"Friends" - an English-speaking group since 2001 - Berlin

We are the oldest and most reputable English Speaking Group-called FRIENDS.Our Motto is " To Make and Meet Friends".We bridge the native speakers with the German residents.This FREE of charge Group has been going on since March 2001.We meet in Asia Cafe Koch Strasse 65,near Check Point Charlie.(crossing of Koch and Friedrich strasse).So many members have improved their English, made Friends,got into Relationship,found Love and also got Married.Others have been helped to find Jobs,Housing,Travel,Study opportunity and Personal guidance .It is truly a FRIENDS GROUP that one can be proud to be associated with in Berlin.It is non commercial Venture.
Please visit us any Tuesday and we will welcome you with open arms.

Sounds really cool! I will try to make it this Tues. but unless I can get my room-mate to come since he has the wheels. I will have to wait until this damn strike ends. But I look forward to coming the following week and meeting new people. koolken

Hang on a sec please. I don't think FRIENDS is the oldest English social group in Berlin, I think it is the (English Social Club) Connect (www.connectberlin.de) that was founded in October 2000 and has been around ever since. At the moment the Connect meets every Thursday night at the Café Stresemann at S-Bahnstation Anhalter Bahnhof and is open to all English native speakers, Germans and people of any nationality who wants to communicate in English.

Dont fight now, I think there is a place for you all. Does it really matter who is the oldest?

How about we fight over which is the best!!!

I am only joking before someone kicks my ass!

But Charlotte, what FriendlyJack actually wrote was "oldest and most reputable". The Connect group might be the oldest, but is it also reputable?

I am also only joking. (thought I better add that in case any Krauts are reading)

upside down ( ??) take it from me, Connect Is the OLDEST and MOST REPUTABLE group in Berlin. Friendly people, nice conversation and cracking barbeques..

nice joke. Same time don't underestimate humour the Germans have, you'd be surprised (Im not German by the way, but English)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the only differences 1) "Friends" meets at a restaurant, people sit around 1 big table and newcomers are formally introduced
2) "Connect" meets at a pub, the group is spread amongst different tables and newcomers are not formally introduced.

Don't get too worked up about things, please. I have never been to a meeting of FRIENDS and I think everybody has different ideas about what might be called "reputable". My ideas might be very different from up-side-down's ideas. I am happy and content with meeting people over a glass of beer who are fun to be with. I don't know what kind of activities FRIENDS offer but Connect does more than just one meeting per week. There are parties like the BBQ in summer with a buffet, a bar, music etc., different activity groups and sometimes daytrips to the countryside. I really didn't mean to judge FRIENDS, honestly.
And as far as the German humour is concerned: for sure it is very different from the Anglo-American and the French humour but it is there. Believe it or not but German people can be very very funny :-)

It was very encouraging to see a number of comments with some off the cuff remarks about -Friends Club.Lets us remember that Friends Club is trying to to serve the residents of Berlin since its formation in March 2001 which was done on the request of many good " Friends".It does not take any money from its member in any way nor does it manipulates them for any personal or commercial gains.In fact it is on record to have given " PRIZES/GIFTS" to its members for their participation.

When it comes to the question of the Oldest then this criteria should rest with the person who had been serving the residents of Berlin the longest time and not on the name of the club.It should not be forgotten and if anyone remembers WHO and How CONNECT was launched.So introducing and running a club rests with the person who launched it and not the club itself.When we turn to to being Reputable then it is considered in context with the reputation of those who run the club.Meanwhile all the members are considered respectable.

Friends Club has a motto since its inception and it still caters to it unflinchingly.It caters to quality over quantity and pursues its own unique approach as per their commitments
Lets us not strive to out do others rather see how we can do more for the members with care and responsibility.I hope All enjoy their own cherished groups

These groups sound like a right barrel of laughs.

Sure I remember how Connect started and who took the initiative. Her name was Aiobhinn, she came over from Ireland in 2000 because of a German boyfriend. At that stage she had no German and decided to found a club for English native speakers, Germans and others who wanted to speak English. Sure, she has gone back to her home country but we are still in touch with her. When she left others took over, basically we do the same things without her we were doing when she was still around. We just keep on rocking, meet up for drinks, organise film events, visits to museums, a book club, day trips and all kinds of parties. It is just fun we are after and socialising a lot, honestly I have never thought about our "reputation".

Well Charlotte, you should have been worrying more about your club's reputation. Once its gone, its gone for good. The other clubs just wont respect your club the next morning and will never call.

Do 'Friends' have a website? Or did I completely overlook that.

Hi Tibia, I have never said that we are a group of people meeting to get drunk every night! If you got this impression I am sorry that I didn't get my message across. We are just a normal bunch of decent people who hang out together, organise different events and try to support each other and find friends. That can't be bad, can it?

