It's the yellow German book!

[pne]

Just came back from Bremen from a training session for elders quorum presidencies and high priest group leaders; Martin Fiedler was so kind to drop me off at home.

We talked a bit about Greek and Greece, since he had also spent his mission there, and he said that he was also not particularly enamoured about the grammar books he had in the MTC. He asked his parents to send him a Greek grammar in German and got sent Langenscheidts Praktisches Lehrbuch, Neugriechisch—a book I had also bought before going to Greece and which I also liked a lot. I really liked the way it presented the language, and though I didn't actually learn (in the sense of committing to memory) a lot from it before I went to the MTC, it had already prepared me for learning the language.

The funny thing was, back then the missionaries got their mail once a week at church (since all the missionaries in Athens went to the same ward back then), and when an American missionary saw Elder Fiedler unwrap the parcel, he was all in awe and said, "You've got the yellow German book! Everyone who has this book speaks Greek really well!"

I didn't know others knew about it, let alone that it had that much of a reputation! I liked it, but tastes differ—but apparently that book is "the breakfast of champions" as far as learning materials go. Makes me double glad I got it back then!

(Incidentally, I also recommended it on my list of books to get if you're called to Greece on a mission, one of the pages I made for prospective missionaries shortly after my mission, and which I haven't updated since about 1998 or so *cough*. I also see that I got the ISBN wrong; will have to try to change that.... done.)

Comments

[pne.livejournal.com]

I've never asked you... Which cities did you visit while being here?

For most of the time I was in Greece, there were missionaries only in Thessaloniki and in "Athens" (meaning the entire built-up area, not just the actual city of Athens), and I was "stationed" in both of those places for various parts of my mission. (For part of the time I was there, there were also missionaries in Patra and in Kavala, but I wasn't assigned to either of those cities. I don't know which cities have missionaries right now, though I imagine at least Thessaloniki and Athens.)

I was also in Limassol (Λεμεσός) on Cyprus for several months.

And btw, if you tell me that you visited Kavala and that it was you the uh missionaire? (sorry, not sure about the terminology..) that had scared me, then I'll come after you :p

I was in Kavala during my mission, but only a couple of times on my "day off", and not in shirt and tie but rather in jeans and t-shirt -- as a tourist, not as a missionary. (I remember a place where you walk down a bunch of steps and end up on some rocks by the sea, for example.)

So it's unlikely that we met in Kavala.

I think I've told you about this, no? :)

I can't remember off-hand.

BTW, it's "missionary" in English, and we used "ιεραπόστολος" in Greek.

[it0376.livejournal.com]

For most of the time I was in Greece, there were missionaries only in Thessaloniki and in "Athens" (meaning the entire built-up area, not just the actual city of Athens), and I was "stationed" in both of those places for various parts of my mission. (For part of the time I was there, there were also missionaries in Patra and in Kavala, but I wasn't assigned to either of those cities. I don't know which cities have missionaries right now, though I imagine at least Thessaloniki and Athens.)

I've seen a few in Thessaloniki lately, but none in Kavala. I think that the number is much smaller now, compared to 10 years earlier. Because I remember that I used to see a lot of people in Kavala back then.

I was in Kavala during my mission, but only a couple of times on my "day off", and not in shirt and tie but rather in jeans and t-shirt -- as a tourist, not as a missionary. (I remember a place where you walk down a bunch of steps and end up on some rocks by the sea, for example.)

So it's unlikely that we met in Kavala.

Oh, you mean Παναγία! Close to a church and the er... φάρος. I don't remember the word in English. I *love* this place! But yeah, people in jeans didn't scare me ;)

I can't remember off-hand.

Well, I was around 8-9 years old and I was going back home. It was winter, because it was dark. And in Kavala, I live in a very small street with trees. So while I was walking, there were two missionaires close to the trees, but I didn't see them. So as I was walking by, they told me something like "Καλησπέρα, κοριτσάκι". So they scared the hell out of me, because, you know, it was dark, they were dressed in black and all and I didn't know who they were. So I ended up running and screaming and I'm sure I scared them as well :p Now I feel for them, to be honest. But after this incident, for a couple of years, I'd stay as far as I could from your church's missionaires.

BTW, it's "missionary" in English, and we used "ιεραπόστολος" in Greek.

Right. I knew the word in Greek, but not the one in English.

Kavala

[pne.livejournal.com]

Oh, you mean Παναγία!

I don't know whether it had a name :)

Close to a church and the er... φάρος. I don't remember the word in English.

Lighthouse?

I think to get to it, you had to walk past a schoolyard. I don't remember a church.

We went there by walking past the house of a friend of the church, who lived on οδ. Μέχμετ Αλί IIRC, on a hill. (He wasn't interested in joining the church but was very friendly to the missionaries and would sometimes give out recommendations to them to visit this or that friend of his.)

...Ah, judging by http://www.detakav.gr/htms/english/oldcityen.htm it could well be Παναγία.