Rain's Journey

Rain grew up with a nice childhood.  She had a loving family with a mother, father, a younger sister and an older brother.  She grew up with quite a few friends in school, and generally lived a happy life.

Rain in her favorite space (Pixaby)

But as she grew older, she felt that there was something missing in her life.  She felt this constant longing to be somewhere other than where she was.  No matter where she went, she wanted to be somewhere else.  She was always restless and the feeling never seemed to be satisfied.

Finally, Rain was a senior in college and it was time for her to start figuring out what she wanted to do after college.

"I can't decide what I want to do," she stated one day.  "Everything I think of sounds boring and dull.  I don't want to do something boring just because it is time to pick something.  I want to go see things!  I can't stand being stuck in one place."

"Well then, why don't you take off a year and go travel the country?  You always talk about how you want to explore.  My aunt makes jewelry and sells it around the country all summer following different fairs and festivals.  I could ask her if you could join her.  You have loved working at boutiques and all those little clothing stores ever since we started school,"  offered her friend Heather, who had known Rain since before they had become roommates freshman year.  The two had become inseparable since they were first matched through potluck.  They knew each other better than they knew themselves sometimes, so of course Heather would have some great ideas to help Rain figure out what she wanted to do.

"I love that idea!  Could you please?  Your aunt is such a fun person, and being able to just travel with her around the country for the whole summer would be so much fun!"  Rain, who had been lying  on the floor dejectedly, jumped up with excitement, giving Heather a giant hug in the process.

Before Rain knew it, all the arrangements had been made, the semester was over, and she was hitting the road with Heather's aunt, Cindy.  The start of the trip was great.  Going from city to city, meeting all of the different people, not being held down to one location or another.  One day, Rain and Cindy stopped at what looked like a festival.  Cindy had never heard the name before, but she thought it would be worth a try because there seemed to be a lot of people there.  After parking the truck they drove in, Cindy walked around to the back to start getting out all of their gear and Rain went to find out some information about the possibility of them selling their jewelry.

(Wikipedia)

Rain approached what looked like an information booth, when all of a sudden everything changed.  From seemingly nowhere and everywhere at once, there were gunshots.  Everybody around Rain burst into action running in all different directions.  Rain dove for the nearest booth and hid for what seemed like forever.  When the noise quieted down, she slowly got up from the booth and looked around.  There were small groups of people clustered around, but most of the people had already left, and in a hurry from the looks of the mess strewn around the festival site.  As Rain looked for Cindy's old, sky blue pick-up truck she realized that Cindy was not there!  Their stuff was gone, the truck was gone, there was not a sign of Cindy anywhere.

Rain momentarily started to panic.  What was she going to do?  How was she going to get back home?  How was she going to survive?  She looked around at the other people still standing around and recognized another booth owner who had been at several of the other festivals and fairs they had been up.  She went up, explained the situation, and asked if she could follow along with owner until she found Cindy again.  The owner readily agreed and they continued on their journey.

At the next city, as they pulled up to the parking area, a hint of sky blue poked out amongst all of the other cars.  Rain immediately jumped out of the car and ran to the truck.

"Cindy! Cindy! Cindy!" She yelled, weaving in and out of the parking spots.  She saw Cindy's head peek out above the cars and then locked eyes with her.  As they met they embraced with a giant hug.

"I am so sorry!  I panicked when I heard the gun shots.  I tried to call you, but your phone was in the truck and then people were screaming that there was a gunman coming towards the cars.  I didn't know what to do!" Cindy said, shaking with the tears and relief that was flooding out of both of them.

"It's ok.  I was scared too.  But, we are back together.  So let's go enjoy what is left of this summer by selling the awesome jewelry you have made."

And with that, they got back to work.

Author's Note: For this story, I used both parts of Sinbad's First Voyage as inspiration.  In this story, Sinbad goes on a trip with some merchants to sail around the world while exchanging and bartering for goods.  One day the ship finds a small island to rest on.  It turns out the island was a giant whale.  As everybody scrambles to get back on the ship, Sinbad is cast into the sea by the whale, unable to get onto the ship in time.  After a couple of days at sea, Sinbad found an island and was able to climb ashore and find food.  After wandering the island for a while, he comes to a trading city where he is reunited the captain of his ship.  After a joyful reunion, Sinbad obtains his earnings from the trip and then returns home.

Reading Diary B - The Voyages of Sinbad

For my reading diary, I am continuing to read The Voyages of Sinbad.