Sorry Charlotte, i was attempting to be sarcastic about "reputation" but clearly totally failed!
Ive already checked out the link to your club, it sounds great and i'll probably make it along in a couple of weeks when im free. Im not sure what a club with a bad reputation would be like, it would have to involve guns, drug-running or human trafficking, to bother me. Which i assume your club doesnt have.

Apparently all the various English speaking social clubs in Berlin all hate each other. I think there are 5 or 6 of them, though some are really dying out, or were as of a few years ago already... if you meet the more loyal members it doesn't take long before they start trash-talking each other; really quite odd, and a little sad. The exception is the boat parties; the other clubs resent the boat party guy and his popularity but the boat party guy probably couldn't care less (hence all the ruffled feathers). The big serious topics seem to be the charging of membership fees and the legitimacy and importance of founding members.

Hello everyone.Let me put the record right about Connect Club.This Club was formed by Max,Wolfgang and Aiobhinn in September 2000 in British Council premises. It was Max who had given this name Connect and most were his ideas that were pursued in the club.Wolfgang was responsible for creating the web site.After the disastrous Christmas Party of 2000 and certain other unethical episodes, Max and Wolfgang left the Club in early February 2001.

Max went on to form FRIENDS CLUB with Wolfgang,Ralph and Thomas in March 2001.And continues even today.
Let me say here that there is NO Competition between the existing clubs.Everyone has his own likes and dislikes.And where anyone feels comfortable the residents go there to meet.
In fact there were many such clubs before in Berlin, but they either faded out or broke up for some reasons.

However I must add here once again that-FRIENDS CLUB is not a commercial venture in any form( hidden or disguised) and it continues to pursue its motto in letter and spirit-"MAKE FRIENDS AND MEET FRIENDS"
We welcome ALL- any nationality, age and race to be with us.

Joyce Grenfell couldnt have bettered that.

I rest my case.

Theres no guessing what side your breads buttered on then!!

This debate reminds me of something...The People's Front?

Tibia, I got that joke on the first reading. Probably because my gone-for-good reputation felt sympathy.

As to the rest, Jesus H. Christ. If I am reading this right, this we-have-the-better-group fight started over 7 years ago. Fribble, I'm with you. WTF.


Exactly!

This is the right location to make and meet friends from all over the world, talk, exchange information and views and help each other on a personal, friendly basis. There is no party, no loud music, no large crowds. The idea is to get to know each other and make friends. All English speaking nationalities welcome. Membership is free and on a drop-in basis. You only pay for what you consume.

Find us every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Asia Restaurant in Kochstr., next to Checkpoint Charlie at the M29 bus stop.

Topics merged by admin

No-- I don't do the social club thing, but it was nice for the first month or so that I first arrived in Berlin. The boat party wasn't even on a boat when I went. As an objective third party with nothing to gain from this silly debate, I merely added my observation-- shared by many. It really is sad, people. Get a life!

This is why I like Friends Club. It is not a matter of being better. It is a matter of what you expect. I don´t like big crowds or music, I like to talk. This group just fits my interests best.

There is just one question I have: Why does CONNECT have the urge to put up such fierce competition against Friends Club?

Yeah of course its all silly but arent you just burning to know what happened at that Christmas party, and what the unethical episodes were? Did Connect hold a vivisection-for-beginners workshop or what?

No, I'm not curious because I've already heard them all bitch about one another for hours, and the bitching never really evolved much beyond "oh they're JERKS." "Yeah, they stink, we hate them." :::shaking heads disgustedly::: "Anyway, we're better." "Yeah, we're better because we were established in year blah blah" "That's right. And THEY never even had a proper AWARDS ceremony." and on. and on. and on. and on.

I know, and I don´t want to discuss it. It´s long ago, and if CONNECT wants to compete, I´m not bothered. We´ve had some "spies" and we´re being watched, I know. But I just don´t care. We´re so much different.

Spies? Being watched? What?

All of the sudden Friends and Connect went from being the Jets/Sharks or Blood/Crips of Berlin to an episode of 24. Brilliant.

Do you think Scientology is involved here? I love a good conspiracy.

I have no evidence of CONNECT being involved into any Scientology activities, but it would be worth an investigation! As I already mentioned: I am not interested in any silly childrens´games.

To quote a comment here:

During my time in Berlin I went to both clubs (not as often as I would have liked however).

Both groups of people were friendly and as has been said, the only difference seemed to be the format and the fact that the friends group met in the same place as opposed to a different venue each week (although the connect group has done both, same venue and different venue at various times).

