Week 2: Extra Credit Reading Diary

For my extra credit reading, I read through the Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. This unit appealed to me because I took a Native American history course during my sophomore year, and I realized that I enjoyed learning about Native American literature and stories.

There were two stories that caught my attention: The First Fire and The Moon and the Thunders

The First Fire was about the first time fire was sent down to the Earth through thunder striking the bottom of a sycamore tree. The animals all over Earth wanted to retrieve the fire so that everyone could enjoy it's warmth and light. Therefore, several animals attempted to climb into the base of the sycamore tree and bring back fire, but failed. It was interesting to read how the animals attempted to catch the fire, yet suffered from sever consequences that are still visible in those animals today. For example, the raven flew too close to the fire that its feathers turned black. The screech owl clashed with a blast of hot smoke that his eyes became red. The hooting own and the horned owl couldn't conquer the soot from the fire, and it left white rings around their eyes. I liked how this myth explained the physical characteristics of each animal through their attempts to obtain fire. In the end, the water spider was able to retrieve fire by spinning a web, and carrying a lump of coal on its back. From there on, there was fire on Earth.

The Moon and the Thunders interest me because it explained how the moon and sun interacted with one another. I love hearing every culture's stories about the moon and sun. The moon and sun are powerful forces that symbolize life, wisdom, beauty, and time. In this story, the sun was a young woman who lived in the east while her brother was the moon who lived in the west. During the nighttime, a man would court the sun, but the woman would never see his face. So one night, she grabbed ash and rubbed in on the man's face so that she could identify who her secret lover was. When nighttime came, she realizes that the moon had dark spots on its face. The moon was so embarrassed that his sister found out that he was her lover, that he vowed to always be on the opposite side of the sun. That;s why the sun and the moon alternate between daytime and nighttime.

The sun and the moon. Source.

Week 2: Famous Last Words

What a week it has been! My classes are slowly picking up the pace, but I'm always ready for the challenge. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to find the balance between friends, family, school, and work, but so far it's been pretty great! It only took me seven semesters to master time management.

 Something that's bitter sweet that occurred this week was the announcement that my boss made that the pharmacy was cutting back hours for the technicians. I'm down to working just 16 hours a week rather than the 25 hours that I have been working for months. Although my paychecks will be smaller, I'm really happy that I'll have an extra day to myself. It gives me the opportunity to catch up on homework and get ahead in my classes.

Tomorrow is February! You know what that means? I'll finally find out if I'm rejected, wait-listed, or accepted to medical school. I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time, and I can't take it anymore! I have had my patience tested before, but this is a whole new level. I've been thinking about what my reaction would be for each decision. If I'm rejected, I know I'll be sad the entire day. I know for a fact my friends would cheer me up. They know that I worked really hard for this moment. I'm sure it would be hard to accept, but I'll pick myself up. If I'm wait-listed, I'd be content because at least I still have a chance! If I'm accepted...Oh  man if I were to be accepted... It would truly be the best day of my life. I don't even know I would be able to contain my happiness. But I guess I'll just have to find out.

The dream. Source.

Week 2 Tech Tip: Cheezburger

For this week's tech tip, I decided to make a motivational meme with Cheezburger. It was very easy to use. You just choose a picture, then type in the caption. You can even center the caption to the left or right side, top and bottom. I decided to join the bandwagon and make a cat meme. I notice that the growth mindset pictures had a lot of cat memes, so I decided to make one that was motivating. Below is my masterpiece:

Japanese Proverb. Source

 

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One of my favorite Japanese proverbs is Fall seven times. Get up eight. It's a nice reminder to never give up on your goals. There will be several moments in life where I will fall, but I better get back up after. So hopefully this little kitty made its way on top of that couch!

Mythology Topics Brainstorm

1. Possible Topic: Bible Stories and Other Religious Topics I decided to look into the Bible stories because the majority of old English Literature and poetry revolves around Christian roots. Also, I never could finish reading the Bible, so many this would be a nice way to read the Bible stories.
Research so far. I decided to read through Daemonolagie by King James the First because my friends and I joke around about our other friend by calling him a demon. He claims that he is an angel, when clearly he might be pure evil (not really). It was very interesting to read about the effects demons have on people and the treatments people undergo to rid the demon.