Fifth Voyage - I wonder what the other members of the ship were thinking, hacking the egg and killing the young roc.  Obviously there are parents who cared for the egg.  Did they not think anything would happen to them?

(Wikipedia)

Fifth Voyage (cont.) - Sinbad certainly has quite a bit of luck wherever he goes.  No matter what scrape he gets into, he is always able to make it out alive and unharmed.

Sixth Voyage - Even with the despair Sinbad faced, he wasn't the least bit excited to find the cave that was covered in gems and precious jewels.  Maybe he has seen everything that there is to see in the world.

Sixth Voyage (cont.) - I'm pretty sure that if anyone other than Sinbad was telling this story, they would not have floated out to safety, like Sinbad did.

Sixth Voyage (end) - I know it would never be possible, but I would love to ride an elephant just like the one mentioned in the story.  I think that would be amazing to be able to do.

Reading Diary A - The Voyages of Sinbad

For this reading diary, I decided to read The Voyages of Sinbad.

First Voyage - In this story, it was basically by pure luck that Sinbad found the men who were herding the goats.  Without them, he surely would have died from a lack of food and water after floating in the ocean for a very long time.

First Voyage (cont.) - If I was Sinbad, I would have been offended if the captain of the ship did not recognize me.  While yes, it may have been a while since the ship took off, it had not been multiple years which would have caused him to be hard to recognize.

Second Voyage - I feel bad for Sinbad, that no one paid attention to notice that he was left behind on the island.  You would think with a ship, that they would need everyone back on the ship, however some how or some way, Sinbad was not needed.

(Wikipedia)

Second Voyage (cont.) - If this story happened in real life, and I was in Sinbad's position, I don't know how I would react.  I am sure it was terrifying to see all of those giant animals.

Third Voyage - Even though Sinbad wants to be up and active, he has the worst luck on these voyages.  There is always something to cause issues on his voyages.  This time he could possibly get eaten by a giant with one eye!

Third Voyage (cont.) - If I was a merchant, I wouldn't travel anywhere with Sinbad.  It seems like everyone who was with Sinbad died on this trip!

Third Voyage (end) - It really is a miracle Sinbad ran into that captain from his second voyage.  Not only is he able to make the captain feel better, knowing he is alive, but Sinbad is also able to collect his earnings from the last voyage and have a small amount of money for himself.

Fourth Voyage - Sinbad really just needs to stay home.  Whenever he goes on some sort of voyage, he always ends up in some situation that could cause him to die.

Fourth Voyage (cont.) - Sinbad really does have the worst luck, no matter where he is living.  Even if he is not on a voyage, he still is put to death because of his wife, who was even a wife he wasn't looking for

Fourth Voyage (end.) - I wonder how the woman knew about the crack in the cave to get through.  No one else wanted to help Sinbad in his predicament before he was lowered into the cave, and the men even tried to hurry the process.  I wonder why they let everyone be put into the same cave.  Because, what would happen if there are multiple people alive in the cave.

Egypt Myths - Extra Reading Diary

For my extra reading diary I decided to read the first half of Ancient Egyptian Myths and Tales.

Creation - I liked reading this story.  It is always interesting to see how each culture tells the creation story.

The God Ra (Wikimedia)

The Secret Name of Ra - I think that this story showed how mean Isis was and how willing she was to get the power that she wanted.  Even if it meant that she poisoned her father.

Ra and Hathor - I liked this story because it is the Ancient Egyptian version of how the Great Flood happened.

The Sun's Journey - I liked reading this story for the glimpse into the Egyptian culture that it gave.  I have always loved learning about that time period and the culture that comes with it.

Osiris - I liked this story because it showed the law and order Osiris was able to put into the world and cause it to be no longer ruled by Evil and sin.

The Death of Osiris - This story was a sad story because Osiris just wanted men to live happily and in read, however Set did not want that to happen at all.

The Journey of Isis - This story was inspiring for all of the things that Isis did to protect her child.

King of the Dead - This story was inspirational because Horus was able to take back the throne and take revenge of his father from Set.

The Wax Crocodile - The idea of having a wax crocodile to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted, and have it be a small wax figurine whenever you did not want to deal with it, would certainly be a great way to get what you wanted.

The Green Jewel - I think this story shows that the scribe is a very powerful person.  It would be awesome to have his powers.

Reading Diary Part B - Persian Tales

This is part B to my reading diary post on Persian Tales.

Fayiz and the Peri Wife - This is a sad story, like was explained in the introduction to this story.  Though it was still the Fayiz's fault because he was originally married when he first married the Peri wife.