I wish I had known there had been some things going on at the 2000 christmas party, I would have spent a little time trying to fnd out what it was

This is all quite hillarious. I feel like I should be joining in with a rant about "Thursday night drinks", a group? started some time by some people who were thirsty on a thursday, venue chosen by whoever (a few times by people who had never even come to a drinks night with us before)

I keep trying to see the benefit of one group being older than another. I thought there's a pretty high turnover with expats, so aren't all the groups ever changing? We get usually between 35 and 50 people every week on Thursdays more than half of them are new faces.

It's fantastic that we're given 7 days in the week, so we can go and and meet so many different types of people in many different settings. Hope we can do a lot of club mixing in the future so we can make sure we're getting the most out of our time here.

Yeah i now plan to visit each group in turn, with a score chart.
After all, some nights you want to be quiet and chat, other nights you want to be a bit more rowdy.

Spy!

No, I shall hold my clipboard high for all to see.
Marks out of ten for:
loudness
longevity
ethics
reputation
and...ooh lets see
fun

fun? where does that come into it? man! don't tell me there's supposed to be fun at these things. well, that's thursday night drinks out of the running.

Curse you TT Thursday Night Group!!! Curse you!!! (*shaking fist)

brill thread makes me want to move to Berlin for the humour alone keep it up

and yes I would like to know about the xmas party

Boomtown Rat, if you want to find out about the legendary Christmas Party, you shall have to come to Berlin and go in undercover.
Work on Emile Bronte. She knows, but she aint tellin'.

Where the heck is THIS coming from? I am sure that is irrelevant to anyone at Connect HOW many English groups there are in Berlin. The more the merrier, surely?


Oh my GAAAWD, what is this??? What utter nonsence. I've been to Connect often, have always had lotsa fun socialising harmlessly and can't say that I've EVER heard any bitching about any other club at all. They are totally innocuous, honestly. Just a bunch of people meeting up to have fun and jabber in English. I've been to Friends as well, and they are equally innocuous (although, if I remember correctly, Max went on a bit about Connect and that Christmas party way back when once he'd heard that I'd also been to Connect.)
And anyway, Aoibhinn, the object of the "Christmas Party Controversy", moved back to Ireland three years ago, as far as I know, so what's the point of going on about it when she doesn't even have anything to do with Connect anymore?

Can't believe all this hullabaloo about nothing. Connect is just a (non-commercial!) social club where English-speaking people have the opportunity to meet up, nothing more, nothing less. There is a regular slot on Thursday nights (indoors in winter, beergarden tour in summer) they have various other activities such as a bookclub, a filmclub, a breakfast club, a museum club, hold a BBQ and a Christmas party once a year, and it all simply to have fun and socialise.

So, let's all go to Friends, Connect, the Boat, other Thursday night get-togethers in peace, eh? I'm sure there are enough English-speaking people to go round.

Really?! Now thats funny.

Yes, its odd the idea of each club being exclusive, its probably in reality quite fluid, ie "i'm going to friends on monday, connect on tuesday, boat party on wednesday, drinks on thursday..."

My favourite club is the Tufty Club for road safety awareness.
"Don't be a Willy Weasel, cross at the green man!"
Now i come to think of it, that club must be exceptionally popular in Germany.

It's great that there a so many different groups for English-speaking people in Berlin!

The more options for events and meetups everyone has, the better it is!

Why should people be fighting with one another, because they are members of different groups??

This doesn't make any sense to me!

Consequently the negative comments and insinuations about Connect strike me as completely unfair and misleading. As I had the chance to meet quite a number of the Connect people recently I can only say that I am impressed by their open-mindedness and friendliness. In that respect I am with Feli.

So just don't listen to old stories, be curious, meet people personally and make up your own mind!

Well, it seems to me that I have started an argument by accident I have never intended to start!!
To make it perfectly clear: I don't hold any grudges against FRIENDS, I don't know these people and I have never been to one of their meetings (not as a "spy" and not as a guest either). As far as the founding of Connect and the Christmas Party in 2000 is concerned I moved to Berlin in 2001 and have no idea what terrible things might have happened at this party that was able to turn some people so much against Connect that they decided to leave. My personal oppinion is: the more social groups the better!! more parties, more talks, more events, more, more, more. Go to FRIENDS on Tuesday, the boat on Wednesday, Connect or drinks on Thursday, the Berlin Kiez Club on the weekend and be really open !!! to meet up with all kinds of people. Don't follow other peoples' judgements but see for yourself. You might not like one group but you might like the other, different things work for different people. Lighten up and party on.

Hi All, my name is Natasha and I am new to this forum. Are you still meeting up next Tuesday in Kochstrasse? I would love to join you!