Günter Schlichte sent in his post-mortem views on the World Cup 2006
FOOTBALL  -  „ZU GAST BEI FREUNDEN“

 

The world championship in Germany fortunately proved to be safe, thanks to the high priority, organisation and security that was given and thanks to the international police cooperation. The world’s best football teams met in 12 German cities, spread from North to South. This presented a  tremendous task to all those involved in the fields of logistics, security, air-,  and other public transport. The challenges were apparently fully met. Tickets were not always readily available due to big demand and for other reasons. A welcome alternative was therefore the availability of public viewing facilities via large screens in all major areas. As there was no entrance fee, the question has now come up who should actually pay the bill. The final game in the capital of Berlin with Italy and France showing their talents, the grand finale was yet another unforgettable event. Just hours before, the German team met their fans in Berlin in moments of great emotion. The purpose was to say “Thank you for your support and discipline”, the fans in turn thanked the players emphatically and just celebrated, as they had done throughout the international football season after each major event.  There was no question that team leader Klinsmann had succeeded, introducing new management methods and systems. The young team of players performed unexpectedly well, coming close to winning the beloved trophy.  International teams enjoyed the friendly atmosphere in cities and stadiums and the warm reception by the German public. Many fans had travelled long distances and made sacrifices to be part of the events.   Beckenbauer had pulled strings in preparation of the internationally important games. His determination and personal engagement was of great importance for Germany as the host country.   

Today, German citizens have a feeling of satisfaction and pride that it was possible to be a good host and to help create a new image of Germany as one of friendliness and tolerance, not really known as German strong points.  The games also helped to forget the dominant political problems on the domestic scene for a while, which normally occupy the media non-stop.   The games are over, we hope that the good spirit can be retained for quite some time.

Congratulations to the winning team, congratulations to Italy!

Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft  2006 – ein großartiges Erlebnis für viele Menschen

Ganz Deutschland war vier Wochen lang ein Fußballplatz,
der Ball selbst vielen der liebste Schatz.

Wer hätte das gedacht,
Fußballfieber Tag und Nacht.
Deutsche als Gastgeber gelobt, als freundlich und offen,
möge diese Stimmung bleiben,  das wollen wir hoffen.
Organisation, Sicherheit, Logistik, toll geplant jeder Augenblick.
Und es funktionierte, das war Planung und Glück.
Franz Beckenbauer hat das Kunststück vollbracht,
Vordenker, Helfer und Vorbild zu sein, fantastisch gemacht.
Der Mannschaft um Klinsmann hatte man diese Spielstärke kaum zugetraut,
aber sie hat es wohl deutlich gespürt, dass man ihr vertraut.
Die Spieler aller Mannschaften kämpften wie die Löwen, es war enorm,
Ecuador und Ghana überraschten, sie waren prächtig in Form.
Wer hätte schon gedacht, dass auch die Kleinen Grosses bringen,
für einige von ihnen war es ein erstaunlich erfolgreiches Ringen. - 
Durch diese Weltmeisterschaft sind Deutsche wieder stolz auf ihr Land,
als Patrioten waren sie eigentlich gar nicht mehr bekannt. -
Der Fußballzauber hat die halbe Welt ergriffen,
kaum jemand wurde ausgepfiffen.
Leider gehörten Fouls zu oft zum Spiel,
bringt diese Technik denn wirklich so viel?
Vier Wochen lang saß hier die Nation gebannt,
eine so gute Stimmung ist sonst nur vom Kölner Karneval bekannt. -
Mit den Spielen In 12 Städten war es für die Fans oft eine Tortur, 
doch sie nahmen es hin, von Frust keine Spur.
Sie fuhren Hunderte Kilometer von Ort zu Ort,
waren gelöst, doch mancher Ausländer rieb sich verwundert die Augen,
dass Deutsche auch  zu Frohsinn taugen!
Die abendlichen Auto-Korsos in den Städten waren etwas Neues hier,
Jugendliche haben für Chancen ein besonderes Gespür:
Kein Polizist; der mit der roten Karte droht zu sehen,
der sonst eher südliche Zauber konnte auch hier straflos geschehen. – 

Dank gebührt den Verantwortlichen und vielen Helfern vor Ort,
auch wir sagen „Danke“, es ist ein sehr schönes Wort.

