Famous Last Words Week 2

Boomer and Sooner. From Wikipedia

      This week has been long but very rewarding.  I really like my schedule so far because I am busy yet have some down time.  I have been working on a project for my Education Abroad Internship.  I have been sorting pictures and creating new files from the Journey programs over the summer.  I have enjoyed working in this office so far.  My classes this week have been interesting and I have not been assigned too much homework which is always very nice.  I really like Mondays and Wednesdays because I have the whole morning off.  It is very rewarding to have two online classes where you can make more of your own schedule.  I have found time to go to the pool and the gym this week.  Those are two activities I enjoy doing.  I am looking forward to starting back up with yoga when I have the time.  It's a shame that I live even farther from the studio than I did before.  I am looking forward to the first OU game this Saturday.  This year went by so fast and I can not believe it is already time again.  I really hope it is not too hot or storming so that I can enjoy the actual game!  I am also excited to have a three day weekend.  It will technically be a four day weekend for me because I always have Fridays off.  I will work on homework and spend time with friends.  The first two weeks of school have been a success!     

Storytelling Week 2 Dasharatha Yearns For Children

                                                        Dasharatha Yearns For Children

Once upon a time there was a compassionate and courageous king named Dasharatha.  All of the people in his land loved and respected him.  He even had a very trusted adviser named Vasishtha.  There was just one thing missing in his life... If only he could have figured out what he was looking for.. Oh yes, he figured it out!  He wanted children so very badly.  Dasharatha felt like he could not go on without bringing children into this world.  It was almost as though a piece of him was missing.  He had three wives named Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumithra .  Surely one of them could give him a child!  He asked for advice from everyone he knew and finally decided that he would ask his wives.  They all agreed and seemed very excited themselves.  They could finally be mothers!  They would all three do such a fabulous job.  Kausalya is very intelligent and knowledgeable.  Kaikeyi is a great cook and loves to clean.  Sumithra is organized and extremely loving.  All of them have great qualities to be mothers.  As each one became more and more pregnant Dasharatha became more and more excited.  He made sure he would be the best father yet.  He already set up their rooms and decorated the rooms for royalty.  He could not wait to take them to yoga and philosophy classes.   His two main goals were to make sure they were well rounded and loved.  Dasharatha definitely would fulfilled this goal of his.  Finally his wives gave him four beautiful children.  Just as he had promised, he spent time with them daily.  They children loved to hear their father tell them stories about all of his adventures.  Dasharatha finally felt as though he gained a deeper and more meaningful purpose in life.  His wives gave the children all that they could give.  Most importantly, the children loved one another unconditionally.  Little did they know now, they would grow up and be very loyal to one another.  Dasharatha's children would be his little proteges.  He could not wait to see the wonderful people his children would grow up to be.        

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Author's Note: I based my story off of The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan.  Since Dasharatha is my favorite character from the story, I wanted to focus my own story mostly on him.  He wanted children very badly and I based my version off that idea and ran with it!  I chose the crown as my image because he is king!

Bibliography
Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.

Reading Diary B Week 2

Lakshmana is a character that really stood out to me at the beginning of reading part b.  The second character I found to be very interesting in this reading is Shurpanakha

• Lakshmana is Rama's brother
• He is not happy about Rama being exiled
• He wanted Rama to be crowned king
• He declared that whoever comes in the way will be annihilated 
• He is very daring and loud
• He is confident in the fact that he states "Let the whole world come, I'll destroy everyone who opposes, and pile up their carcasses sky high"
• He will not give up until the crown is on Rama's head
• He is very angry
• Rama tries to calm him
• It is almost as though he looks down on women
• He is stubborn
• Even though Rama tries to leave him behind, he still follows
• He and his brothers rode out to find their father
• His father is dead and his brother is exiled

• Shurpanakha is the sister of Ravana 
• At first, she pretends her name is Kamavalli
• She is very beautiful 
• She ends up being cheap and shameless on the inside
• She loves Rama and wants to marry him
• She is very passionate
• She ends up being a cheater and is very deceiving and Rama is mad
• Lakshmana, Rama's brother, will be angry if he finds out what she did
• Lakshmana cuts off her nose, ears, and breasts instead of killing her

Reading Diary A Week 2

I have began to read The Ramayana  by R.K. Narayan.  I think King Dasharatha is a very interesting character.  He is my favorite character in the book thus far.  He has many distinct characteristics that stand out to me like the ones listed below:

• He ruled with compassion and courage
• He was loved and honored by his subjects
• Even though he was blessed in many ways, he was sad to be childless
• His advisor is Vasishtha
• He has three wives named Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumithra
• Rishya Sringa Advised the king to divide rice between his wives and he did so
• He then had four kids from his wives because of this
• As he watched his children grow, his life gained a deeper purpose 
• He was very happy to finally have children
• He always made sure his  princes were well rounded and kept busy in yoga, philosophy, etc
• The New Assembly hall was one the buildings he was proud of
• He is always very polite
• He never payed much attention to his reflection, because of this, he did not realize he was aging
• One day he noticed his hair was whitening, he developed a tremor, he had wrinkles under his eyes, and his legs were fatigued 
• Has the idea to give up his position of King
• He realizes he is getting old and his job is almost done
• He believes Rama should be his successor 
• He believes Rama will be a good fit because he has all the perfect qualities

Famous Last Words Week 1

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This week has been long and exciting.  Starting new classes can be very refreshing.  Getting acclimated to the first week of school was very easy for me.  I am keeping up with my classes and having fun at the same time.  I have two online courses titled "India Epics" (This class) and "The Rebirth of Israel".  Both classes are very interesting so far.  I am keeping up with my homework assignments so that I do not fall behind.  I have two campus classes titled "Jewish Literature" and "International Activism".  I am already learning so much!  I have a reading due for each class on Tuesday.  I also have an internship with the Education Abroad Office.  I have already figured out the types of things I will be doing for it after a couple meetings.  For this semester, I am enrolled in 14 credit hours.  I am very excited to have no Friday classes where I am able to have a longer weekend.  I have chapter for Alpha Chi Omega on Sunday evenings.  Starting this week, I will be reunited with my little sis through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.  My real sister came in town yesterday and stayed the night.  She brought down some items I needed from home and we had so much fun spending time together.  I can not wait until she can visit again.  Today I spent time gathering more stuff for my home.  I got a toilet paper holder for my bathroom and a canvas for my room.  I got both items on sale so I am very pumped.  I am looking forward to the first football game next weekend.  I am sure this week will fly by super fast!  I can not wait to see what the rest of this semester has to offer.      

Introduction Week 1

Me pictured on the left.  Photo from my phone.

Hi everyone!  My name is Britney Wambold.  I am currently a junior starting my third year here at OU.  I am an International Security Studies major.  I have not been able to decide a minor yet.  If anyone has any ideas let me know!  I am a member of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.  I was just the Assistant to VP recruitment.  Even though it was very stressful, recruitment paid off.  I love all the new members!  It was useful for me to have a leadership position as well.  I volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters and Second Chance Animal Shelter.  I am very passionate about those two causes.  It is always great to be able to volunteer and have a good time while doing so.  I do all types of Yoga at a studio in Norman called Yoga at Tiffany's.  Yoga is one of my absolute favorite things to do!  Just this last summer I studied abroad in Peru.  I got to see more of Peru than 99% of the people that live there.  One of my fondest memories on the trip was getting to see my first wonder of the world Machu Picchu.  I even represented our school in my OU gear.   I also went on a trip this summer to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida.  I had quite a busy summer but I like it that way.  One of my main life goals is to be able to travel all around the world!  I am hoping to get an internship in Washington D.C. or abroad next summer! That would give me the experience to get a job in my field after college.  I am looking forward to my classes, football games, and date parties this semester.  I am hoping this will be the best year yet.    

Storybook Favorites Week 1

I first took a look at the stories under the title Husbands and Wives.  The first little story that popped up was one about Pandu and Madri.  Pandu had two wives but his favored the younger one name Madri.  Madri was also smart and a strong asset as the King's adviser.  When Pandu was very depressed over not being able to have children.  The curse would only allow is wives to be impregnated by gods. Madri suggested that his other wife should bear the children.  After she did, Madri had twins too.  Pantu was very tempted by Madri one day and could not resist.  He died because of this.  Madri joined him and their souls were intertwined into heaven.  This story was very bizarre but entertaining.

The second story I looked at is Sugriva and Vali's Fallout under Animal Cruise.  The gods gave Vali lots of strength after he churned the ocean and made nectar.  A demon named Mayavi came to town and challenged Vali.  The story goes on to tell how Sugriva became king for awhile when Vali disappeared.  Vali eventually came back from the fight and took over again.  I enjoyed reading the first story to this sequence.   

The last story I chose to read about is one from Biblical Love Stories about Jacob and Rachel.  The writer gave a nice interpretation based of the story in genesis.  Jacob was related to Rachel's father.  Her father made Jacob work seven years to gain her hand in marriage.  Jacob and Rachel were in love.  After seven years past, the father gave Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel.  The father believed because Leah was older, she should be handed off first.  Jacob eventually got to marry Rachel too.  Rachel was not able to have a child until Leah had seven because Rachel gained true love.  I thought this story was very clever and interesting to read.   

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I chose this image because zebras are so cute!






Image Information: Als Zebra werden die drei Arten Grevyzebra , Bergzebra und Steppenzebra