Friday, February 12

This page gives my translation of Matthias's article from German to English.

ROTHENBURG - Not only studying German, but also getting to know countries and people are the goals of the students taking the German language courses that started a few days ago at the Goethe Institute. To get things rolling, the Goethe Institute held a small "Greetings Party" for the students and the townspeople who rent rooms to the students.

Gael from Switzerland, who plans to become a pilot, wants to improve his German proficiency in the next seven weeks at the Goethe Institute. Marcus and Bjoern from Sweden will remain for four months, in order to better become acquainted not just with the German language, but also the Germans. Twenty three class participants and almost as many Rothenburg locals met on Friday evening at the Greetings Party in the Goethe Institute to "size each other up."

The twenty three participants of the current intensive German courses, who come from almost as many countries and have already been in Rothenburg for 10 days, used the evening as a first exchange of experiences from their present homelands.

Thus Betsy from the USA finds the city and the institute very beautiful, and very conducive for learning. Also the people in Rothenburg are "very helpful," and above all the family with whom she is accommodated is "very nice". She is learning German primarily for fun and to improve upon what she learned in school. Additionally, the beginning veterinary medicine student hopes to come back to Germany more often through her occupation, to help "people who want to buy horses in Germany."

Generally the mostly young participants learn German for their occupation or their studies. Also Elena, who came from the far away town of Susdal on invitation of the city of Rothenburg, is for this reason at the Goethe Institute.

With a small buffet, with was assembled with much love by the kitchen personnel and the teachers of the institute as well as Anja Friedel, it prepares and with Frankish wine and beer very soon a cacophony of voices arose and the Rothenburg locals could be certain that once again the world would be meeting its city, because the present Goethe group is consisting a multicolored mixed bunch from Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Greece, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Macedonia Yugoslavia, Tschechien and Litauen.

To get things started, the guests from all the world experienced for the first time late Rothenburg "winter fairy tale."

- msp