2. Possible Topic: Mermaids I chose mermaids as my next topic because I'm fascinated with the idea of a half human and half fish. Mermaids have appeared in several stories such as the sirens in Sinbad and also in Peter Pan. Sailors of the sea have also claimed seeing mermaids in the ocean. I also loved Disney's The Little Mermaid so why not learn more about these mystical creatures?
Research so far. I looked through Humanity.org website where there were a ton of mermaid stories! There were a lot of different themes portrayed such as falling in love with a mermaid, having a mermaid as a twin, and even stories about mermen. What interested me the most is how the stories about mermaids came to be. There are stories about a girl who loved the ocean so much that she never left, yet there are other stories of dolphins being mistaken as mermaids. It was interesting to read about how the creatures, real or not, are still alive in stories today.

3. Possible Topic: Creation Stories I absolutely love learning about creation stories! It fascinates me to hear about how we came to be on this Earth. It's natural for humans to wonder where they came from, and each culture has a different story to tell about mankind's beginning. That's why I decided to read more about creation stories.
Research so far. As an introduction to creation stories, I read through the Wikipedia page on creation myths. I didn't realize that there were so many different types of creation stories! There are historical creation stories, cosmogonical myths,  and religious traditions. What really caught my attention was the theme of creation from chaos. It's crazy to think that from disorder there came order. I would like to read more about creation myths that are more Earth-related such as Native American creation myths.

4. Possible Topic: Greco-Roman Mythology. Ever since I have been introduced to Greek-Mythology in the fifth grade, I have always learned learning about it. My favorite goddess is Diana (Artemis), the huntress I think, because I love the idea that she's a huntress  (also my mother's name is Diana). Besides the point, whenever I have the chance to learn more about Greek mythology, I take it. So here is another opportunity!
Research so far. I looked though the Greek gods and goddesses section in Theoi.com. I didn't realize that there were so many gods and goddesses! The website divided the gods and goddesses into several categories such as olympian gods, titan gods, underworld gods. and several more. I browsed mostly through the underworld gods and the Olympian gods. I might stay on those two gods, but for fun I could start browsing through more of the sections such as the titans.

Artemis. Source.

Week 2: H.E.A.R.T. Challenge - Meme

For this week's H.E.AR.T. challenge, I decided to look over the memes for the health and happiness portion of the learning challenges. My favorite one is the one below:

Let go the things you can't change. Source.

This cartoon stood out to me because I believe this is one of the challenges that I truly struggle with. I constantly try to change the things that can't be changed. The most insane part is that I KNOW that I can't change it, yet I still try to which results in my unhappiness and extreme stress. From here on out, I'm going to start to let go of the unchangeable. One of my new year's resolution is to focus on my own happiness, and letting go of the past should contribute greatly to my happiness.

Week 2: Growth Mindset - Memes

This week I decided to browse through the growth mindset memes, and I found one that I really liked! It's shown below:

Big change begins with small steps. Source.

The caption of the meme related to what my lab partner and I were discussing during our capstone lab. We were sharing tough lab experiences in the past, such as my struggle through molecular and physiology lab last semester (I survived)! As we chatted about our challenges in each lab, we realized that we were currently taking our last microbiology lab. Ever. As freshman, we looked at capstone as the hardest class on our degree list, and it terrified us. How will we survive that class? Can I even do it? But here we are today, preparing enrichment cultures for lactic acid bacteria with ease.

"Nicole, we're in capstone. We're actually doing it!" My friend exclaimed. It might sound dumb, but it was such a huge realization. We have conquered every lab for our degree, from organic chemistry lab to physics lab to fundamentals of mbio lab to cell bio lab and now capstone. The challenges that we thought we could never accomplish were actually achieved. Now we just have to do it again one more time. I've realized that in the end, it's the continuous small efforts that will make the biggest change.

Week 2 Storytelling: Beauty Fades

He is so beautiful! I must talk to him thought Echo as she saw Narcissus, the son of the most beautiful nymph, for the first time. His chiseled jawline and masculine structure caught her attention like a moth drawn to a flame. Echo silently followed Narcissus into the forest. She was too timid to approach him since Juno took away her speaking abilities. With Juno's curse, Echo was unable to start a conversation, and she can only repeat the last few words that were spoken.

