Friday, April 24, 2009

Daffodils delight my soul

As a little girl, I got so excited to see daffodils growing in the yard. They were the first flowers to bloom, signaling the beginning of warmer weather. I was always eager to pick a beautiful yellow bouquet to give away.

So to me, daffodils are not only a symbol of spring, but of home and childhood memories. That's why I'm so thrilled to see daffodils here in Kuji!

I couldn't help pulling over on my way back from school to take a few snapshots of the lovely flowers...

"And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils."
--
from "Daffodils" by poet William Wordsworth


I was given my own bouquet of daffodils recently for teaching a volunteer English class. What a nice gift! I taught nine elementary-aged students the alphabet, and will continue to teach the class every other Saturday afternoon for an hour.

This weekend, I'm going to a place called Hirosaki, which is known for its beautiful cherry blossoms. (Sakura 櫻 in Japanese). There are some cherry blossom trees in Kuji -- which are just now beginning to bloom -- but not very many. In Tokyo and other cities far south of Kuji, cherry blossom season has already come and gone. I've seen other ALTs' pictures of the trees, and they're incredible!

I'm excited to see lots of gorgeous flowers for myself, and of course I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with you next time.

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3 comments:

lauren said...

Daaayna,
I too get excited to see flowers blooming, that means spring is here!!! We will have temps in the 80s for a fews days yah!!!!
Love you

Dawn said...

Beautiful flowers - daffodils are very pretty. I can't wait to see some stuff bloom here - tired of winter.

Jennifer said...

Beautiful!