# The annual GERMAN LANGUAGE CERTIFICATE GIVING CEREMONY will be held on  Wednesday, 7^th December at 19.00 hours at Messina Palace under the patronage of Their Excellencies Mr Georg Merten, Ambassador of Germany and Dr Elisabeth Kehrer, Ambassador of Austria.  The evening will include a Concert by Ian Borg (Oboe) and Simone Attard (Piano).  A reception will conclude the programme.  Students attending our courses and teachers are welcome to attend.

# THE POSSIBILITIES & LIMITATIONS OF NATUROPATHY is the title of a Lecture (in English) which will be given by Dr.med. Eric Hisenitz at Messina Palace on Saturday, 10^th December at 11.30a.m.  The event is being organised by the German Maltese Medical Society.  Members of the Circle and their friends especially those with an interest in homeopathic remedies are welcome to attend.

# The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany has the pleasure to announce a VOCAL & INSTRUMENTAL CONCERT with works by Maltese Composer Carmelo Pace and by German Composers Brahms, Mendelssohn, Weber, Lachner, Burgmüller, Schubert and Handel  with the participation of Joseph Huber, Andriana Fenech Yordanova, Godfrey Mifsud and Caroline Calleja which will be held at the Sala Isouard, Teatru Manoel, Valletta on Wednesday, 14^th December at 19.30 hours

Scholarship Awards: Maria Stella Cannataci, a teacher at the Carlo Diacono Girls’ Junior Lyceum, Tanya Abela, a teacher at the Lorenzo Gafa Boys’ Secondary School and Andre Camilleri, a teacher at the German-Maltese Circle have been chosen by the Executive Committee to benefit from scholarships for teachers of German made available to the German-Maltese Circle by the Goethe Institute for 2006.  Marthese Farrugia and Gabriella Arrabito have each been awarded 4-week language scholarships at a Goethe Institute in Germany which scholarships are reserved for outstanding students following our courses.

Discussion Forum

On November 18^th a discussion forum organised by the Europäische Akademie in Berlin in conjunction with the Europäische Bewegung Deutschland and Info Radio Berlin - Brandenburg on the theme of the EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY  took place in the Karm Fenech Hall at Messina Palace.  The themes "The Bridge to the E.U.'s Neighbours in the South' , 'Malta's Accession to the E.U. - Results and Perspectives' and related issues were discussed by the panel with lively participation from the audience. The panel which was chaired by Prof. Dr. Eckhart Stratenschulte (centre) from the European Academy in Berlin, consisted of (from left to right): Paul Guillaumier - Historian, Evarist Bartolo MP, Geoffrey Warr MBA, Prof. Dr. Peter Xuereb both from the University of Malta.

Zoya Denysyuk
Accountant / Student at the German-Maltese Circle
Interviewed by Ingrid B. Kidder

Zoya hails from Odessa, a Ukrainian harbour and holiday city of over a million inhabitants on the shores of the Black Sea. At the time of Zoya’s birth, the Ukraine was still a part of the then Soviet Union; Russian was the official language and Ukrainian was taught at school, however, banned from official use. For more than ten years now the Ukraine is an independent republic, and the vernacular language is flourishing again. But there is still little wish to study Western European languages. One of the reasons being, according to Zoya, that the training in these languages of most of the Ukrainian teachers had been difficult under the former regime.  And teachers as native speakers occurred seldom and at a price, though also in this field there is a noticeable change today.  But Zoya was persistent, using mainly books and audio material; she speaks several languages fluently, and is now endeavouring to perfect her German at the German-Maltese Circle.

How did she grow up? As an only child of working parents – both computer programmers – she never missed any siblings, but was quite happy to be alone. “When I was tall enough to reach the door lock, I got a key,” she remembers and I nearly saw her standing on her tiptoes. Consequently already at a very early age she became an independent girl, finding pleasure in reading and learning. After completing high school she studied Economics and Management for six years at Odessa University – “a very good University” she points out - finishing her Master’s degree in Economics in the year 2001. 

Sometime during her teens she discovered her love for horses, became a rider and eventually a show jumper. And as fate would have it, it was in these circles that she met her future husband Rodion, also a show jumper “who is better than I” she said, and a software developer, who had studied in England.   

