Lifeswap – Goethe-Institut New Zealand

Spurred by the first signs of the infamous quarter-life crisis, New Zealander Duncan and Jörg from Germany dare to do the impossible! They both buy their plane tickets as quickly as they can and set off on a very special cultural adventure.

For a year, Jörg and Duncan immerse themselves in each other's lives, with all its ups and downs, joys and misunderstandings. Duncan and Jorg couldn't be more different. 27-year-old Duncan from Wellington is fun, happy and carefree, loves the nightlife and is also strangely insensitive to the cold. On the other hand, his Lifeswap partner, Jörg, is a serious young man with a perfectly groomed blonde beard and a great love of nature (“za Nature”).

Despite all their differences, they have one thing in common: the desire to learn about another culture in all its aspects. Lifeswap creators Stephen Kreeft and William Connor show us through the eyes of Jörg and Duncan what is “typically New Zealand” and “very German”. Inspired by their own experiences in each other's countries, Stephen and William invite us on a cross-cultural adventure that they charmingly and humorously describe as “dancing between flip-flops and Birkenstocks.”

We can share Jörg's adventures in New Zealand and Duncan's experiences in Germany through their monthly Skype chats, in which they talk about their experiences and share tips and tricks that are sure to make us smile at times.