The warm rays of sunlight and the cool breeze hails the start of spring. The flowers are in their full bloom, decorating the campus roads with colorful pedals and their faint aroma. It is a great time to take a break and enjoy a relaxing walk around campus, or a barrage of selfies with flowery backgrounds. The flowers are definitely great to look at, but ever wonder about the flower meaning of the flowers we see around campus? For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of flower meanings, many cultures assign different meanings and symbolisms to each type of flower – like how roses are associated with love and passion. Perhaps, some of the flowers and their meanings may inspire you to have a moment of introspection, or perhaps they may just supply you with interesting factoids.

 

For most students in KAIST – if not all – the trail from the dorms to their first class of the day includes a certain tree. It does not matter if your path starts from the dormitories on the west side of the campus, through the International Student Center Building (W2-1), and to the Creative Learning Building (E11) – like most of my mornings – or anywhere else on campus; you are bound to pass at least one cherry blossom tree. The flower meaning for cherry blossoms is intellectual and inner beauty. It seems appropriate that this flower can be seen in almost any part of campus, as KAIST is an institute dedicated to learning, and cherry blossom trees are a good reminder of that on one’s way to class in the morning. The morning travel from the dormitory to the classroom may be a bit exasperating, but the blossoms persuade that it is rewarding to think we are fulfilling our roles as students.

 

Another flower on campus, with perhaps a lighter message, is the magnolia in the Magnolia Garden, right across the Main Library (E9). Situated right next to Eoeun Hill, the magnolia’s message of respect towards nature and nobility may seem a bit out of place. However, the hill has been, and still is, a refuge for different animals. By now, most will be familiar with the myriads of cats inhabiting the stairway up the hill, and the geese and ducks nearby. As the seasons change, migratory birds visit the hill as a temporary sanctuary. Although it may be more convenient for KAIST students to have the hill bulldozed over, but that would mean the destruction of this natural sanctuary. The magnolia is in fact a reminder that nature should be respected.

 

Farther up north, in front of the Undergraduate Branch Library (N10) where my days usually end, a different flower can be found. Chaenomeles are the little red flowers that grow on the shrubs and bushes. They symbolize modesty and respect. Perhaps, the shrub was planted in front of the library as a foreword to entering students. The library we see there is not as quiet as it probably should be. Most people who have been inside would know that the first floor of the library is rarely silent and usually buzzing with chatter. If people were to think about the message of the chaenomeles before entering, the library may have a different reputation.