Mission the greatest time of your life?

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by pelagius

I was mildly disappointed, but I don't remember dwelling on it very long. I am not sure it was really because I wanted a foreign adventure. It had least as much to do with name pizazz. There was some relief as well; particularly then, but even now I have some real insecurities about being in situations where I may potentially look stupid (not bright, intellectually inferior, non-intellectual embaressment doesn't bother me nearly as much).

I don't see how with your academic success you could be made to look stupid, and one of my LTM companions was one of the dumbest elders ever. He complained he'd never learn German because the best he'd earned in High School German was a D. He only learned enough to get dates with German grils while serving.

I did appreciate the academic challenge of the language, but looking back I wonder how anybody could have been impressed enough to listen given the marginal level of communication I displayed. I remember my first street contacting while still dazed from the plane that a German told me I spoke bad German. Kinda struck a nail through the heart, and I remembered that every single day, that a German thought I stunk. Germans were brutal in honesty.

[pelagius]

Originally Posted by Archaea

I don't see how with your academic success you could be made to look stupid, and one of my LTM companions was one of the dumbest elders ever. He complained he'd never learn German because the best he'd earned in High School German was a D. He only learned enough to get dates with German grils while serving.

I did appreciate the academic challenge of the language, but looking back I wonder how anybody could have been impressed enough to listen given the marginal level of communication I displayed. I remember my first street contacting while still dazed from the plane that a German told me I spoke bad German. Kinda struck a nail through the heart, and I remembered that every single day, that a German thought I stunk. Germans were brutal in honesty.

My real name is very German. So sometimes at academic conferences people will launch into a German conversation when they see my name-tag, but within an couple of sentences they realize I have no idea what they are talking about. I usually tell them the only German word I know is festschrift. It took my German colleague in the office next door months to forgive me for just such an exchange when he first interviewed for a job at OSU. I think he viewed my name as false advertising.

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by pelagius

My real name is very German. So sometimes at academic conferences people will launch into a German conversation when they see my name-tag, but within an couple of sentences they realize I have no idea what they are talking about. I usually tell them the only German word I know is festschrift. It took my German colleague in the office next door months to forgive me for just such an exchange when he first interviewed for a job at OSU. I think he viewed my name as false advertising.

I tell Germans the only German word I know is crystallnacht. That doesn't usually go over well.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by pelagius

My real name is very German. So sometimes at academic conferences people will launch into a German conversation when they see my name-tag, but within an couple of sentences they realize I have no idea what they are talking about. I usually tell them the only German word I know is festschrift. It took my German colleague in the office next door months to forgive me for just such an exchange when he first interviewed for a job at OSU. I think he viewed my name as false advertising.

I almost responded to your email in German believing you were a recent German immigrant.

[non sequitur]

I hated the country of Ecuador. Temperature never got below 85 degrees. Humidity never got below 80%. Never had a warm shower in two years. Got robbed three times. Had to get used to the smell of raw sewage running down the streets. No meat or cheese for two years. Basically a shit hole of a country. Add to that all the missionary crap you have to put up with (I was so glad when I became a senior companion, because I no longer had to do companionship prayer or scripture study or wake up before 9:00) and it was a jacked up two years.

[SoCalCoug]

Originally Posted by pelagius

My real name is very German. So sometimes at academic conferences people will launch into a German conversation when they see my name-tag, but within an couple of sentences they realize I have no idea what they are talking about. I usually tell them the only German word I know is festschrift. It took my German colleague in the office next door months to forgive me for just such an exchange when he first interviewed for a job at OSU. I think he viewed my name as false advertising.

I spent a few months on the south side of Chicago with a name saying "Elder Funk" - it was a big hit. I also had a black companion at the time, which was great until he opened his mouth and gave away his British accent.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by SoCalCoug

I spent a few months on the south side of Chicago with a name saying "Elder Funk" - it was a big hit. I also had a black companion at the time, which was great until he opened his mouth and gave away his British accent.

Was he a native Brit, or an African immigrant that left from England?

[SoCalCoug]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Was he a native Brit, or an African immigrant that left from England?

Native Brit - I think from Mitchum (I had two companions from England, but I think he was the one from Mitchum).

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by non sequitur

I hated the country of Ecuador. Temperature never got below 85 degrees. Humidity never got below 80%. Never had a warm shower in two years. Got robbed three times. Had to get used to the smell of raw sewage running down the streets. No meat or cheese for two years. Basically a shit hole of a country. Add to that all the missionary crap you have to put up with (I was so glad when I became a senior companion, because I no longer had to do companionship prayer or scripture study or wake up before 9:00) and it was a jacked up two years.

Tal? Is that you?

[Solon]

Originally Posted by Mormon Red Death

a very rewarding experience that helped me tremendously afterwards.

Best eight months of your life, right?