Wunderbar Weekend

Thursday, 28th May 2026 at 10:03am

Avisa Asghari (Yr 11) and Max McGregor (Yr 13) participated in the Goethe German Drama Workshop recently, as a result of being awarded a Goethe scholarship.

Avisa and Max reported on their experience:

Students were selected nationwide, joining us in Auckland from Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Ashburton.

"From the moment we got there, we knew we were about to make connections that would last a lifetime," says Avisa.

"We spent the duration of the workshop exploring cultural differences between Germany and New Zealand through comedy skits."

On Friday night, we were invited to dinner by the German Embassy and were fortunate enough to be joined by two embassy members. The immediate cultural difference that stood out to people was German portion sizes; everyone struggled to finish their meals due to the difference in sizes.

We spent Saturday watching life-swap videos to gain an understanding of key differences before discussing German and New Zealand culture, such as directness when speaking, being on time, and, of course, football!

We then created scenes about the cultural differences in small groups and played 'Werwülfe' while speaking German.

On Sunday, we performed our scenes to family members, teachers, and even our Principal, Fiona Barker, who also joined us for Kaffee und Kuchen, and celebrated the successful weekend with a Schwarzwaldekirchtorte (Black Forest Cake).

Max says he had an amazing time. "I am just disappointed it didn’t last longer."

"I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend exploring such a wonderful culture, laughing through anxiety, and supporting those around me," says Avisa.

"Ultimately, this was an experience that I will cherish for years to come."