Possible Storybook Topics

This week I started thinking about my final project for the class. We have the option of either an online story book or a portfolio of our best work for the semester. To get the ball rolling, I researched some topics and thought of four that I might like to make into my final project.

1. A Dogs Diary of Doing Things
In this story book, my four Pekingese dogs could become the main characters of the stories that I most liked to read. This would change the context of things and make all the stories happen in a dog's world. Furthermore, I think it would be interesting to tell the stories from the dog's diaries. This way there could be a lot more thoughts and feelings from the dogs. 
Research so far: My professor gave me this example of another student using his fish as the heros/heroines in his retold stories: Fishy Portfolio. I thought it was a pretty interesting idea. I have read some short fables already about dogs that I could retell from a dog's diary. Also I know there would be other stories where I could change the people to dogs and it would make for some really funny content.

2. The Magic Garden
This storybook could focus on some story/stories of garden gnomes, fairies, pixies, garden sprites, trolls, elves, etc. I remember movies about tiny creatures in a forest setting, like in Bridge to Terabethia, being really intriguing to me. Plus my mom is a florist and we always have beautiful gardens surrounding our house and in our backyard, which I think would be really cool to think of as the context for a story.
Research so far: I have searched for fairytales about fairys and gnomes and haven't had much luck locating them, but I know they have to be out there somewhere. If you have any guidance for finding these sources please let me know!.. I would like to pursue this topic further if I can find some great sources!

3. Brazilian Monkey Tales
I went to Brazil this summer to study abroad, and while there I saw monkeys pretty much everywhere we visited. I first thought about doing my storybook over Brazilian myths/folktales at the suggestion of my teacher. Then in a lot of Brazilian tales I researched, a monkey was the main character. I also thought about how when we see monkeys depicted in movies, etc, they are always pretty interesting and mischievous little characters. Therefore, I thought choosing tales about them would be really fun to learn about and then to retell. My idea is to have a grandpa monkey telling his grandkids how rebellious he had been using the themes from Brazilian folktales.
Research so far: I searched Fairy Tales from Brazil and found lots of interesting stories, quite a few of them were about monkeys. I also searched the previous storybooks from this class about found this one: Tales from the Bayou that was about a grandma telling stories of her time and interactions in the bayou... I thought something like this would be good to mimic for mine, but making it about a grandpa monkey telling of his adventures.

4. The Bachelor: Princess edition.
I am a big fan of the Bachelor/Bachelorette television shows, and I am also a big fan of Disney princess movies. Naturally I thought "why not combine the two?" I would like to discover some princesses that maybe I haven't heard of yet and have their stories come through in their contestant descriptions. I think it would be interesting to put the princesses all in a house together and see how they compete for a prince's love. Also, in the end of the series the bachelor (prince) visits the girl's hometowns, so it could be cool to do that scene and have him visit, for example, Ariel's home under the sea.
Research so far: I searched through mythology and folklore story book topics to the section about fairy tales and discovered lots of stories of princess I was familiar with and some I wasn't. I know there are quite a few beyond the reach that Disney could make into movies, and I think it would be interesting to learn about more princesses.

Screen grab of princesses from Shrek the 3rd movie

Storytelling Week 2: Gossiping Chickens and Naive Dogs

On a small farm out in the middle of the country, there was a farmer who had all kinds of animals. He had donkeys, chickens, pigs, cows, and rabbits. The animals lived in peaceful harmony, that is everyone except for the chickens. The chickens, there were a dozen or so of them, were exceptional at gossiping and they often made fun of the other animals and spread bad things about them.

The chickens would wake up each morning and search for the newest farm member to gossip about, they even talked behind the farmer's back occasionally. The other animals put up with it for some time but then they couldn't take anymore. They decided to shun the chickens and cut off all communication and contact with them. 

The chickens, having no friends to gossip about or pick on, were extremely bored now with all of their free time. However, the addicted gossipers that they were, they still made up things to gossip about, even things like the weather became hot topics.

They were approaching the 100th day of aimlessly gossiping when they heard something from beyond the farm approaching.

The chickens turned their heads and saw four large dogs crossing the pasture. The two eldest chickens had found someone new to gossip about.

"Look Beatrice, those hounds over there are getting closer and closer to our farm!"

"Who do they think they are!"

"I don't know... maybe they are here to steal our eggs or vandalize our pens!"

"They do look like quite wild, quick hens hide your eggs!"

