Categorization of learning (CoL)
Here I will define the 5 categories of learning I have identified, namely:
1) Spirituality
2) Volunteer Work
3) Education/Training
4) Intercultural
5) Language
Category 1: Spirituality
- Listing of how and when learning took place:
– Montreal ashram environment, taking shelter of Mother Akuti (Josée Cardinal) (2014-2017)
– India (holy places- Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh), Navadwip/Mayapur (West Bengal), Jagganath Puri (Orissa), various other travel destinations/holy cities) (2015, 2017, 2019)
– France: Sri Gopalji Mandir (Temple), where I lived for 3/4 months without leaving the temple (2016)
– Travelling: around Canada, Europe and India with my Guruji (2014, 2017)
– Also, ISKCON temple, a place I often visit wherever I am in the world, as they have many branches around the world, and I often volunteer there. (2013- present)
2. Date and duration of learning:
– I am still learning and studying spiritual topics, even after marriage (my husband is following the same path as me)
– I am still involved with studying Vedic scripture, and I still attend programs and my husband and I host travelling monks at our home in Ukraine, when we have the chance. We are involved with ROSA Veda center, a center in central Kiev, Ukraine, which is aimed as promoting Vedic lifestyle in Ukraine. My husband is a head translator for our line of practice for much of Ukraine and Russia, and I am involved in helping out with programs in Rosa center when special guests arrive. We cook large amounts of food for the programs.
– My official period of serious monastic life was for around 3.5 years, from 2014-2017
3. Major Topics Covered:
– Self-discipline regime, waking up early and abstaining from drugs/alcohol, meat, sex, gambling, and other topics un-related to religious life
– Serving in the temple, having specific service to complete, like cleaning, or food prep
– Hosting programs for devotees and travelling preachers/monks, creating a suitable environment for these programs
– Studying meditation, how to perform certain traditional religious rituals
– Practicing meditation, keeping a strict meditation regime, around 3-6 hours of meditation every day
– Maintaining temple standard of cleanliness
– Participating in programs, listening to classes given by head priest every day
– Basic practice of respect for temple residents and visitors
– Helping out with temple events, like holiday events and/or special events
4. Evidence in support of learning:
3.1 Website Screenshot Captions
4.2 Wedding/Married Life Photos
7.1 Photos from Premaloka Center in Montreal
7.2 Singing of Religious Songs
8.1 Translation Texts
Category 2: Volunteer Work
- Listing of how and when learning took place:
– All around the world, in different temples mainly (2013- present)
– In Vancouver, ISKCON temple (serving food for the temple program, serving in the temple charity program for the low-income people of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, cleaning temple after Sunday service) (2013-2014)
– In London, ISKCON temple (prep cook work in Govinda’s Restaurant, temple cleaning service, devotional music service), Gangamata Gaudiya Math (Temple)(prep cook work, temple cleaning, occasionally leading devotional music) (2017-2018)
– In Ukraine, Rosa Veda center, cooking and cleaning after programs (2018, 2020 – present)
– In India, mainly serving as a prep cook for the temple, 7 days a week, serving as a greeter for foreign guests from Quebec, Russia, etc. (2015, 2017, 2019)
2. Date and duration of learning:
– I am still volunteering at ROSA Veda center in Ukraine, and in other places when I have the chance
– 2013 (dates listed above)
3. Major Topics Covered:
– Mainly volunteering with service around the prepping and serving of meals, learning how to prepare meals in the proper style for the temple kitchens and offering all the meals on the altar before serving to guests (basically, doing the proper rituals the temple kitchen requires).
– Alot of cleaning service in kitchens or temple rooms
– Often greeting new guests and sometimes minding book tables, and donation boxes
– My volunteer work was/is often interlinked with my religious work/community, so there is also the element of “Service” for the devotees and community.
– A note about all the volunteer work in the temple: In our faith we believe that we should do service for the religious community/the community at large. Especially when doing volunteer work in the temple, we feel that we are doing service for the Gods themselves. It’s also a really good way to bond with friends and make relationships. There is a big element of teamwork, especially on the Sunday feast day in the temple, there is often a feast for up to 500+ people being served, so the devotees must work together efficiently to prepare all the meals for the feast. I have also cooked meals for around 30 people single-handed, in Gangamata Temple in London, which has a smaller community.
4. Evidence in support of learning:
2.2 Photos from Perriyaslav Artists Center, Ukraine
3.1 Website Screen Captions
7.1 Photos from Premaloka Center in Montreal
8.1 Translation Texts
3. Art/Design
- Listing of how and when learning took place:
– 2 year diploma program at VCAD (Visual College of Art and Design of Vancouver)
– After leaving college, sewing my own designs out of old fabrics
– In various temples around the world, improving my sewing designs and skills when making clothing and jewelry for the temple deities.
– In China, working in the kids school, art was very important: we would often make our own materials for classes and design “corner” (craft) activities for the kids. I sometimes did puppet shows in which we had to make the materials as well. I also did stage performances from Disney songs by dressing up and singing during big promotional events for the school. Overall the school was a great environment for expanding creativity. I also started working on acrylic painting projects at home, while in China.
– Currently my husband and I are involved in a very inspiring artists collective project in the village we live in in Ukraine. My husband is mainly using this space when it’s unoccupied to do English tutoring. Like this we are working our way to opening an English tutoring center here. I don’t have many students here yet (I’m mainly working online). When I am there I am mainly working on art and craft projects, like black and white realism sketches and making clay jewelry.
