I have Greek background and therefore I have a natural connection to the country. In Greece there are still very few people who have heard of Falun Dafa and so far there are only two practitioners in the whole of Greece and they have recently moved there from Sweden.
After my arrival, I spent several days with my family who live in a small community on the east coast and then I travelled to northern Greece to help practitioners there with Falun Gong activities in that area.
Initially my family was suspicious when I told them that I was practising Falun Gong. Everything outside of the Greek Orthodox Christian Church is questioned. I was surprised about the intensity of their criticism against me. However, when my father read a Falun Gong flyer he told me that he thought that it was something good.
His attitude has now changed. I told him that I was thinking about taking the bus to the city to hand out flyers.
Much to my surprise, he wanted to come along and help me. So, an hour later I was in the city of Volos among the people in the cafés and restaurants in the harbour district, giving out flyers with my father. It was a very powerful experience.
Dad advised me to first and foremost hand out flyers to the younger people because he believed that they were more open and not so conservative as the older ones. He himself is 74 years old and through my eyes a pretty typical conventional older Greek gentleman.
A couple of days later I travelled to Lefkadia and Naoussa in northern Greece to tell the truth about Falun Gong with the practitioners there. The first practice group has just started in Thessaloniki, an hour’s journey from Naoussa, with several newly interested people.
After the practice session we sat and exchanged experiences with each other. Some people had some special experiences and we practitioners from Sweden tried to answer the questions that the new practitioners had. A young man could see an aura of light around a veteran practitioner’s body when he came forth to correct his movements. The practitioner explained that what he had seen was the energy cultivated from practising Falun Gong. A young woman said that she tangibly felt the energy field during the exercises.
Wherever we go, we hand out flyers and just about everyone takes and reads one. The people here have been waiting a long time to receive Falun Gong.
There was also a interview with Vasilios, one of the practitioners, in Greek, for a planned documentary film about Falun Gong in Europe. Vasilios is the contact person for Greece.
It is really a pioneering job to work with the translations of the books, start up the practice groups, inform the media and tell people the truth about Falun Gong here in Greece. No one here has heard about Falun Gong before.
A couple of days later we showed the exercises at the square in Naoussa and handed out flyers to people in the city.
When we asked for permission to practise in a particular place, the mayor reacted negatively. However, his colleague was positive and took the time to listen when we explained our request and she did not think that there would be any problem. Later on we found out that the mayor was communist and China-friendly and did not want to hear any criticism about the government there.
When we practised together, we all felt that the energy field was very strong. The flyers were given out in large quantities and we found that the people were open and curious.
Two newspaper journalists from the city’s local press came with a photographer who took pictures when we practiced. Even the radio showed interest.
The next day Vasilios was interviewed by the local radio station. We were met very positively and openly.
Many people save the flyers that we gave them. They intuitively understand that this is something important.
In another park outside of the city I handed out flyers to several pensioners who were standing close together in a group while one of them was filming a video. They wanted me to stand with them and so that I would also be part of their film. An older gentleman said while looking into the camera: “Right now we are getting a flyer about China and Falun Gong”. Everyone was looking into the camera and smiling.
Talking about my family again. My father is the one who is most open towards Falun Gong and the evening before I was to leave, I decided to give him the Greek Falun Gong book. I heard him read out the introduction.
The next day I travel to Athens and handed out my last flyer in the evening in the heart of the city, Syntagma Square. An old lady dressed in black came towards me and asked me to buy a flower. I asked her if she could read and handed her a flyer. ”I am illiterate, my girl, but I will give it to the lady next door to me, she said, while laying the folded flyer in her basket with the half-withered white roses.
Gothenburg
October 11, 2001
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