Just beyond the animals cages was a stream, and the dogs made their way to it and stopped to drink. 

Image of the dogs lapping up the river, by Winter  

"That is just filthy, I guess we can't all be important enough to have a farmer bring us pails of water, right hens?"

The ladies agreed and laughed at the hounds drinking stream water.

The dogs stayed at the waters edge for quite some time, only pausing occasionally from drinking to take a breath.

"What on earth.... why wont they stop drinking?"

"I'm not sure... they appear to be verrrrry thirsty."

"No that's not it, there must be some reason"

"Maybe its because they have never had clean water before?"

The hens chuckled again at the dog's expense.

"No no... wait! I almost forgot, this morning the farmer laid some fresh hides in the river to tan them!"

"Oh yes! Those silly beasts must be trying to reach the hides"

"But how..."

The hens pondered for quite some time and continued to watch the dogs lap up the water.

"I've got it! They are trying to drink up our river!

At that remark every hen in the pen laughed so hard that the other animals nearby in their pens turned to see what was so funny.

They too saw the dogs lapping up the river and a few approached the hens to see if they knew who those strangers were.

"Why those four silly beasts are trying to drink up the whole river to get to the hides at the bottom... Isn't that just the silliest thing you've ever heard??"

The other animals laughed along with the hens, and then they started whispering and spreading the gossip amongst themselves about the ridiculous wild dogs who were silly enough to think they could drink up a river.

The whispers and laugher from the farm grew loud enough to where the dogs could hear them.

One of the dogs perked up and glanced in their direction.

"Oh no.. I hope they don't come any closer... those filthy animals probably don't even know how to communicate with classy hens like us"

The dog turned back and he and his three friends drank the last little bit until their bellies expanded to the max. Then the dogs laid down and gave up, they had no more room for water and they weren't any closer to the hides.

The farm animals laughed even more at their expense.

"I just knew they couldn't do it" said a hen

"Me too... I always thought dogs were stupid animals and that proves it" said the other hen.

The other animals chipped in with the gossiping. Eventually the dogs arose and walked back to the farms edge with their heads held low and their tail between their legs.

It's easy to forgive and join in when you're not the one the cruel act is against.

Author's Note: The Original fable by Aesop was about three dogs trying to drink up a river to reach the hides at the bottom. As you can tell, I did not alter the plot, but I did alter the way the story was told. I chose to tell the story from a gossiping perspective and created the chickens on the farm as the gossipers. I thought this would be a good way to convey a silly story like the dogs trying to consume a whole river. It seemed like an old task and like one other people would gossip about because it was so outrageous.

Bibliography: "The Dogs and the Hides", from Aesop for Children, illustrated by Winter (1919). Web Source: Aesop (Winter)

Week 2 Reading Diary, Continued: "Aesop for Children (Winter)"

A continuation of fables from Aesop for Children, illustrated by Winter.

The Wolf and the Goat
I like how in this story the goat was not outsmarted by the wolf like it is in many other fables. In another version I could see the goat coming down from the cliff but having lots of friends with him, enough to make the wolf flee.

The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse
What a great way to relay the lesson of not judging a book by its cover. The naïve mouse thought the cat was his friend and the cock was his foe, when it was actually the other way around. I like that it was a young mouse who was learning this lesson from his mother.



Illustration for The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse by Winter

The Fighting Bulls and the Frog
This fable told a lesson I hadn't thought much of before- when the great fall out the weak must suffer for it. When reading I saw how this could be related to government and people and events of day. The frogs were quite wise to know what fate was coming upon them.

The Fox and the Crab
I liked that the crab was adventurous and searched outside of his comfort zone for a new home. The sad fate that awaited the crab was immediate and I wish there were more to the story that just his demise. Perhaps the crab could become friends with the crab.

The Eagle and the Beetle
I liked how this story ended with an explanation for how things are now- the bird eggs lie in nests in the spring and the beetles sleep in the ground. I also liked seeing how a tiny beetle was able to avenge his wrong doing to such a great extent. In another version the tables could turn and the bird could go after the beetle eggs.

The Quack Toad
A good lesson comes from this story- Those who would mend others, should first mend themselves. I enjoyed the tenacity of the toad to think he could be a cure all doctor. It kindve related to how people should solve their own problems before meddling in other peoples.

The Animals and the Plague
This is the first fable I have read so far by Aesop that has made me sad; most others have made me giggle or feel content with the outcome, but not this one. In this fable the ass is wrongly chosen to suffer the pain of all for his deed which was minuscule and not deserving of such a fate. To right this wrong, I may choose to twist the end of bring the donkey back to punish the others. The weak are made to suffer for the misdeeds of the powerful.

