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.   

Testing New Blog

testing testing testing

Storytelling Week 1

Pig Farm Antics

                         To market, to market, to buy a fat pig;
                     Home again, home again, dancing a jig
                         Ride to the market to buy a fat hog;
                     Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
                                                        (Original Nursery Rhyme) 

There once was a boy was dream was to be a Broadway dancer.  He would fantasize about being on stage.  Anytime he would talk about it, his parents would laugh in his face.  They would tell him to be realistic and crush his dreams.  His whole family had been farmers for years.  The boy was an eighth generation farmer so they expected nothing less. The boy's parents wanted him to do his daily chores and nothing else.  His jobs on the farm consisted of taking care of the livestock and harvesting the grain.  He lived a very boring and repetitive lifestyle.  Each and every morning a rooster would wake him up to do his chores.  The boy never got the opportunity to sleep in.  His mother would send him weekly to the market to pick up seeds and a brand new pig.  He would dance all the way to the market.  Everyone in the streets would stare in awe.  From children, to the elderly, everyone would wait on their porch to see the boy's marvelous dancing.  The boy would twirl, jig, and jump.  He would finally arrive at the market to pick up the pig and the bystanders would sit around and wait until he headed home again.  The boy would ask for the fattest and pinkest pig they had.  When the lady would hand him one he would pick it up and dance all the way back to the farm with the fat pig in his arms.  The boy would get compliments left and right.  He would always have the time of his life.  He would come back home and his parents would cheer about the beautiful pig her brought back.  The boy could only dream of his parents cheering for him while he is on stage dancing his heart out.                                                

Authors note: I chose the nursery rhyme above because  I thought it was cute.  I created my story off if this rhyme by making up a life about a little boy you wanted to be a broadway dancer.  That is where "jiggety- jog" and "jig" come in.  Those words remind me of dancing and skipping.  I incorporated the "pig" or "hog" mentioned by making the boy a farmer and caretaker of livestock..  The original nursery rhyme could be thought of his weekly routine.

Wikimedia Commons

The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke

Indian Epics Week One

I think Nina Paley's video, Sita Sing The Blues, is very cool.  I love the little characters and the way the scenes look.  Paley transformed these stories into comical editions.  I think that was a brilliant idea because this will get people to learn about the stories in a fun way.  

Week 1: Eilat, Honolulu, and Puerto Maldonado.. My Favorite Places

Some of my favorite places include..

Eilat, Israel 
Four years ago I visited many cities in Israel but Eilat was my favorite. It is at the very tip of the country and is extremely beautiful.  I snorkeled and admired the tropical city.  

 
 (Data Fox)


Honolulu, Hawaii 
Five years ago I went on a cruise with my family to different islands in Hawaii. They were all very beautiful but Honolulu was my favorite.  It was a lot more urbanized.  You could relax on the magnificent beaches or go shopping in the impressive shops.
 
(Charter Flight Group)



Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Just this summer I visited the country of Peru.  We traveled all around the country and our last destination was Puerto Maldonado.  We hiked and explored all over the Tombopata rainforest.  









(Tombopata)