Hare Krishna! My name is Vrindavan Isvari Gonzalez and I'm from Alachua, FL which is where I have lived most of my life. I have attended two summer bus tours where we would travel to different temples and Ratha Yatra festivals in the USA and Canada. And also one summer doing the same but in countries throughout Europe.
My favorite deities would have to be Sri Sri Krishna Balarama that reside here in New Ramen Reti. Some other favorites I have to mention are Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara from Krishna Valley, Hungary, Sri Sri Dayal Nitai Vijaya Gauranga in Budapest, and Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha from Radhadesh.
What attracted me to doing this course is a number of things like learning how to better serve my own home deities in the proper way. My mother has been a pujari for most of her life since joining the movement and somewhere along the way as I was growing up, she would include me in some of the services that support deity worship such as garland making or even just organizing the jewelry compartments for Sri Sri Gaura Nitai when I was a teenager. The deity worship that I have seen my mother and others in the community do has been inspiring the desire to serve in this way for a long time.
Thank you so much for the opportunity, looking forward to what this course teaches me.
Vrindavan