The Cat and the Old Rat
I thought the cats guises were pretty clever, all to get a meal. Then I also enjoyed the old rats wise advice to the younger rats. I am sure this old rat has quite the story to tell, after all he was duped before only to learn his lesson and not to be tricked a second time.

The Ant and the Dove
This story warmed my heart; I enjoyed seeing these unlikely friends helping each other out. It was cool to see the initial kindness of the bird then be turned back to also benefit the bird. I could see a life long friendship forming from these initial small encounters. Its good to learn that a kindness is never wasted.

The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
I liked that the cocky cock was knocked off his pedestal. It just goes to show that being too prideful can be a downfall. It is better to be modest and feel proud than to boast; because you never know when an eagle may be waiting to strike, like in this fable.

Stay tuned to see which fable I choose to branch off of for my next story!

Week 2 Reading Diary: "Aesop for Children (Winter)"

For my first reading diary I will share some of my thoughts and favorite things from reading Aesop for children, illustrated by Milo Winter.

The Tortoise and the Ducks
My grandmother is obsessed with turtles; she has around 20 of them in an enclosure in her back yard, some that she has had since my dad was a little kid. Since I've grown up around turtles and turtles as decorations, this story was quite intriguing to me. I liked that the ducks were kind enough to carry the turtle on a stick up into the sky to help him see the world. I could envision the turtle falling from the sky and landing, maybe in an ocean? This could be how seas turtles were created... maybe an idea for my story!

The Boy and the Filberts
I had heard this story line before- of children getting their hands stuck in the cookie jar- but had never thought of the greater life lesson behind it. "Do not attempt too much at once." It might be interesting to see what a future would be like if the boy never let go of the nuts in this case, just like some of us find it hard to let go of the things in life that weigh us down or keep us trapped.

The Plane Tree
This was a very short fable but it had a great lesson to be learned. I get how important it is to be thankful for the things in our life, even the most miniscule of things can be blessings- like trees. When reading, I pictured a speaking face in the tree like the ones I have seen in many movies before. What if the tree stood up and moved to take his shade away from the ungrateful men, and what if other trees followed suit?

The Farmer and the Stork
This fable features a situation that I encounter very often in my life, avoiding falling into the wrong crowd. I like the farmers character, he is an unwavering individual. I feel like there could be a lot more to this story, either in events leading up to it or in what happens after the farmer catches the birds. The cranes are kind of like the mischievous bad kids and the stork is the A+ student who got dragged down.

The Boys and the Frogs
Yet another great lesson from a fable- Always stop to think whether your fun may be the cause of another's unhappiness. I am guilty of skipping rocks over many a pond and I thought it was interesting that the author thought beyond our fun actions to their consequences. In a spin off the boys could be helping the frogs out by throwing rocks at the top of the frozen pond so the frogs can get into the water.

The Lion and the Gnat
I enjoyed that the tiny gnat was able to conquer the fierce lion king. A spider also came into play at the end, catching the gnat in his web. I think it would be interesting to focus on more on the spider if I were to write my story from this story. The ending lesson was a good reminder to never get too big for our britches.

The Wild Boar and the Fox
The actions of the boar when he could have been simply relaxing were inspiring, he is a very smart animal. I liked that the boar had a good answer to give the fox when he asked what he was doing- and it quickly shut him up.

The Mice and the Weasels
What an interesting thought to have mice wearing headdresses and armor. I thought for sure that the mice would win and was surprised to see the weasels win the food. Their headdresses became their demise- greatness has its penalties.

The Monkey and the Dolphin
First of all, what an unlikely pairing. I thought it was interesting how loyal the dolphins were to the humans, and it made me sad to learn that they were so loyal that would leave the monkey in the water to fend for himself. Maybe in another story that monkey survives at sea?

The Monkey and the Dolphin by Winter

The Dogs and the Hides
I love that the silly dogs thought they could drink up an entire river just to reach the hides at the bottom. Any one can see that would be an impossible task to begin with but the dogs were overwhelmingly optimistic about it.

Part two to be continued tomorrow!

Learning Challenges



Learning and life strategies... I'm finding that I could always use a few more of those. One new thing presented to us in this class is Learning by H.E.A.R.T., which stands for health/happiness, empathy, attention, reading, and time management. Of all of these areas, I think the ones that need the most improvement in my life are time management, reading and happiness.