So life and prospects looked fine – if there wasn’t that urge for the enticing world beyond, which was even an issue before they got married. They decided together that as a couple they would leave the Ukraine if an opportunity arose. Well, her husband worked in Odessa for a foreign shipping company which also has an office in Malta; and by pure luck and coincidence he had been asked before to work for a few months as a programmer in their Maltese branch. And as he liked Malta he applied for and was granted a transfer as a senior software developer together with his wife to our shores. 

This was in the year 2001. Zoya spent the first weeks idling at home, trying to explore the islands, got her driver’s licence, and then looked successfully for work in her profession as an accountant, and furthermore she carries out translations from English to Russian or Ukrainian and vice versa. It was an advertisement in a newspaper which introduced her to the German-Maltese Circle, whose fees she found quite reasonable, she said. She is now in her second year of German (Mittelstufe). For her excellent performance last year she won a four weeks’ scholarship from the Goethe Institute. The course took place in Düsseldorf and it turned out to be tough work, with lessons every morning and homework every afternoon. Her husband accompanied her so that at least in the evenings they could enjoy this city by the River Rhine. She will obviously carry on with German, also started with Maltese, but is already thinking of adding yet another language. “It is best to start any language as early as possible in your life” is the way she feels. 

Once a year they go “home” to Odessa and once a year her parents are visiting Malta, calling it paradise – not only because the sun is shining, but because their only daughter found everything she wanted here in Malta - including show jumping. She practises a lot at Marsa Sports Grounds, won a number of trophies already and is well accepted by the local group of show jumpers, both Maltese and of other nationalities. Her dream is not exactly to climb any business ladder, but to become a show jumper of some renown. Zoya optimistically and trustingly lives by her motto: “If you really want something, you can always get it.”

Nothing’s as easy as sticking your foot in it when you’re abroad. But don’t worry. Most Germans will forgivingly turn a blind eye on foreigners’ mishaps. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read up on some do’s and don’ts to make a good impression right from the start.

 Drinking: Beer and wine are part of a normal dinner and alcoholic drinks are usually offered to guests. Not drinking, however, is completely accepted. Do not insist on alcoholic drinks if a person has rejected your initial offer and don’t order them for them. A German who rejects a drink is not just being shy or polite but does not want to drink. For some cultures it is uncommon to see teenagers order a beer at restaurants and pubs. Remember that the legal drinking age in Germany is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for spirits.

 Shaking hGermans are great hand-shakers, and they like to do so both when arriving and when departing. It is common for a person who is joining a group to shake hands with every single individual.  

PuncDon’t turn up late for an appointment or when meeting people. Germans are extremely punctual, and even a few minutes’ delay can offend. Be five to 10 minutes early for important appointments and be sure to call the people you are meeting if you really cannot make it in time.

 Du  In private, the older person suggests using the informal "du" to the younger person. In the business world, the higher ranking person – regardless of age and sex – would always be the one to suggest switching to "du." A nice intermediate step is to address a person by their first name but then use the formal "Sie." Always ask, however, before you decide to take this step. If you’re not on a first-name basis in German, you can still switch when speaking English. But don’t forget to switch back.  

Titles:        Titles of nobility belong to an individual’s name – such as Fürstin von Metternich. When in doubt, it is advisable to ask. Academic titles also belong to the name, such as Herr Doktor Müller or Frau Professor Weise.

 Flowers:     Bring flowers if you’re invited to a German home for some social occasion. If the flowers are wrapped in paper, remember to take off the wrapping just before you enter the home.

 GarbaGermans are extremely environmentally conscious and separate their garbage to facilitate recycling. If your neighbors spot you throwing recyclable glass or paper into the regular garbage, your relationship could be strained for good.

KissingWhen close friends greet each other, it is common to kiss both the left and right cheeks. However, this is considered inappropriate in a business setting.  

Silverware lCrossing the knife and fork on your plate is an indication that you are not yet finished with your meal. Placing knife and fork on the right side of the plate in parallel is a signal to the waiter that you have finished and that the plate can be cleared away.  

Knocking:   When entering an office, it is common to knock first and then enter the room immediately.  It is polite to address everyone by their family name and "Sie." Do not leave off double-barreled names, such as Frau Müller-Weber. Names are inserted into conversation after every few sentences.

(Reproduced by kind permission from the website www.young-germany.de)

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