2. Date and duration of learning:
-VCAD: Attended for nearly 2 years as my first post-secondary education (2013-2014)
-Vancouver 2014
– Montreal, France (using my couturier skills to create clothing/fabric designs for the temple) (2014-2016)
– China 2019
– Ukraine Artists’ center 2020
3. Major Topics Covered:
-VCAD: Courses on Art and design, learning how to design and make clothing. This includes the whole process from initial design, to pattern design, to sewing and finishing a final project.
– Sewing and other textile projects, such as embroidery, stitch work, knitting, using new or recycled fabrics
– Using various materials to create deity clothing- this includes materials such as cardboard, beads, ribbon, etc.
– Painting work: using canvas, and acrylic/ oil paint.
– Pencil work (black and white realism)
– Working with clay materials, and other materials for kids crafts. In China we would first deign the craft activities, so the kids could copy what we did. I would also instruct the kids about how to make the crafts, step by step (more by demonstration, and less by speaking Chinese)
4. Evidence in support of learning:
1.2 Teaching Young Learners
2.2 Photos from Perriyaslav Artists Center, Ukraine
3.1 Website Screen Captions
6.1 Love of Cooking
6.2 Artwork/Handicrafts
4. Intercultural
- Listing of how and when learning took place:
-Learning has taken place over the course of my adult life, as I have been travelling and living in different places for the past 6/7 years since I left home at 17 years old ( I’m now nearly 26). (2013-present)
-Travelling to various places in the world, and living with cultural and religious communities other than the one I was raised in. (2013-present)
-Living in French Canada, learning the language and making friends, living there for 3 years. (2014-2017)
-Living in London, England for 1 year, living and working there (2017-2018)
-Overall, converting to another religion, especially one based in Indian culture (2013-present)
-Living in China for 1 year (2019)
-Getting married with a Ukrainian man, living in Ukraine and abroad (in China) together. Travelling Europe as well. (2018-present)
-Working as an ESL teacher. Part of this job includes being a cultural ambassador for students. (2018-present)
-Currently working on Preply.com, a tutoring website, with students from all walks of life and countries around the world (2020-present)
2. Date and duration of learning:
-All above events have happened in my post secondary years. (Dates listed above)
3. Major Topics Covered:
-Learning about other people
-Learning to adapt in different situations
-Studying languages- French, Hindi, Russian/Ukrainian, Chinese
-Learning different cultural customs, as well as history, mythology, and etiquette
-Working in a foreign environment
-Presenting Canadian/North American/Anglo culture in a good light, acting in a respectful manner
4. Evidence in support of learning:
1.1 ESL Teaching Online
1.2 Teaching Young Learners
2.1 Photos from my Work in China
2.2 Photos from Perriyaslav Artists Center, Ukraine
3.1 Website Screen Captions
4.2 Wedding/Married Life Photos
5.2 Managing money online
7.1 Photos from Premaloka Center in Montreal
7.2 Singing of Religious Songs
8.1 Translation Texts
8.2 ESL Certificates/Awards/Competitions
5. Language
- Listing of how and when learning took place:
– French language: I studied while in primary and secondary school, though was never very fluent due to not being in a French environment
– Montreal, QC, Canada – one of my main goals in moving to Montreal was to become fully bilingual.
-Rouen, France – It was difficult to learn French in Montreal because many people speak English, so I decided to try to improve in France, where not many people speak English
-Rouen, France – I translated the book of the temple priest “Skinhead Devenu Swami” (“The Skinhead Who Became a Swami”) from French to English (as he can not speak English). The book is about turning away from violence to peace.
-Russian/Ukrainian- part of living in Ukraine and being married to a Ukrainian is learning the language. I am trying my best to learn what I can, mainly about Russian. We live with my mother-in-law and she speaks only Russian. Therefore it is necessary for me to speak to her in Russian.
-Indian languages- Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi: Much of the time in the temple consists of singing worship songs and reciting mantras in Sanskrit, Bengali or Hindi. It is important to understand what you are singing/reading. Therefore we have transliterations and translations of the text in to English, so we can initially understand the meaning of the songs. Knowing some Hindi is also very useful and has been useful for my time travelling in India. I also watch many Hindi films and study Bollywood songs to further my studies.
-Chinese: It was necessary to learn some Chinese when living in China. It may be that after Covid-19, I will return to China with my husband, therefore my study of Chinese should continue. Our boss was teaching us Chinese 2 times a week when we were in China, and we were also learning from the kids in our classes.
2. Date and duration of learning:
-General self study of French: From 2014-present (2014-2017 more exclusively)
-Russian: Began studying when I was in London (2018). Currently always trying to learn more and more by living in a Russian language environment
-Indian languages: From 2013-present. I began my infatuation when first going in the temple, and hearing a Sanskrit song dedicated to praying to one’s Guru. Since then I haven’t ceased my studies of Sanskrit, Hindi or Bengali. Many songs in our tradition are Bengali. I watch Hindi movies every week, even if I am not interested, to push myself to hear Hindi and pick things up. I also studied Sanskrit under one retired teacher from McGill University, Mrs. Malika Das, a senior Bengali lady who previously taught Sanskrit at McGill University.
-Chinese: 2019 was the year I was in China and seriously studying Chinese. It was necessary to communicate, seeing as not many Chinese people in our small town could speak English. My husband and I had a private tutor for Chinese.
3. Major Topics Covered:
-Studying languages, grammar, vocabulary, expressions, literature
-Language self-study, discipline
-Social interaction, general will to learn
-Reading books, watching films
-My favourite: attending lectures in foreign languages (hopefully with an interpreter present).
4. Evidence in support of learning:
2.1 Photos from my Work in China
3.1 Website Screen Captions
7.2 Singing of Religious Songs
8.1 Translation Texts