The German-Maltese Circle brings the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2006 to Malta with a fabulous exhibition entitled 

"WELTSPRACHE FUSSBALL" 

The exhibition demonstrates that football exerts a global fascination that knows neither national nor cultural boundaries. Pictures taken by such renowned photographers as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Abbas, Martin Parr, Herbert List and many others subtly offer not only a feel for the enjoyment of the game but also a journey through countless themes connected with football: fair play, gender roles, commercialisation, religion… 

The photo exhibition has been produced by the Goethe Institute in cooperation with the world-famous agency MAGNUM PHOTOS. This exhibition has been made possible with the support of the Nationale DFB Kulturstiftung (the German National Football Association Culture Foundation), and forms part of the official arts and culture programme of the FIFA World Cup. 

Opening times: January 9th till 31st - Monday to Friday between 9.00a.m. and 12.30p.m. and between 4.30p.m. and 8.30p.m. and on Saturdays between 9.00a.m. and 1.00p.m.

Starting Tuesday, 24th January: 
Learn German the Fast & Fun Way 
No textbooks, no examinations, no particular emphasis on grammar:

A short course of 15 lessons of 90 minutes each every Tuesday at 6.00p.m. Emphasis on the spoken everyday language aimed at those who just want to know "some" German quickly for travelling, communicating in German, place of work, etc. Course aimed at Beginners. Booking open from our office. Course fee: LM35. Book early to avoid disappointment. Course will not be held unless a minimum of 10 applications are received.

LANGUAGE COURSES NOTICE BOARD:

Second Term: Students are reminded that the lessons for the second term of the 2005-2006 Language Courses will recommence after the Christmas and New Year holidays as from Wednesday, 4th January.

Certificates: Members who have applied for their German language Certificate and have not yet collected it, are reminded that they are to do so from the office as soon as possible. In the meantime photographs taken during the Ceremony held last month are also available from the office.

Examination Time Table: This can be seen on the Circle's Notice Board. Students are to check the dates of the examination/s concerning them and to inform the office by the 31st January should they envisage or encounter any problems with these dates. The examination dates will NOT be changed and neither will separate sessions be arranged after this date. Moreover students are reminded that no one will be allowed to sit for an examination unless a minimum overall attendance of 60% of the total number of lessons held during the year is reached.

Continuing Education Grant:

Members aged between 25 and 45 with a good comprehension and speaking skills in the German language and who are engaged in full-time or on a volunteer basis in the field of social work and social help in organisations or institutes for child/youth welfare and social work are encouraged to apply to an 8-week programme in Germany which will be held in September/October 2006. Travel expenses, board and lodging as well as insurance expenses are all covered by means of a grant made available by the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

For more information contact the General Secretary, Mr Victor Sammut.
Closing date for applications is the 31st January 2006.

Annual General Meeting & Election of Executive Committee

Members of the German-Maltese Circle are herewith notified that the Annual General Meeting will be convened at the Circle's premises on WEDNESDAY, 25th January 2006 at 6.30p.m. in accordance with Article 29 of our Articles of Association. The Meeting will commence half-an-hour later with the members present in the absence of a quorum. 

AGENDA: 
(a) Reading of minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting (AGM); 
(b) Address by the President; 
(c) General Secretary's Annual Administrative Report; 
(d) Treasurer's Statement of Accounts for 2005; 
(e) Election of Committee for 2006; 
(f) Motions; 
(g) Election of Corporate Members' representative. 

Nominations of eligible members willing to contest the election for the posts of President, Secretary, Treasurer, Member or Corporate Members' Representative are to reach the Secretary by not later than 6.30p.m. of Wednesday, 18th January. 

Nomination forms are available from the Circle's office. 

Motions for discussion during the AGM, duly signed by the proposer and a seconder are also to reach the Secretary by the above-mentioned date and time. All motions received will be displayed on the Circle's Noticeboard.

East and West Germany have gone a long way during the last 15 years, there is more and more assimilation and less of the hindering "they" and "us". Yes, there are problems but progress has spread, the iron curtain is gone. Unfortunately there are very few remains of it, these should be retained for the generations to come. It was still very impressive to see leftovers of the "Todesstreifen" during a tram ride to "Prenzlauer Berg" in Berlin a few months ago. We can be grateful for having liberty of choice, liberty of chance and challenge, which all goes together. This was the feeling I had when thinking what was there only 15 years ago. 

