Meet Christina, who has been at Krishna House since early November 2021. Christina was born and raised in Boston, MA. She graduated from Harvard in 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Linguistics and a language citation in Mandarin Chinese. After college, she started working in the video game and esports industry in project management, community management, public relations, and journalism.
How did you come across Krishna consciousness?
“In 2020, I decided to quit my career because it wasn’t fulfilling in the way that I hoped, and the pandemic rearranged my priorities. I started searching. I took temporary jobs and read a lot about philosophy, transcendentalism, and spirituality on the side. I was trying to find out what my purpose should be outside of a career in video games.
“In 2021, I found a Bhagavad Gita As It Is in a Little Free Library in the Boston area. I picked it up thinking it would be a good addition to my reading. The Bhagavad Gita was much more compelling and enlightening than any of the other books I had been reading. I looked up the closest temple and started going to Sunday feast in Boston.”
How did you find out about Krishna House?
“In October of 2021, [Boston temple senior devotee] Mukta Vanya prabhu said, ‘I’ve heard really good things about that place [Krishna House]. You should really look into that.’ He took me to see Satsvarupa Maharaja in upstate NY and introduced me to Sraddha devi dasi.
“Sraddha and I immediately connected. She said, ‘You absolutely have to apply to Krishna House. I will tell them how sincere you are and how much life experience you have … and how you’re ready to go there and leave everything behind.’”
What do you like about Krishna House?
“Krishna House has a really good balance of responsibility, fun, friendliness, senior/junior devotee relationships, education, and service. There is a lot of energy, openness and optimism. There is so much goodwill among the residents, everyone who gets Krishna Lunch, and the Alachua devotees as well. Everyone has a similar spirit and appreciates each other’s spirit.”
What do you think you’re getting out of Krishna House?
“I think about language. The best way to learn a language, especially a language that’s very different from your own, is to be immersed in it. Learning a language, like Krishna consciousness, is not just about rules, abstract ideas, or books; it’s about the context and the culture. So, a lot of things don’t necessarily make sense unless you’re in a community that’s dedicated to the Krishna-conscious lifestyle. I am learning much, much more than if I were just studying Srila Prabhupada’s books in Boston out in the material world. It’s like the difference between learning a language with a mobile app versus going to a country where they speak the language — you learn faster and more permanently. Krishna House is a place where you can really put things into practice.”
