A Typical Saturday Afternoon

Back in California, my weekend afternoon usually included a visit to the gym, watching TV, or lounging around with friends. All relaxing activities but none that particularly stick out in my mind. Yesterday though, my classmates and I decided to visit one of Dalian's many parks to look at none other than Japanese cherry blossoms, sakura. I find this kind of funny because I've never been much of a nature buff and certainly have never gone anywhere to just look at plants. But we did just that yesterday and it was surprisingly quite fun. I felt like I was starting to appreciate the beauty in nature !

Cherry blossoms are rich in meaning and play a large role in Japanese history and its relations to other countries. They only bloom for a few months and the delicate flowers fall out just a week after they first bud. Sakuras are highly-cherished and many festivals are held all over the world in their honor. In Japan, the cherry blossoms personify clouds because of the way they bloom in thick clusters. They also symbolize the ephemeral nature of life: the deep beauty and quick death. Sakuras were also used to raise morale and promote national unity amongst Japanese people. During WWI, soldiers often compared themselves to the flowers and the falling of sakura petals represented the sacrifice of youth during missions. During Japan's colonial reign, Japan would plant these to indicate occupied territory as theirs.

At the park, we "oohed" and "ahhed" and took dozens of pictures. The flowers yesterday were mainly white with a tinge of pink near the stem; it was my first time to see sakura and they truly are beautiful. The trees looked so alive and snowy-white with their thousands of blossoms. There are many cherry blossom trees in the US, including San Diego and Van Nuys, so if you have a chance to visit, I highly recommend it! The park also had a few rides and carnival games which we stopped occasionally to try. There were also plenty of quirky statues to take pictures around. No VPN at the moment so can't upload the pictures but will do that ASAP. After I return home from the Dominican Republic, I want to re-visit the park and soak up the beautiful scenery.

Bunny Pride

Chilling with our voluptuous friends

Off to the fabric market to make clothes :),
Jac