There is enough reason to face the new year with optimism, hoping that those able to pull strings will be fair players. Germany has been reunited for 15 years, a long time for some, only a short period in historic terms. There is good reason to be confident that high tides and heavy winds will encourage the will to succeed. Cheers to the New Year! Prosit Neu Jahr!

Hubert Theuma
Lawyer at the Attorney General Office / Member of the German-Maltese Circle
Interviewed by Ingrid B. Kidder

Dr Hubert Theuma receiving his certificate from H.E. the German Ambassador, Mr Georg Merten during the German Language Certificate Giving Ceremony held last month at Messina Palace. Mr Albert Friggieri, the Circle’s President and the Ambassador for Austria Dr Elizabeth Kehrer along with many members, teachers and guests attended.  A Concert with the participation of Simone Attard (Piano) and Ian Borg (Oboe) preceded the Ceremony which was concluded by a small reception for all those attending.

“Life is not worthwhile unless you keep striving to become a wiser person”.  This is the motto by which Dr. Hubert Theuma is living and faring well.  And his various ambitions have not only led him away from the Maltese Islands but also made him look at nature from a very close distance, looking to the Maltese natural landscape whenever he feels the need to get new insights into life from within the microcosm around us. 

He started early as a young boy to walk in the fields during daytime and also at night, listening to the sounds and watching the interactions of plants, animals and birds.  In 1989 he was a founder-member of a society called Group 666 whose aim it was to strive against destruction of the world by mankind and awaken public awareness to the precarious nature of our existence.  Although this society did die a natural death after some time, his personal interest in preserving the natural environment and his involvement in environmental issues grew stronger.  In 2000 he became an activist in the Maltese Ecological Foundation (ECO) representing this organisation in various international seminars abroad.  Some years later, being at the time without any fixed commitments in the voluntary sector, he was approached by the Maltese environmental NGO Nature Trust and asked to consider forming part of Nature Trust as a member of the Council.  He accepted and was in fact elected to the Council, in the post of Legal Advisor to the organisation.  His input is generally required in matters concerning the interpretation of legislation relating to the protection of local flora and fauna as well as in connection with sorting out the legal complications which often arise regarding Nature Trust’s efforts to manage and preserve areas of the Maltese countryside. 

Besides these activities, he is helping to raise funds for an Animal Treatment Clinic for Maltese wild animals which include a number of species of migrating birds, hedgehogs, four species of snake, the weasel, two species of gecko, our endemic lizard species, the wild rabbit, two species of shrew and several species of bat.  Though most such species are relatively rare and not easily spotted, they often fall victim to encounters with cars, other animals such as cats and, of course, the various kinds of destructive human activity.  “A clinic for these creatures is a real necessity, as most veterinarians are not willing to tend wild animals for free and those few who are, are usually far too busy with the treatment of stray dogs and cats being brought to them – apart from tending to their paying clients, the well-looked-after house pets” Hubert says, while hoping for donations towards this aim. 

“Nature Trust” is at present closely collaborating with NaBu (Natur Bund) of Germany.  Thanks to this valuable collaboration, it has already been possible to supply the ALE (Administrative Law Enforcement) Branch of the Maltese Police with a dinghy which is put to useful use in order to patrol areas suspected of illegal hunting on the sea.  The ALE has as one of its duties the prevention of offences relating to flora and fauna. 

Apart from these engagements, Dr. Hubert Theuma also has a life-supporting profession. Born in Sliema, and spending part of his childhood in Luqa, he attended Liceo Vassalli Junior Lyceum in Qormi, went on to study law and graduated with an LL.D. degree in 1995.  He was very eager to point out that during his first year at the University of Malta he followed a Foundation Course which he found very useful.  “It served as an introductory course”, he explained, “giving the prospective students an idea of the different academic possibilities which may be pursued at University”.  He remembers being particularly fascinated at the time by the lectures of Maria Ganado, who lectured on Writing as an Expression, and of Guzeppi Schembri, ex-Ambassador to the Soviet Union and also a fellow lawyer, who is now also a dedicated artist with a special interest in the tribal art of Australia.  This gentleman brought the Soviet Union, then a mysterious and distant country, closer to home and perhaps continued to strengthen Hubert’s resolve to better understand and appreciate all that which is of its very nature not capable of individual ownership and should hence be considered part of the common heritage of mankind. 

