Famous Last Words for Week 7

This past week has been a constant hustle and bustle.  My schedule has turned into me scheduling out just about every free minute I have to prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed from everything I have to do.

I am supposed to find out about graduate school acceptances/rejections this week.  The snow this past week, however, is making that a little hard to do because I have no idea whether or not the schools stayed open on the days that other interviews were supposed to happen.  Right now it is just a lot of anxious waiting and trying to find other things to occupy my mind.

The good thing about the snow this past week is that it gave me some time to catch up on some of the work I needed to get done.  I also had my roommates dog to keep me company, which always makes for a good study buddy.

(Personal Photo of my roommate's dog Koda as she looks at the snow)

Since we are in the middle of the semester, it can get harder and harder to stay on top of things.  I know that is certainly the case for me.  I just keep reminding myself to take things one day at a time and to also use the free time I have productively.  It may be a pain to do that now but I know I will thank myself in the long run.

We are almost at spring break which is definitely something I am needing.  That about sums it up for my week last week.  Now, on to this week.

Extra Reading Diary - Stories From The Congo

For this reading diary, I am finishing reading Stories From the Congo, which I first started last week with my extra reading diary for week 6.

The Antelope and The Leopard - This is why you always follow through with your word.  Whenever you do not do this, something bad will happen.

How The Spider Won and Lost Nzambi's Daughter - At the beginning of the story, the spider expressed his intent to marry the daughter if the others helped him.  They helped him and they complained, which they shouldn't have because they knew what the spider was going to do from the beginning.

The Turtle and The Man - When people don't share, and are selfish, bad things happen to them.  What goes around comes around.

(Wikipedia)

The Gazelle and the Leopard - This story confused me for the fact that I can't understand why there was a point of this story.  I couldn't find any moral of the story or anything like that.

The Fetish Sunga - Bad things happen to bad people that do bad things.  The great-uncle lied about the fish, so he then lost his ability to talk and could no longer speak.

The Rabbit and the Antelope - A lot of these stories are about bad people and what happens to bad people.  The good person, like the antelope, is always able to get back at the bad person and be victorious in the stories.

The Fight Between the Two Fetishes - Compared to the other stories, it seemed like this story was a lot more historical while the other stories were just stories.  It added a different twist on the story.

The Fetish of Chilunga - That is a rather powerful fetish and it seems like the fetish was the one who ruled the country, and not the princess.

The Leopard and the Crocodile - This, once again, shows that cunning beats brawn and might.

Why The Crocodile Does Not Eat The Hen - This is a creative way to show the link between all creatures, and it was certainly smart of the hen.

The Three Brothers - You never know what someone is capable of until they are nurtured and allowed to become the best they can be.

Oh So Troublesome: Storytelling Week 7

All of the other kids in the neighborhood did not quite know how to act around Anthony.  He was either a great friend, or he would stomp around and destroy everything he could.  Everyday was a different day with Anthony.  He could be happy all of the time or he could be happy and mad or he could be just mad.

(Flickr)

It got to the point where all of the mothers were scared for their children.  They went to Anthony's mom and said that the two of them could no longer live in the neighborhood.  They were scared of what Anthony could possibly do and they didn't want him to hurt their children.

After a lot of talking, Anthony's mother begrudgingly agreed to move out of the neighborhood.  She didn't want to leave their nice little suburban house, but she really didn't have a choice.  She found a nice ranch house just outside of town, where she could still make it to her job, and Anthony would be able to attend a nice public school that was nearby.

The first few months were fine.  Then Anthony started bringing home notes from teachers and requests to meet with her person.  When she finally agreed to sit down with the teachers, the principal was also there as well.

"We love having Anthony at our school."  Started the principal, speaking for the group of faculty assembled as a whole, "But we just fear what he temperament does to the other children.  Everyone is scared to play with him, no one wants to work with him on group assignments, and even a few teachers are scared or what he could possibly do."

"So what are you saying?"  Asked Anthony's mother, already knowing the answer.

"We would like Anthony to no longer attend our school.  While this is not something we wish we would have to say, we are just afraid for the other students, and anyone else who is in the school.  We have to look out of the best interests of the general public.  We hope you understand."

