A double adventure has started at the Campus: for those who start and those who continue.

This last week in July sees the beginning of two courses, one for French speaking people from all over Europe and Canada and the other for German speaking people from three countries close to Italy: Germany, Austria and Switzerland! What a wonderful crowded summer! 

One course marks the beginning of an adventure and the other the continuation.  The participants slowly arrive during the arrival day, some by car (to make it even more adventurous) and others by plane and taxi.

Nobody seems to be tired after their journey, neither the adventurous drivers nor the other travellers: they are all full of life and rearing to start their courses.  They look like children waiting to open a present... they can’t wait!!

For the French speaking participants this is their first experience so they are ready to “fling” themselves into this new adventure... eager to start.

We ask them to describe how they feel and what they expect from the course.  The answers vary: some are hoping to find inner peace, some hope to make their lives more peaceful, others believed they were calm but have slowly discovered that they are very agitated, realising that their "alter-ego" is in action, a stranger...There is a great desire to get to know oneself and lots and lots of curiosity...

The German speaking participants of the second level course are a lot more relaxed; many of them have been on the 21 day course in India while others have attended a first level course here at the new campus.  They all seem to be “worldly-wise” compared to the French speaking beginners.

Those who went on the course in India underline how simple the bureaucracy is here: many documents, visas etc were necessary to go to India; to come here is a lot less expensive too.  Most of them feel that this course is necessary to continue the process excellently started on the first course.  There are many reasons behind their decision to come on the second level course.  Many see it as an occasion to reflect on certain aspects of life, like on the first course, or to be able to understand life a bit better; others want to simply learn more about how to deal with all the emotions of everyday life or more simply to understand themselves a little more and learn to live with themselves in order to face life with a smile.

We’ll see how it goes at the end of the week; when both courses have ended we will compare opinions of both courses.  It should be interesting...