 

Since starting college 2.5 years ago I have found that I'm not as good at time management as I once thought I was. This is something I work on continuously to better myself and find new ways to get everything in my life completed on time. Because time management is always on my mind, I am excited to see these challenges and tips and to begin working with them this semester. Fortunately I discovered early on that I was a very visual person and that a planner was a good move to keep me sane.

 

As for reading, it hit me over Christmas break this year that I hadn't read a book outside of a textbook in about four years. That realization honestly made me sad, and so that is one thing I recently started to work on. I found some books on a shelf back home that I never even opened before and I set aside time each day over break to read. I even asked for a few books for Christmas, mostly self help and inspirational books- I could use a lot of those as I near the end of college. But now as we are back to school I can already tell that is going to be close to impossible for me to finish those books this semester. Needless to say, I could definitely benefit from the learning by reading section of the HEART model. 

 

Lastly, I've found that happiness is so hard to find, and then to keep, when you have as many things on your mind and on your plate as college kids do. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say that I'm unhappy, but, I could definitely stand to work on my happiness and in turn the happiness of others.    

 

 

 Life strategy meme found on Learning by HEART blog site

Thoughts on the Growth Mindset



 

The growth mindset is an entirely new concept to me, as is the work of Carol Dweck. After watching a few videos of her speaking about it I really like the idea. Her premise is that people, children especially, grow up with this idea that things coming easily to them means they are in their comfort zone and that when society gives you an F that means something was simply too hard for you. She says this way of thinking and doing is limiting to our mindset, to our way of life, and to our dreams and future. This is why Carol presents that instead we need to make challenge the new comfort zone and we need to give "not yets" instead of Fs.    

 

If I pictured myself currently on a growth mindset spectrum I would say that I am guilty of being too comfortable and of occasionally running from classes when I hear they are a challenge to get an A in. In this way I am a little too fixed minded, but I like to think that I have a growth mindset in things outside of the school realm.

 

I think it's hard for our generation to not care whether we get an A or not because we too were rewarded all throughout school for the accomplishment of an A instead of for the process and work it took us to get there. It's a problem that I didn't really realize existed until learning of the growth mindset principle, but I think its an issue that people young and old could stand to benefit from learning about. After all, I'm sure there are adults who are too comfortable and too fixed minded in their jobs just like we are as young adults and as children in school.

 

Overall, I like the growth mindset idea and I think it would greatly benefit students if we rewired our brains a little bit to think in terms of the future and of process instead of the immediacy of products of success. Learning more about the growth mindset and striving to work with it on a daily basis in all of my classes is something that I am going to aim to do.   

 

 

A growth mindset meme about change. Source: Butterfly

My Storybook Favorites

I read quite a few previous students storybooks and these are three of my favorites that could possibly inspire my own storybook in the future. The creativity in the main idea of these three stories is what drew me to them. Dialogue was also a big part of all three, something that makes stories more interesting in my opinion.

Merlin's Mystery Men
This story book was one of the ones that popped up randomly on my main page when looking through storybooks and so I clicked on it. The title of the book, Merlin's Mystery Men is not totally self explanatory of what the story would be about... However the picture that accompanied the title was. The idea for the story is a clever one and I like that Merlin was the host of the dating TV game show. I had heard of Merlin before and I knew that he was magical of sorts but I didn't know much more than that. I enjoyed the way the story was set up on the website and even more I enjoyed that the dialogue included all the aspects you would hear on a real TV show. The story was visually appealing and that made it easy to read. The introduction was well written and left on a bit of a cliff hanger which made me want to read more. I thought the website was easy to navigate and the images used were fitting.

Screen grab of Merlin's Mystery Men storybook homepage

Monsters or Misunderstood
The title of this storybook gave a good preview of what the story would hold, and upon reading it I found my self thinking I too have wondered if monsters felt misunderstood. The introduction of the story set up a psychiatrist office scene and it was creatively written to preview the monsters stories but at the same time not give away too much. Each of the monsters had their own story section tab on the website and I liked the simple organization. There were pictures of the monsters and lots of dialogue between them and the psychiatrist, which was interesting. This storybook website was also divided into each character having their own tab and that made it easy to follow each ones story.