"I understand.  His temper can get a little bit out of control.  He is so much like his father in that way."  Anthony's mother smiled politely and walked out of the room.  From that point on, Anthony and his mother both worked from home on their ranch house.  Him being homeschooled by his mom and she, being a online supervisor for her company.

Author's Note: The story I used as inspiration was The Story of Lightning and Thunder.  In the story, Thunder is being described as the mother of lightning.  Whenever he is mad, lightning goes around destroying things in the village they live in.  The king then banishes them to the forest/outskirts of the village they live in.  This doesn't help because he still causes damage and destruction in the village.  Finally the king banishes thunder and lightning to the sky which is where they have stayed.

Reading Diary B - Nigerian Folk Stories

For this reading diary, I am finishing reading Nigerian Folk Stories.

The Lightening and the Thunder - I like the idea of making the lighting and the thunder a son and mother duo.  It is very fitting for how they got into the sky and how they happen with each other, most of the time.

(Wikimedia)

The Bush Cow and the Elephant - While a very interesting story and one that makes a lot of sense for why wild animals fight in the bush now, it is sad that the elephant and the bush cow had to die slow painful deaths in order to for it to happen.

The Cock Who Caused a Fight Between Two Towns - This was a story that turned violent quickly.  If Ama Ukwa was jealous of both brothers, he could have definitely found a different way to become better than the brothers than try to create a fight that ultimately led to his death.

The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise - I think that it was sad the hippo did not want to share his feast with the other animals.  If you do not want anyone to know your name, or you are two embarrassed by it, you shouldn't have people try and guess it.

Why Dead People Are Buried - This story was short, sweet and straight to the point.  I wonder why the part about the dog not being liked was included. I am assuming because in Nigeria dogs are not as much liked as they are here in America.

Of the Fat Woman Who Melted Away - The woman who was made of oil, was basically forced to go into the sun for it melted her away.  But her sister was able to save her toe so she could become whole again.

Why The Moon Waxes and Wanes - Why were the people who lived in the town so concerned with the moon?  They did all of their work during the day, so what would the difference be if they could not see the moon?

How the Tortoise Overcame and Elephant and the Hippopotamus - This story shows that brains will always overcome brawn.

The King and the 'Nsait Bird - The female 'nsait bird is a very pretty bird and I can see how the king would want to marry her.

Concerning the Hawk and the Owl - It was certainly rather nice of the hawk to return the owlet to its parents and then find another source of food.

The 'Nsasak Bird and the Oududu bird - Once again, this is a story that shows that cunning-ness helps over all other things.

The Election of the King Bird - Sometimes, even if you are much more cunning than the others, you have to let the one with the most brawn and greatest strength be victorious.

Reading Diary A - Nigerian Folk Stories

For this reading diary, I chose to read Nigerian Folk Stories.

The Pretty Stranger who Killed the King - The line at the end really is what summarizes what the story is trying to show.  Even if you think someone is the most beautiful person on the outside, you do not know what they are like on the inside.  Thus you have to get to know the person before wanting to spend the rest of your life with them.

Why the Bat Flies at Night - This was an interesting story, and also shows what happened when you are misinformed.  If you are doing something new, you always have to know what you are going to do.

(Wikipedia)

The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull - This is similar to the first story, in that the story says that you should really get to know the person who you want.

The King Who Married the Cock's Daughter - This was an interesting story.  I can't imagine what the cock's daughter would have looked like to have the king marry her.  Though you can't get mad at someone for doing what only seems natural to them.

The Woman, The Ape, and the Child - This story's interesting, but also it showed what happens when you let your anger get the best of you.

The Fish and the Leopard's Wife - This was certainly a strange story, but that is also what happens when you lust after something that is not supposed to be yours.

Why The Worms Live Underneath The Ground - All of these stories are creation stories, or stories about how animals are living the way they are.  These are always interesting to read based on each culture.

The Elephant and the Tortoise - This was certainly a unique story that included a cunning animal, and an animal that needed to learn a lesson.  I think this is a characteristic for all cultural folk tales.

Why Hawk Kills Chicken - This was a sad story that the young rooster could not jus try to get his own instead.

Why The Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky - I think these cultural folk tales are always fascinating because there is always a unique answer for why something is the way it is.

Why Cat Kills Rats - The poor cat, he just wanted to have his own way in the world and the rat would not let him.