Suddenly, Narcissus heard a rustle in the bushes and found Echo hiding behind the tree. Overwhelmed by his look, she jumped into Narcissus' arms and tried to hold him. Disgusted by Echo's immediate affection, Narcissus pushed Echo away and ran for his life.

"Ugh she was disgusting! How dare she tried to touch me!" shouted Narcissus angrily. "If only one day I could find someone to love that is worthy of my beauty." He shook his head with disgust and continued on with his journey.

After a long walk, Narcissus was feeling parched. Luckily, he found a cool, gentle stream underneath an orchid. Ah! The gods have saved me with their sweet nectar! thought Narcissus as he approached the stream. Upon taking a sip of the water, he noticed a gorgeous man staring back at him. Narcissus became absolutely infatuated with his reflection.

"Whoa...I look good. I mean I look really good." Narcissus began admiring his body and facial features with all sorts of poses.

"Hello, sir. Don't you look mighty fine today," whispered Narcissus as he winked at his own reflection. For the rest of afternoon, Narcissus cooed flirty comments to his reflection.

"Look at my cheekbones! Absolute perfection. And my hair! It's to die for! Aren't you a pretty little thing? What's a handsome man like you doing in a place like this? Oh stop it you! I can be lost in your eyes for days. You mean these biceps? Oh it's all natural. I'm the real deal."

Walking aimlessly in the woods, the rejected Echo was wiping the tears from her eyes when she heard Narcissus talking. Her curiosity won the best of her so she climbed the nearby orchid to eavesdrop on the conversation. To her surprise, it was Narcissus talking to the water! Echo watched Narcissus tease himself over and over again. Echo let out a disappointed sigh and thought I never knew that a beautiful man could have such an ugly soul.

Narcissus gazing at his reflection. Source.

Author's Note: I decided to write about Narcissus's story from Ovid's Metamorphoses by Tony Kline. In the original story, he rejects Echo because she continued to repeat everything that he said due to Juno's curse. Narcissus became frustrated that he would never find someone to love. He sees his reflection in a pool of water and falls in love with himself. However, Narcissus becomes so tormented with the fact that he could never be with the love of his life so he destroyed himself and became a flower. Echo watched everything but stood idly in silence.
I decided to put a modern twist in the story with some dialogue. It was interesting for me to write the story. I also decided to give Echo an epiphany that love is more than just a pretty face. 

Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphoses English Translation by Tony Kline.

Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Ovid's Metamorphoses

The second reading of Ovid's Metamorphoses by Tony Kline was more interesting. The story began with Juno and Jupiter debating on who enjoys lovemaking more between the man or the woman. Jupiter changed the sex of a snake from a man to a woman to finalize the debate. It was settled that the woman enjoyed having sex more than the man (interesting..). The story that stuck with me the most was the story of Narcissus.

Narcissus

Narcissus is a son of a beautiful nymph. He was born as a beautiful child that everyone fell in love with. The prophet Teiresias predicted that Narcissus would be able to live a long life as long as "he does not discover himself." In other words, Narcissus seeing his own reflection would be his downfall. One day when Narcissus was escaping Echo, a woman who was in love with him, he saw his won reflection in a fountain. He immediately fell in love with himself. In fact, he was so in love with himself that he tried kissing his reflection and reaching for his reflection's neck. Narcissus becomes frustrated that he couldn't come in contact with the love of his life so he cried and began destroying himself. In the end, he transformed into a flower.

Narcissus staring into his own reflection. Source.

Week 2 Reading Diary Ovid'sMetamorphoses

I read the first part of Ovid's Metamorphoses Books 1-4 as translated by Tony Kline. It began with a huge flood that destroyed Earth, leaving only 2 survivors named Deucalion and Pyrrha. The most interesting parts of the stories were all of Jupiter's (Zeus) love affairs and how his wife Juno reacted to them. Seriously though Jupiter would sleep with every girl that he found attractive. According to the first portion that I've read, he raped lo, Callisto, and Semele.