Günther Schlichte
  

Victor Pace 
Pharmacist
Member of the German-Maltese Circle
Interviewed by Ingrid B. Kidder

Why would a pharmacist employed as Public Officer with the Health Department of Malta want to learn German? Victor Pace’s simple reply: “During my school years at St. Aloysius College I took – besides Maltese and English - Italian, Arabic and French, and soon developed a love for languages. However, German was lacking.”  So, much later, in fact starting only three years ago, he rectified this and became a student at the German-Maltese Circle. This summer he finished his ZMP and would like to start with the ZOP as soon as possible. 

His German improved quickly, also due to a scholarship by the Goethe Institute, which allowed him to study for four weeks in Prien am Chiemsee, a beautiful area in Bavaria. Although he lived there in a “Wohngemeinschaft” (sharing of a bigger flat) with gentlemen of other nationalities, he was forced to get used to communication in German (actually in Bavarian!) only. Today Victor is able to follow German Television and would in the near future like to have the ability to read plays of the eighteenth century German writer Friedrich von Schiller. 

As the youngest of five siblings Victor Pace was born in Floriana, where he also spent his childhood. After schooling he studied at the University of Malta and graduated in Pharmacy in 1994. Two years later he completed his MSc.Agr.Vet.Pharm. This particular course, Agricultural and Veterinary Pharmacy, is available in Malta only, resulting in quite a few foreign students coming to Malta just to attend this subject.  

Victor entered the Civil Service as a pharmacist at the Out Patients’ Pharmacy at St. Lukes Hospital. For those not familiar with the health system in Malta, this particular pharmacy serves patients requiring special medicine and qualifying for a service free of charge. “This was a very hectic position”, he remembers; and only after five years was he able to make a change. Today he works as a Public Officer for the Health Department’s Drug Control Administration, i.e. implementation of the regulations dealing with the import and export of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Though I could understand that Malta is importing medicinal drugs, I had to inquire about the exportation of same. Victor explained that Malta has an expanding medicine manufacturing industry. And while these companies are already exporting to a larger or lesser extent, their capacities might well be extended in the future.  

Counteracting the mainly sitting position of his working hours Victor is an amateur football enthusiast playing regularly with friends and adores swimming, preferably without jelly fish.  

His lasting love for languages, their common or diverse backgrounds and their varying degrees of relationship to one another are fascinating further pastimes of Victor. “In addition I am obsessed with history”, he says, “Connecting language and history are allowing a deep inside knowledge into some of the reasons even for the existence of modern boundaries within Europe.”  He travelled extensively through quite a few European states – from Cracow to Oslo to Budapest and realises more and more, how very handy his knowledge of the German language comes.  

But, so he says, he is very happy in Malta and has no other desire than to see the world, not residing anywhere else than on these islands. It is home, it is where the sun shines practically the whole year. However – and that not only in comparison to other countries – he wishes for a more environmentally conscious public behaviour. It hurts him observing the negligence in streets and landscapes, and he has a vision of lead-free pastures and sparkling clean seas.

German Language Courses News

Members are reminded that conversation meetings in the German language are being organised weekly at the Circle.  These meetings which are of two hours duration start at 6.00p.m. every Tuesday and are being conducted by Susanne Geiss, a teacher of German.   Only members with a level in German up to ZD can attend. All meetings are offered free of charge to members.  No pre-booking is required.   

The German-Maltese Circle is once again running its German Language Summer Revision Courses for Schoolchildren.  This Summer we have 13 classes catering for about 250 schoolchildren of whom 51 are attending our German Language Induction Courses for Primary Schoolchildren entitled “German is Fun & Easy”. 

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