On the last day of the timely three-day weekend before finals, I made my way to Hanbat Arboretum. Had I lived in a campus dorm, it would have taken me a 20-minute bike ride through Gapcheon Stream and across Daedeok Bridge in front of the Shinsegae Mall. Thankfully, I live nearby, and the downpour from the day before made it cool enough for a short walk to the arboretum.

I started living near Hanbat Arboretum last year. But getting through my last year at KAIST, I never even thought of taking a leisurely walk through this park. Nor did I know of its enormous size; on its 387,000 square-meter lot, around the size of the area covered by all the east buildings of KAIST, Hanbat Arboretum contains four distinct parts.

I first entered through the West Garden, which opened on April 28, 2005. I was familiar with the entrance and tall sawtooth oak trees on the southwest side of the arboretum — a route I took a couple of times on my way to and from the Daejeon Culture & Arts Center. After passing a few squirrel “banks” near the walkway where visitors could deposit acorns they picked up during their walks, I made my way toward the willows and wetland plants. While the rain clouded the sun and made my walk pleasant until then, the humidity struck me as the ponds came into view. The sticky heat reminded me of my high school days in Thailand and made me melancholic as I realized summer — and my time to graduate — is now here. To escape the humidity, I continued my way away from the pond towards the shrubs and the entrance to Daejeon Expo Plaza.

When I entered Daejeon Expo Plaza, which also opened on the same day as the West Garden but was renamed in 2009, an old mystery that bothered me was solved. Back in my room, I could occasionally hear the festival music and fireworks. I knew the festivals were happening somewhere in the direction of the Hanbat Arboretum, but it didn’t make sense for people to hold a concert and set off fireworks right next to the trees. Enclosed by the West Garden and East Garden, which blocked my view back in my room, Expo Plaza — extending from the Expo Bridge, through the arboretum, and into Daejeon Culture & Arts Center — was a perfect place for the festivals I’ve heard from my room. Despite the cloudy day, I could hear shrieks of joy echoing as I saw more families also enjoying their holiday. As I continued my walk towards the East Garden, I couldn’t help but also smile as their visible happiness spread to me.

Different from the densely packed West Garden, the trees in the East Garden were not as tall and more sparsely spread out. I first saw the playground and floor fountains. The group of families, short trees, and the bigger pond behind the playground reminded me of a similar park, Ilsan Lake Park, where I frequently visited in my childhood. Wondering how quickly time has passed, I decided to take the northern route of the pond and entered the rose garden. The roses were in full bloom and I cursed myself for not coming earlier when the weather was better. While the roses were still a sight to behold, I could only imagine how much better they would have looked on a sunnier day before the heavy rain. Feeling that I lost a perfect opportunity, I followed the path next to the pond.

As I walked near the familiar scenery of pine trees listening to my jazz playlist, I slowly went into a trance, rethinking the bittersweet thoughts I had on my walk until now. I realized I was mostly thinking about the past. My long seven years of undergrad, made longer by military service and double major, was coming to an end, as was my time writing for The KAIST Herald, which I joined in my first semester at KAIST. As my unexpectedly hectic semester comes to an end, my walk in Hanbat Arboretum gave me time to register the empty feeling that I am finally done.

I reached the end of the path. I turned around to make my way back home, and the afternoon sun that was behind the clouds all this time blinded me. I was pulled away from my thoughts and I saw the path I walked. Families and couples were taking this chance with the sun to take more photos. The reeds were swaying back and forth with the gentle breeze. The pond was now glistening under the sun. Looking south, I realized I forgot about visiting the tropical garden and that I had things to look forward to after I graduated. I started walking again and imagined the next time I’ll be visiting Hanbat Arboretum, wondering what I would be doing and what the future holds for me.