Lo

Lo is the daughter of Inachus, the river god. She is also a priestess for Juno. Jupiter sees Lo and ended up raping her. In order to keep Lo to himself and hide her from his wife, Juno, he transforms Lo into a heifer (or a cow). To shorten the story, Lo, as a cow, finds her father Inachus and tries to communicate to him her grief and suffering. The guard that was standing watch named Argus pulled Lo away from her father, and sent her away. Eventually she returns to human form.

Callisto

 Calllisto is a nymph that follows Diana, the goddess of hunt. Jupiter sees Callisto hunting in woods. To deceive her, Jupiter made himself look like Diana and talks to Callisto, but before she knew it, he rapes her. Juno finds out and turns Callisto into a bear.

Castillo as a Bear by Virgil Solis. Source.

Semele

Jupiter as another love affair with Semele, the daughter of Cadmus. Semele is also pregnant with Jupiter's baby. Juno is outraged and develops her plot for revenge. Juno befriends Semele, and tells her that Jupiter should prove his almighty power and divinity to Semele. Semele then demands Jupiter to prove his glory, although he begged her to not make this wish. Jupiter shows off his mighty storms and lightning strikes which ends up killing Semele. An odd part of the story is that the baby, Bacchus, is still developing in Semele's womb. He is torn away from the womb and sewn into his father's thigh to complete his development.

Week 1: Famous Last Words

I just finished my first week of school of my last semester at OU! It's pretty exciting to think that as every week passes by I am getting closer to the graduation date. Although it's only been a week, I can already tell that this semester will be tough. Taking two microbiology labs in one semester may have been a bad idea, but I'll make it work.

The highlights of my week were my friend's and cousin's birthday parties. I had a nice time having dinner with my friends and laughing with my cousin. Oh! On the first day of school, my friends and I found a puppy! She was a catahoula pup with one brown eye and one blue. She was so sweet and gentle. We found her near my friend's car. We didn't want to leave her alone in the cold late at night, so we decided she could stay with us until we found her a permanent home. Luckily the next day we found her owner. I really miss her though.

The puppy we found. Personal Photo.

Also, it's nice that all of my friends are reunited at school once again. During winter break, we were either working or traveling. Now that we all have class, we can see each other every day! It's a bitter sweet feeling since we also have the responsibilities of attending class and completing homework. Although, I would much rather be in school and see my friends than to stay at home or work all day.

First Day of School Lunch! Left to Right: Isabella, Liza, Stanly, Duvan, Tawan, Khang, Davis, and me. Personal Photo.

Week 1 : Tech Tip - Automotivator

I don't usually make memes or motivational posters. I was more of the person who liked quotemakers. This time I decided to try AutoMotivator for the first time. It was really simple and easy. I chose to use a random photo from the site. After selecting a photo, there are options for a title and text. Here is what I made:

Motivational Poster from AutoMotivator. Source.

I had no idea what to write that would be motivating, but I think the caption fits. If anyone is interested in making motivational posters, I'd recommend AutoMotivator.

Happy Jar

Day 1 1/22/2016

It was my cousin's birthday! We had a party for her, but she went to sleep too early (before midnight). I met a lot of new people and had a fun time meeting all of her friends. Happy Birthday Isabella!

Day 2 1/23/2016

I had the day off from work! I hung out with my closest friends, Anson and Davis. We went to eat at a new place that was a Chinese buffet. It was really nice to have lunch with those two goons.

Day 3 1/24/2016

I worked all day, but my pharmacist and coworkers had a huge laugh about a new medication (it's similar to Viagra, except it's an injection).

Day 4 1/25/2016

I talked to my old roommate! We hit a rough patch last semester for reasons unknown... But we have a class together, and it was really nice to catch up with her again! Something that really made me laugh was when my dad called me and asked me if I discovered the cure for baldness. He ALWAYS asked me if I found a cure, and I always reply, "Not yet Apa, but I'm working on it!" It's a running joke hehe. Also, I'm really proud of my younger brother for exercising. He called me to tell me his biggest accomplishments at the gym, and it just made my day. It brings me joy to see other people reach their goals.

