Cherry Blossoms

This evil cold is still plaguing me. The stuffy nose, the slowly dripping snot, the sore throat and the out of body feeling feels like it has been dragging on for soooo long when in reality it really has only been about four days. But I call this cold evil because it has the audacity to linger on through my birthday! Through my birthday! Come on cold, can't you let up so a girl can celebrate properly?
It began Friday with a sore throat and has exploded into a snotty monster but however sick I was, I wasn't going to let that stop me from going out to the Cherry Blossom festival. I had never really thought of Korea as a cherry blossom nation since Japan is always the nation that displays these marvelous pale pink flowers in their movies, but cherry blossoms are in fact native to Korea as well as Japan. They are beautiful and greatly celebrated with many festivals. One of the new Korean office workers went out of his way and offered to take the teachers to the Cherry Blossom festival in the evening. We left Friday at 9:00, waited and waited in horrendous Seoul traffic. Trees were lined up along a pedestrian walk way and were lit up with street lamps of a variety of different colors. And there were thousands of Koreans out to see the trees and take pictures. It was like a carnival except the only show were the trees, which were quiet beautiful, but surrounded by all of the noise and people, I felt removed from them. I wanted an opportunity to enjoy the trees to myself, but I was surrounded by people. I don't know what I expected, but I didn't expect the HUGE crowd of people. I guess it was unrealistic to expect that serene, peaceful feeling at a festival, but that is what it lacked in my opinion. There was no room to think or really even to move. It was difficult taking a picture without someone walking in front. And, I am greatly disappointed with how the photos turned out in the end. I was trying the night vision setting and, I don't think I will be doing that again. It was a lot of fun though, and we really got to know Josh, the Korean guy who might be our boss, but I am not sure really.

This was some type of bug sold as food.

But at least these magnolia pictures turned out well. This was the magnolia tree at our school.