The Fairy Godmother Union Strike
So many of the storybooks that I read had such great themes that it left me thinking I wish I could do that for my story book- this was especially one of those. The title of this story was also a good preview of the story to come. I am very familiar with the stories of fairy godmothers since they are a key component of many fairy tales that I love and grew up watching or reading. This spin on the traditional story was really interesting and I enjoyed reading from the other perspective of the fairy godmothers. The introduction did a good job of setting the scene and introducing the main conflict. The storybook also had lots of pictures that helped to convey what was happening.

UnTextbook Overview- Initial Choices

Week 2 classical reading: Aesop for children (Winter)

I am a big fan of fables and the mini lessons that each of them teach. That is one of the things that drew me to these Aesop fables. I think it would be neat to learn these fables now and have them as stories to possibly tell in the future to kids.

Week 3 biblical reading: Jewish Fairy Tales

This unit caught my attention because the fairy tales are a spin on traditional bible stories, as well as others found in Jewish history, that I know very well. I think it would be interesting to see how those real depictions of events could be changed into fairy tales.

Image taken from the fable The Giant of the flood found in the Jewish Fairy Tales unit.

Possible future readings:

22 Goblins
The title for this one initially intrigued me and then upon reading the overview section I knew I wanted to read this whole unit to learn the goblins tales and the riddles he left the main character with.

Robin Hood
I have always been a fan of Robin Hood the movie. I want to read this unit to see if the traditional tales of Robin Hood differ greatly from the version I currently know.

Infancy Gospels
Again the title of the unit caught my attention. The overview said the unit featured some stories of the miracles Jesus performed as a baby and other things that weren't put in the bible, so I want to see what those things are.

Sioux Legends
I have always been interested in the Sioux tribe. I did a report over them in a human relations class last year and I want to continue to expand my knowledge of the Sioux tribe. They are a pretty radical group so I figure the legends will be wildly interesting as well.

Alice's Looking Glass
I love Alice in Wonderland and have heard Alice's Looking glass is a good story as well. This class finally gives me the perfect time to read it and see what it's all about.



Introduction to My Life- A Work In Progress

Hi everyone!

2016 is here and my life is still a work in progress. Here's what you need to know about me for now.

I'm a public relations major and a human relations minor. I'm not sure on what I want the end goal to be, but who is when they're 20? For now I am enjoying school and working on internships to hopefully set myself up for a job once I graduate next December. Here's hoping things fall into place this year!

I'm from Perry, Oklahoma. Perry is a little town up North with about 5,000 people with an average graduating class of 75 people. Although there wasn't much there besides a McDonalds and a mini- Walmart, Perry was a great place to grow up and I wouldn't change that for the world. I go back on the weekends occasionally to visit my family- my little sister Morgan is a sophomore in high school so she has lots of exciting things going on in her life that I like to be there for.

I have four fur babies who have my whole heart- Bear, Coco, Gizmo, and Missy. They are all Pekingese dogs- if you don't know what that is just imagine a pug mixed with a Pomeranian and you've got a Pekingese. They are super cute and I so wish they could come live in Norman with me.

I'm a chocolate and Dr. Pepper addict. I'm not totally sure, but I think it runs in my genes- my mom is also a Dr. Pepper and chocolate lover except occasionally she reaches for the Diet Dr. P.

I love to play tennis. I started playing competitively in junior high and continued through high school. Now I just play occasionally for fun. I have also found that it is a great stress reliever for me. I think its one of those leisurely sports that I'll continue to enjoy for the rest of my life.

I'm kind've a travel junkie. I have always enjoyed traveling but this past summer I studied abroad in Brazil and that's when the travel bug really took hold of me. I would love to travel the world. Needless to say, I hope my future includes A LOT of traveling.

Personal photo of me on the steps to historic Penha church in Brazil, favelas (slums) surround the area in the background.   

I spend a little too much time on Netflix. Greys Anatomy is my all time favorite show, but some others that I'm guilty of binge watching are New Girl, Parks and Recreation, Scandal, 90210, and The 100. As for movies, I love The Blindside and anything else that Sandra Bullock is in.

Mexican food is my absolute favorite. Anytime I ever go out to eat my first choice is a Mexican restaurant, which is probably why my friends have stopped letting me choose where we go for dinner. Ted's is my go to, I just cant get enough chips, queso, and guac.

Week 1 Storytelling: The Olympic Candlestick Hurdler

“JACK, be nimble,
And, Jack, be quick;
And, Jack, jump over
The candlestick.”