Day 5 1/26/2016

I hung out with my friends Stanly and Dennis! It was funny hanging out with them except they kept picking on me about my exaggerated stories (they enjoy them). We had a debate about whether cows actually had four stomachs or if they had a four chambered stomach. I also saw my cousin and her friends! Isabella and I stayed up pretty late catching up on our love lives (or lack of).

Day 6 1/27/2016

I had a huge gap in between my classes so I spent the majority of my time catching up and getting ahead. I had the whole evening to myself which was great because Erik, my younger brother, came to visit me! We had dinner with all of our friends then we decided to study together afterwards. Something that made me really laugh was when my friend and I were picking off the pleather on the couch and made pictures out of the bits and pieces. Here is a giraffe (or a spotted, long-neck leopard as my friend said) that we made:

Giraffe made from bits and pieces of synthetic leather. Personal Photo.

Do I dare call ourselves artists? Nah. But we're pretty close (jk).

Day 7 1/28/2016

I babysat my friend's 5 year old! He was HILARIOUS! We played video games at first then had a dance contest with Kidz Bop music. He smoked us in the dance competition! Then I studied with my friends after babysitting. My friend and I always argue of who gets to sit in the passenger seat, so after studying we raced to the car. I never knew how fast he could run! He beat me to it, but I still managed to win my place as co-pilot (what we call the passenger seat). It was a fun quarrel!

Day 8 1/29/2016

I saw my cousin today! She had a taco night, but I was too late to have any tacos. We once again chatted about the boys that we were crushing on. It's pretty funny how after so many years we can still manage to have the same conversation: boys, boys, boys. I can't wait til she finds her teammate in life. She definitely deserves the best.

Day 9 1/30/2016

I was off work so I studied with my cousin, Davis and Liza. We were in the library for about 4 hours and I surprisingly finished all of my work. The funniest part about that day was teasing Davis and his fatherhood (no he is not a dad). Long story short, Davis and I were supposed to babysit Liza's five year old son on Thursday but Davis showed up an hour and a half late. Just to tease him, we were saying how he would be the worst father in the future. Poor kid took it to heart, and now he wants to redeem himself. He'll never let it go.

I almost forgot! I SAW MY DAD! I don't see my dad very often (parents are divorced and I live with my mom). He works nights so whenever I'm free he's usually sleeping. But today he was awake! My brother, my dad, and I made homemade pizza together and shared embarrassing stories. It was a great to be with them!

Day 10  1/31/2016

Work again.It wasn't too bad!

Day 11 2/1/2016

Week 1 Learning Challenges

Learn by H.E.A.R.T. is a new concept to me. I watched The Time You Have in Jelly Beans video and my mind was blown. What if today was my last day? How many beans do I have left? It's a crazy thought that I battle with because I think about what I want to do versus what I should do. I'm doing homework right now, but I would much rather hang out with my cousin and brother. I browsed through the website for challenges, and the one that stood out to me the most was the Happiness Jar. I loved that idea! I tend to focus on the negativity in my life, and I would like to change that. I want to remember the happy times that I had with my family and friends. Therefore for my H.E.A.R.T challenge, I will start a happiness jar. I'm debating whether I should go all out and actually buy a jar or if I should do a blog post. Since I'm in a bit of a time crunch, I will most likely update a blog post.

I will most likely focus on the Health/Happiness portion of the H.E.A.R.T. challenges because one of my resolutions this year is to focus on my happiness for a change. I might browse through the Reading challenges next because I'd like to get back in the groove of reading for fun. I used to read constantly as a kid, but now I lost my reading touch. On a final note, I think I'm going to enjoy these challenges.

Happiness Jar Challenge. Source.

Week 1 Growth Mindset

YES! I love learning more about growth mindset, and I'm happy that growth mindset continues to be part of an extra credit assignment. I have never heard of the growth mindset philosophy or of Carol Dweck until last semester when I was enrolled in the Epics of India class. The growth mindset blogs were part of the extra credit curriculum, and by far were my favorite assignments. Ever since then, I have talked about the idea of growth mindset with my family and friends. Whenever they felt like they couldn't achieve their goal, I would talk to them about growth mindset and the idea that they must value their effort. I had a very fixed mindset before learning about growth mindset. I thought that I couldn't improve. Why waste my time? Then, I began to change my perspective on challenges. I began to write down all of my accomplishments, and I realized that I CAN improve. I CAN face challenges. I CAN do this. Rejection and failure no longer define my intelligence. In fact, they are just reminders that I need to work a little harder because I wasn't there just yet.

