zoom on Thursday 26th May 2022, 6-7pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

Written by Vanessa Chong

Kaffee & Kuchen (April 23rd 2022)

/

Kaffee und Kuchen was our first in person event for 2022! 19 members and friends of the Auckland Goethe Society met at the Gloria Jean’s Coffees on Lorne Street at 10:30 am. We chatted amongst ourselves (auf Deutsch) while some of us enjoyed a morning drink and/or brunch. Our attendees enjoyed the return to 'in-person' and we plan for our next Kaffee und Kuchen to be in May.

Written by Shalin Shah