Overview: Epics of India

When I think of India, the first thing I think of is Hinduism. I think of beautiful tradition and extravagant wedding that last a whole week long and have an elephant carrying out the bride. I also think of Buddhism and how peaceful the tradition seems from a third person point of view. I took this class because I have so many friends that are from India. I am really looking forward to learning about epics that I can talk about with my friends! I have already seen the name "Krishna" and I know probably about 4 people with that name. Because Buddhism has always been an interest to me, I am really looking forward to learning about the Jataka Tales. This is compared to how Jesus had parables! I really want to read numerous stories about "the birth of Buddha."

(Image of Buddha found on Pinterest)

Week 1 Storytelling: The Plane Tree

Two Travellers, walking in the noonday sun, sought the shade of a widespreading tree to rest. As they lay looking up among the pleasant leaves, they saw that it was a Plane Tree.

"How useless is the Plane!" said one of them. "It bears no fruit whatever, and only serves to litter the ground with leaves."

"Ungrateful creatures!" said a voice from the Plane Tree. "You lie here in my cooling shade, and yet you say I am useless! Thus ungratefully, O Jupiter, do men receive their blessings!"

Our best blessings are often the least appreciated.

(Traditional Fable)

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There were two men traveling to go to see their Grandparents. Their mother was very sick and they had to go tell their Grandparents so that they could say their last goodbyes to their youngest daughter. They lived in Dallas, but their Grandparents lived in Ft. Worth, so it was an all day walk to get there. Because it was spring in Texas, it was very hot and sunny. Also, due to excessive heat, the trees in North Texas didn’t bear much fruit.

As the two boys walked by a tree, they complained that it was of no importance. “Why does this tree exist if it doesn’t even have fruit?” They were so dehydrated, however, that they decided to stop and sit underneath the shade of the plane tree that they were so ungrateful for.

Spring time in Texas means it was tornado season. As they looked into the distance, they saw a funnel forming. Although the funnel did not reach the boys, there were still extreme winds that were blowing the plane tree and it’s surroundings. There was so much debris flying around in the air that they hid behind the trunk for protection.

The calm after the storm was extremely eerie for the boys. Just a moment ago they were complaining about this tree and how it was so plane and worthless. However, it protected them from the debris and likely saved them from an extreme injury. “Wow” one of the boys said, “if this tree had fruit on it like we wanted it to, it would have hit us in the head and knocked us unconscious!” What a relief.

Once they calmed down and retrieved their things, they set off to relay the message to their grandparents. Their mom eventually passed away in peace because she was able to say goodbye to all of her loved ones.

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(Two boys sitting underneath tree for protection)

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Author's Note:  In the original fable, the two travelers laid underneath the tree for shade because it was a sunny day. As they laid under the tree, they complained about how it had no fruit and just made a mess because of it’s leaves. The tree called them ungrateful.

In my version of The Plane Tree, I decided to have the boys complain about the tree, but also have the tree protect them so that they were grateful for it in the end. The moral of this fable is "our best blessings are often the least appreciated."

Title: The Æsop for Children
       With pictures by Milo Winter

Author: Æsop

Illustrator: Milo Winter

Release Date: December 2, 2006 [EBook #19994]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

Online Source

Week 1 Storybook Favorites

My first story of choice is Mermaid Maiden. I chose this story because I spend a lot of time swimming in the ocean so it sparked my interest. It is a story about a man who went through a traumatic experience when he lost his whole family in a car accident. It takes place with him living in a new community where everyone was nice to him but he still couldn't connect with anyone.  He sat outside and watched the sunrise each morning to feel the same warmth he felt with his family before they passed away. One morning he heard singing. He was shocked because it was always so quiet when he was out there. He followed the singing and found a cave that he knew he had to explore.

Image mermaid found online at Deviant Art.

My second story was that of Cupid and Psyche. I chose this because one of my degrees is in Psychology, so the word ‘psyche’ stands out to me. It is a story of how cupid fell in love with a mortal (Psyche), even though he is a God. His mother, Venus did not like her. Cupid showed Psyche how much he loved her just through his voice. His mother did not support him, but he pursued her anyway. He eventually was able to give her ambrosia which made her immortal so they could be together forever. 

The last story I read was called Jungle Tiger Stories. The first thing that came to my mind was the jungle book. I thought of how the tiger and humans were able to interact in that movie. In this story, there is an old monkey named Virgil that is near his end days. He dreamed of having one last adventure before he passed. He ran into a little boy who had wandered from his parents and got lost in the jungle.Virgil agreed to lead the boy back to his parents if the boy would agree to join Virgil’s last adventure.

Israel & Honduras...My Favorite Places

Jersualem, Israel. I have a minor in Religious Studies, so I studied abroad in Summer 2012 in Israel. Here I was part of a team of 40 people that participated in an archaeological excavation for a month.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Jerusalem; photo from June 2012)

Galilee, Israel. The excavation site that I spent most of my time at in Israel was located just north of the Sea of Galilee. There are beautiful mountains and many Mediterranean palms in this part of the country.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Galilee; photo from June 2012)

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I spent two summers on a Medical Brigade in central and southern Honduras. Here we were able to treat those with no access to healthcare and also taught many children how to brush their teeth and wash their hands.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Honduras; photo from May 2013)