Goals for this semester include acing my classes and graduating. Initially, I was afraid of the challenges from my capstone class, but I know that as long as I put in the effort, I can do well. Overall, I'm very excited to learn more about about growth mindset and how I can apply the philosophy towards future challenges.

No challenge is too great. Source.

Storybook Favorites

The past storybooks were amazing! I was really impressed with the amount of work that people out into their storybooks in order to bring their stories into life! The storybooks that caught my attention are listed below:

1) The Demons of Latin America (https://sites.google.com/site/thedemonsoflatinamerica/la-llorona/introduction/home)

The topic of this storybook appeared interesting because my roots are in Latin America. What was crazy was that the storybook included mythological creatures that used to haunt me in my childhood! El Cucuy  and La Llorona were stories that my parents would tell my siblings and me in order to scare us to obey their orders. They would say "never run away from home or el Cucuy will catch you!" I loved the topic and how the storybook formatted the introduction in the point of view of the monsters.

La llorona taking children to the river. Source.

2) Secret Life of Titans (https://sites.google.com/site/secretlifeoftitans/)


I chose to browse through this particular storybook because I heard about the Titans, but I wasn't too familiar with them. The theme of the storybook was formatted around each titan telling their own story in a family reunion. It was interesting to hear each titan's story in their own perspective.

3) Gossip Greeks (https://sites.google.com/site/mythfolkstory/home)

The title of this storybook caught my attention because it reminded me of Gossip Girl. It's entertaining to hear how people gossip about the lives of others. I read through the introduction, and it was humorous! A storyteller corrects the rumors of a group gossiping ladies which I thought was a nice touch for an introduction.

Week 1 Overview UnTextbook

For my week 2 readings, I decided to browse through the classical units. I found three stories that caught my attention:

1) Ovid's Metamorphoses (http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/myth-folklore-unit-ovids-metamorphoses.html)

Ovid's Metamorphoses caught my attention because the readings pertained to familiar Greek mythological gods and creatures such as Narcissus and Medusa. I have always been interested in Greek mythology, and I would like to read more about it.

2) Beowulf

I was between choosing Homer's Odyssey and Beowulf. I chose Beowulf because I never read the story before, but I have seen some clips of the movie. I'm not too familiar with the story, so I decided I should read it. Also, if I can't understand the story, I feel like I could watch the movie which also works as a study break.

3) Arabian Nights

I have always heard that Arabian nights had beautiful stories, but I never actually brought myself to read them. Reading B shows readings about Aladdin, and I wondered if the story actually coincided with Disney's Aladdin. This choice is definitely a stretch from my comfort zone, but I'm excited about it.

Aladdin. Source.

Week 1 Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Nicole Rodriguez, and I'm a senior. I studied microbiology, pre-med, with two minors in Spanish and chemistry. My dream is to be a cardiovascular surgeon or a pediatric cardiologist. However, I'm open to oncology and emergency medicine as well. Just to introduce my background, I was born in West Palm Beach, FL and raised in Stockton, CA. I moved to Oklahoma when I was about 8 years old. Oklahoma is way different from the East and West coast. It took me awhile to get used to Oklahoma, but it's home now. My entire family is Colombian, more specifically my parents are from Cali, Colombia. For those of you that don't know, Colombia is located on the Northern tip of South America next to Venezuela. It's a beautiful green country that is popular for its coffee and flowers. Of course, it also has a bad reputation for drug trafficking... But it has improved greatly. Colombian culture really puts an emphasis on family. I love my family, and I'm very close to my cousins. The two most influential people in my life are my younger brother Erik and my cousin Isabella. They have been the best support group in my journey through college and even life itself. They are always there for me through thick and thin. Even more exciting, Isabella has transferred to OU so I see her every day now! I don't know where I would be if it weren't for these two goons.

Erik, Isabella, and I reunited before school. Personal Photo.