Those were the last words Jack heard before he took his place on the starting line. Three seconds and one gun shot later and Jack was bolting around the track hurdling over lit candlesticks. The only things standing in the way of Jack and an 1896 Olympic gold medal were a 500 foot stretch of candlesticks to hurdle and 12 other athletes. But Jack had been preparing his whole life for this moment.

Jack grew up a poor boy living and working on his family’s sheep farm outside of London. His family never thought he would amount to much, and at times he didn’t either. Jack was kicked out of every school he went to, he was just too ornery, and for a while it seemed he was destined to be nothing more than a sheep farmer.

But one day when he was out in the pasteur, Jack’s favorite sheep, Bessi, escaped under the fence. Jack took off after her but Bessie kept going and she led him closer to town.

On the edge of town, finally, Jack was gaining on her. But as Bessie ran aimlessly through town she bumped into people and knocked over things. It was too late for Jack to stop so he hurdled boxes, barrels, and bales of hay. By now the whole town heard the ruckus and people had stepped outside to see what all the commotion was about. One of the men who left his desk was Walter Bailey, a former Olympic athlete and now an Olympic recruiter.

Bailey saw Jack making haste of every object in his way, and even the sheep seemed to glance back in amazement. Jack took one final leap and he landed on top of Bessie. He finally had her and little did he know he also had the attention of the man who would change his life.

Jack put a rope around Bessie and led her home. 

Later that day, Jack heard a knock at the front door. Bailey was on the front porch. Bailey told Jack he saw his little chase earlier that day and thought the kid had real athletic potential. He invited him to come down to the town track the next day to run with some other boys. 

That day Jack was introduced to hurdling- an Olympic event involving running and simultaneously jumping over different sizes of lit candlesticks. Jack was a natural at clearing the candlesticks in front of him.



Jack jumping over a candlestick at the 1896 Athens Olympics. Source: Jack

He started to go to the track every day to practice the hurdles and his performances drew crowds. The town was in awe of the once ornery farm boy who seemed to be on his was to athletic stardom.

A few years passed and Jack was old enough, and practiced enough, to enter the Olympic trials.

At no surprise to him or to Bailey, who had become Jack's coach and mentor, he qualified for the 1896 Olympics, leaving his local competitors in the dust.

His family accompanied him to the Olympic Games in Athens that year and they took their place in the stands. Jack waited all day for his event to be called, finally, at 4 p.m. it was time.

As he did before every meet, Bailey rubbed Jacks shoulders and said to him one inspiring phrase:

“JACK, be nimble,
And, Jack, be quick;
And, Jack, jump over
The candlestick.”

Author's Note: As you can see, this nursery rhyme was rather short and left a lot to be wondered about Jack and the candlestick. My first thought was why is he jumping over a candlestick and why is someone telling him how to do it? This led me to the idea of a coach and the candlestick as a hurdle. Candlesticks are somewhat outdated items that are not as popular in homes today, which made me think it would have had to be an event or a game played a century or so ago. Then also the Olympic games are coming up this summer so it seemed fitting to make the story of an Olympic event that happened in the past. Lastly, I added the back story of how Jack got to the Olympics and this moment in his life. I did this because I think the back story completes the picture and makes it a feel good story. I chose the image because it reflected Jack jumping over a candlestick. Some action as odd as that may be hard for people to imagine so now they don’t have to. My goal was simply to create a really enjoyable story. Also, if were being honest, I recently read “Unbroken” and loved it; I made this story kind of similar to the one in that book.

Bibliography: This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Jack, Be Nimble" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).

Brazil- My Favorite Place

This past summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in Brazil. I visited Rio De Janeiro, Salvador, and the remote island of Morro De Sao Paulo. Experiencing the culture of Brazil was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I have a new perspective on life thanks to my study abroad trip. Before Brazil I knew I loved traveling but now I feel called to experience the beauty and the culture of places around the globe. I could talk all day about Brazil, or share the thousands of photos I took, but I'll just share a few for now. Study abroad! Do it!!


Personal photo of our group enjoying a mud bath on the island of Morro... Told you it was remote.  

The famous Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city of Rio. One of my favorite places we visited. Source: Wikipedia

 

Personal photo of the historic Pelourinho neighborhood of Salvador-, the place where the slave trade started in South America.

Personal photo of one of the many tiny monkeys that had taken over the tourist destinations in Brazil.

Comment Wall

Hi all, leave your comments for me here!

Personal photo taken by my awesome photographer friend, Karly.

 

Getting Started

First ever blog post; excited to get this class blog started!