Goethe-Institut

Goethe-Institut is "the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach". Their mission is to "promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation."

This is a great place to learn more about Germany from all angles: cultural, political, etc. They have a lot of informational resources including the library if you are interested in German literature. The Institute provides great German classes if you want to learn the language and it also constantly hires German teachers if you are interested in this kind of job.

They also organize a lot of cultural events: music events, films, art events, etc.

So based on the types of activities and events organized, Goethe-Institute can be a great place to go to for social networking for both Germans and non-Germans. I friend of mine who is not German but speaks German as a 2nd language and visits the Institute often says it's the best place for anyone interested in anything "German".

The website of the Institute in Chicago is http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/chi/enindex.htm but the good news is that it operates in other major US cities as well. To find the website of the Institute in your city, please, go to http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/chi/enindex.htm

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