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream - This was an amusing story and certainly shows how far the imagination can take you.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride - This was a rather short story.  I am not sure what the point of the story was, but it just had the prediction of the boy's fate, the boy's fate and then the story ended.

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck - The man in this story, certainly had this coming to him.  The man was specifically told about how the Wolf would eat a foolish man.  Since the man acted foolish, he obviously was going to be eaten.

Tortoise Bowl-On-The-Back and the Fox - The moral at the end of the story shows that anyone who is greedy will not have much success for greediness does not get you anywhere.

Tortoise (Independent.co.uk)

The Shepherd Who Found Treasure - This story shows that people can pay attention to the world that is happening around them and that will cause you to be successful in life.

The Merchant and the Saffron - This story was a very satisfying story because it showed that if you show kindness to the world and do business with the world, then the world will be kind back to you and help you.

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother - This story, while sad at the beginning, ended on a high note because the family with the poor mother was able to obtain wealth and food for the rest of their days.

The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr - This story was a very interesting story to read.  It was entertain but that was about all I could obtain from it.  However, I do not understand why the poor man using the money to prevent embarrassment caused the Prophet Khizr to appear.

The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish - This story shows that it can be very helpful to be nice to all of the people around you.  You never know when they will be able to help you with a situation that you are currently in.

Reading Diary A - Persian Tales

For this reading diary part A, I decided to read Persian Tales.

The Wolf and the Goat - I enjoyed this story for the moral that the story shared.  It shows the gifts you give out are the ones you receive in turn.

Mama goat with a baby goat (Dailymail.co.uk)

The City of Nothing-In-The-World - This was a very interesting story, but it was a little long-winded. That made it seem like a lot was being thrown at the reader at once.  However, it was a very imaginative story to read.

Susku and Mushu - This was a sad story.  Susku and Mushu we're so happy in the beginning, however it did seem like Susku was carried by the wind easily and also was put into water by the wind very easily as well.

The Boy Who Became Bulbul - This was a sad story, for I do not know what kind of parents would kill and eat their own son.  Obviously it is a tale, nothing else, but I do not know what the purpose behind the tale is.

The Wolf-Aunt - This story, while on the dramatic side, is a great way to explain the idea that you should always pay attention to those who you love.  For they do know what is best for you sometimes.

Nim Tank or, Half-Boy - This story is a great lesson, that you should always love those in your family, no matter how they are connected to you.

Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer - This story tells the story of how you should follow your dreams, and how it will allow you to accomplish things you could have never imagined before.

The Praying Baker - This story was confusing for the fact that I did not understand why the King decided to test the Baker by giving him the ring worth so much.  I know that sometimes it can be good to have a test of faith, but that seemed like the wrong way to go about it.

The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail - This was certainly a sad tale because the mouse never was able to have his tail sewn back on.  I am certain that he misses his tail quite a lot.

Princess Stories From Around the World: Styles Brainstorm

Topic: My topic is going to be about different princesses around the world.  My goal is to find four different princess stories from different cultures around the world.  One story I definitely want to include is How the Raja's Son Won the Princess Labam. Another story I plan on using is The Princess of the Tower.  I do not think I will have any issue finding stories of princesses, for there are already quite a few to choose from, I just will have trouble trying to determine which stories will be the stories I want to use in my storybook.

Bibliography:
1. How the Raja's Son Won the Princess Labam from Indian Fairy Tales on Sacred-Texts.com, author Joseph Jacobs in 1912
2. The Princess of the Tower, from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Aunt Naomi, on Sacred-Texts.com

Possible Styles:

Princesses at a Ball: This is a rather simple idea because it could be different princesses who are making small talk at a ball they are all attending. This would result in them swapping stories about what has happened in their lives.

Meeting Up At A Coffeeshop: Another possible idea is that a group of princesses, who have been long time friends, decided to meet up as a group at a coffeeshop.  They have not seen each other in quite some time so they want to meet up and catch up to see how each others lives are going.

Girls Night: A third possible idea for me to use as a style is to have it so that the princesses are having a girls night together, complete with playing some of their favorite games, eating their favorite food, and enjoying spending a night away from the royal duties that each is required to do.  The girl talk turns into different girls swapping stories about different things that have happened in their lives.

Out In The Park: A final idea is that the girls are outside, getting together to enjoy a gorgeous day outside, and spend time together.  Throughout the course of their time in the park, they come across the topic of events that have happened in their lives. So they decide to turn it into a picnic where they socialize and talk about their different life events.

Princess Labam (via Pinterest)