After graduating, Dr. Hubert Theuma worked as a ‘Graduate Trainee’ with the Department of Trade, and has now been employed at the Attorney General’s Office since 1996.  His tasks include taking part in litigation proceedings as well as giving advice to Government departments in Malta and Gozo.  In Court, he represents the Government in a variety of cases including tax and Constitutional cases.  Apart from these tasks, he also travels abroad from time to time to take part in Working Groups and seminars on various aspects of legislation. 

For these international duties as well as environmental activities which may take him anywhere in Europe, he is able to deliver his interventions in English or even French if necessary.  However, at a certain point in time he became aware of the fact that the only major European language he did not speak was German.  So in 2001 he joined the GMC to start German from scratch, went on to reach an O-Level standard and is now aiming for an A-Level next year.  “I am looking forward to going on a trip to Germany when I can speak the language fluently”, is his motivation to take his German seriously.

Hubert’s two main hobbies are very different: one is to travel the easy way, mixing with locals and enjoying the wildlife.  One of his last trips took him to Egypt where a camel market made as strong an impression on him as the bustling, vibrant city of Cairo and its rich history and culture did.  The other hobby is a somewhat more unusual pastime: participating in quizzes.  Just recently a team fielded by Nature Trust, made up of just him and a colleague on that occasion, took part in and won a local quiz competition where participants had to study set topics such as the history of the Olympics and Films shot in Malta.  I was quite fascinated to learn that in Malta quiz nights are also being organised in several bars in places such as Vittoriosa and Swieqi on a weekly basis.  Such activities are generally not advertised – word of mouth and, at most, emails are enough to fill an evening with contestants.  What a great hobby! 

It is on those evenings that Hubert prompts his brain to react and work quickly, so as to be able to enjoy this ‘sport’ for its relatively short duration every week.  Yet, as from a young age, his senses continue to be sharpened outside in the open fields while listening to the sounds of nature where his true being is at home.  “Because”, so he observes, “no matter in what circumstances one finds oneself in, one should never forget one’s individual consciousness”.  And his is obviously a consciousness grounded in the sounds of the earth yet straining to catch the more remote yet more fundamental whisperings of the Universe.

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.  
·          BirthYou do not have to throw a party for yourself on your birthday, but if you do, provide food and drinks for all your guests. (In return, they’ll give you presents.) It is also common to bring some cake for your colleagues on your birthday. 
·              Clos Germans enjoy quietness and privacy. They may thus often close their doors but will be happy to receive you if you knock on the door. A closed door doesn’t necessarily mean that the person cannot be disturbed. Likewise a closed bathroom door in somebody’s house does not mean the bathroom is occupied.  
·             TelepDon’t call people at home after 10 p.m. unless you’ve asked them first if it’s all right. Don’t expect to reach anyone in the office after 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and after 4 p.m. on Fridays. When answering the phone in Germany, it is common to identify yourself with your last name.  
·            FräulForget the outdated form of addressing young women as Fraulein. These days, rather than being seen as polite, it can be offensive. Just use the normal "Frau Müller."  
·            Nudi In Germany, you might be confronted with a much more tolerant, open attitude to public nudity than might be the case in your home country. Saunas, a minority of swimming pools and even some public parks on sunny days are considered to be "textile free," at least at particular times. Getting together completely naked in a sauna, however, has no sexual dimension to it whatsoever. But if you feel you would be uncomfortable, it may be a good idea to ask first before you join a trip to the pool. This attitude spills over to television, where the programs and even the commercials can feature more nudity than is the case in most countries.
·            GreetWhen customers enter shops, especially smaller outlets, they greet everyone in the shop. The same is true of doctors’ waiting rooms. So practice saying "Guten Tag" and "Auf Wiedersehen." 
·              Seat  It is common to share tables with perfect strangers when restaurants are full and very busy. Before you do so, however, always point to the free seat and ask, "Ist dieser Platz noch frei?" (Is this seat free?). Also, wish the other diners at the table "Guten Appetit." But don’t expect any further conversation at the table. It may be very welcome, but you shouldn’t force it. When you leave, be sure to bid farewell to your table companions.
·              Toast It’s common to clink glasses with a "Prost" ("cheers") or "Zum Wohl" ("good health") before drinking. At official dinners, it is more common to lift the glass by the stem and nod meaningfully to the others. The host should lead the toast. At a dinner party or in a restaurant, you should not start eating or drinking until everyone in the group has received their drink or their meal, and then follow the lead of the host. Drinking:

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

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