On a different note, I'm excited to graduate from OU and begin backpacking through Europe with my friends during the summer. The countries that we are planning to visit are Scotland, Italy, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Morocco, Germany, and Montenegro. I love to learn about different cultures and explore new cities. I guess I don't know what I'll find out there, but I'm excited to find out!

UPDATE: I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED TO MEDICAL SCHOOL!!!! Starting this August, I'll be a first year medical student at the OU College of Medicine! I'm SO excited! It's crazy to look back at everything. I survived it all. This year is so full of events: Acceptance, graduation, Europe. I can't wait for the challenges ahead of me. The most insane part is that I'm actually doing it. I'll actually be doing what I love as my career. I couldn't have done it without my two goons and the support of my family and friends.

Storytelling Week 1: Hush Baby

HUSHY baby, my doll, I pray you don't cry,
And I'll give you some bread and some milk by-and-by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,—
Then to either you're welcome, with all my whole heart.

"WAAAAAAAAA," cried baby Davis as his mother, Liza, attempted to feed him her famous chicken biriyani. She worked all day to make her husband's, Anson, favorite dish and decided that it was Davis's turn to try Southern Indian food. "Hush baby, my moneh. You have to eat your food." Liza tried to make airplane noises and choo-choo trains to enter Davis's mouth but he refused to eat his lunch.

 "I told you, honey, that food is too spicy for him," commented Anson. "Why don't you tried feeding him some paaluh?" Liza ignored her husband as she tried to coax baby Davis to eat solid food. "He needs to start eating traditional Indian food. I can't breast feed him for the rest of his life," retaliated Liza. Then Davis began to fuss and pull Liza's hair. "Ugh! He won't eat! You feed him, Anson!"

"Come here, Davis-kutty, let's feed you some cake or custard," Anson said sweetly as he stuffed Davis's tummy with somosa and mango lassi. Davis grinned a wide smile as he licked the sugary sweets from his finger tips. Liza became concerned with her son's diet. He has been consuming way too many desserts. "Davis needs to eat nutritious meals, Anson. We can't feed him sweets when he won't eat," sighed Liza. Anson placed baby Davis on his shoulders and turned to Liza,"But look at him, sweetie. He's so happy." Davis giggled and cooed to his Mother. Oh his laugh brightens my day thought Liza. She picked up baby Davis and bounced him in the air which made him laugh even more! "You're welcome, Davis-kutty. You're as sweet as ever because of all the sweets you eat." Liza cradled baby Davis in her arm where he fell into a gentle snooze. She couldn't believed how much her life as changed ever since Davis was born last summer. She looked at her son's little nose, soft cheeks, and tiny fingers. "I love you, my moneh, with all my heart," whispered Liza as she kissed her sleeping 

 baby.

Mother and child. Source.

Bibliography:  The Nursery Rhyme Book by Andrew Lang and L. Leslie Brooke 

Author's Note: I chose a nursery rhyme because it was short, sweet, and simple. I think the nursery rhyme is about a mother feeding her child anything the child desired because she just wanted to please him. I asked my friends what kind of story I should write based on the nursery rhyme, and they advised me to tell a story about a mother feeding her baby who wouldn't eat regular food. Since my friends are Southern Indian, I decided to twist the story a bit by adding some Malayalam terms.

Favorite Place: West Palm Beach, FL

Over winter break, I visited my sisters and other family who live in West Palm Beach, FL. I had a blast! I haven't visited Florida in years. I loved the weather and the fact that I can go to the beach in December. My favorite part about Florida was visiting Wynwood. Wynwood is famous for its street art and graffiti. The artistic atmosphere really brought the community together to learn about self expression. Below are some of my favorite pieces:

Dripping Tiger from Wynwood Wall. Personal Photo.

Wynwood Wall. Personal Photo.

 There are so many places that I love to visit, but Florida by far must be my favorite because of my family. I miss my sisters dearly, and I hope to make another trip soon!

My sister Alex and me. Personal Photo.

Sisters and me. Left to Right: Alex, me, and Jen. Personal Photo.

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One of my favorite feel-good songs is Best Day of My Life by American Authors. I've seen them in concert twice, and it was amazing! I hope you enjoy!

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