At the end of January we had a couple of students visiting Radhadesh – Anna Thijs (19) and Sean Gilis (20). They are from Karel de Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp from the social work department there.

They spent a week here as part of a study project – picking a group they previously did not know anything about, and then write a paper and give a presentation about their experience.

Although Anna and Sean are studying the same subject at their college, because they are in different classes they never met before. So, it was a surprise for both of them when they met in Radhadesh and realized they had picked the same place for the project.

Although Sean had never been to a centre before, he knew where the center in Antwerp was and phoned up to see if he could come to Radhadesh for a week. Anna found out about Radhadesh the same day she got her assignment – to her the Hare Krishna’s seemed colourful and exotic, and she felt a week in Radhadesh would be a very special experience.

Anna’s Reflections

She said that she was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and helpful everyone was in the community – both with her and with each. She liked the temple services very much – she found them very attractive and performed with great care and attention to detail.

Anna particularly enjoyed making garlands for the temple’s altar and taking part in the evening service where everyone is singing together, which made her feel very peaceful. She would like to visit again and is planning to return later this year for the summer festival.

Sean’s Reflections

One of the reasons Sean picked Radhadesh for his project, apart from the exotic inhabitants of Petite Somme, was that he liked the idea of coming to the Ardennes for the week. At first he found the place a little bewildering, but quickly found his way around and got used to the routine. He liked the different activities in the temple, particularly the trip to Liege where they helped giving out meals on Food for life.

Sean found the atmosphere in Radhadesh very relaxed, and liked it that everyone is encouraged to take things at their own pace and do the things that they find interesting or attractive. He also found the rhythm of life very different here – not only the schedule, but the fact that it is in a village without ready access to supermarkets and other things from the city.