Students, teachers, and staff from the National Capital Region recently toured some of the many monuments around Washington, D.C., and saw the beautiful cherry blossoms.
See more of their photos and read their accounts of the trip below.
Yesterday my friends and I visited Washington, D.C., for the cherry blossom festival. All my classmates from Virginia Tech went by the Metro at 9 a.m. We arrived at the metro stop at 9:30.a.m.
First we went to the WWII memorial, and we listened to the tour guide, which was very exciting and took a picture with the veteran. After that we saw the Lincoln memorial, which was very huge. In addition, we checked the bookstore near the Lincoln memorial and bought some interesting books. At last, we went to see the cherry blossom trees, which was very beautiful because it was the first time I see such a thing. In addition, it was a very wonderful trip.
— Done by Ahmed Alneyadi and Hind
10 reasons why you should go to the Cherry Blossom festival
By Alhanoof Alotaib- You would be missing out on a beautiful view if you don’t.
- If you’re a lover of freezing, long walking and starving, this trip is made for you.
- You get to see interesting places like the Korean War Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial.
- You’ll appear in a lot of people’s pictures because you can’t walk between the selfie crowd without a little bit of photobombing!
- Who doesn’t love delicious warm food after a long walk? There are live shows to see, too!
- You get to see multiple uses for selfie sticks other than taking selfies (e.g. scratching one’s back).
- If you’re feeling distant from everyone, this trip will help you bond with others.
- Wear a jacket and you’re safe, bring an extra jacket and you’re a lifesaver.
- An exciting ride in the metro station for first-timers!
- Read many captivating quotes that you could learn from!
Ten good things in Washington National Mall
By Amal Alrabiah, RW450- It is a great opportunity to see the historical site of America.
- The Washington DC monuments inspire visitors to continue working for human rights.
- By visiting the monuments you see most of the tourist destinations in DC.
- Visiting the Korean War memorial and the World War II memorial is a way to pay respect to the heroes who sacrificed to achieve the American nation’s goals.
- It’s a fun way to exercise.
- When you see the Cherry Blossom trees you will feel that East and West are gathering in one place.
- It’s a fun family outdoor activity.
- People who come to visit Washington have the feeling of being a small part of something bigger.
- It’s a great place for a picnic and enjoy the nice weather.
- It’s an escape from life’s pressures.
Top ten reasons to visit the cherry blossom festival
By Ademola ‘Noel’ Adechoubou- Take a big breath of pure air and admire the beautiful landscape.
- Learn a lot about American history.
- Get inspired by the accomplishments of these incredible men (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., the American soldiers of WW2).
- Take great selfies.
- Make memories with your classmates.
- Meet a lot of people and practice your English :D
- Listen to the amazing choir.
- Walk and eat a yummy meal at the national mall and memorial parks.
- Improve your photograph skills.
- Enjoy the weather.
Reasons why you should go to the cherry blossom festival:
By Sameerah Bahaiderah, RW450
- There are so many kinds of cherry blossoms and all of them are extremely beautiful.
- You get to see a couple of ducks if you’re lucky.
- You’ll learn more about American history from the park rangers at the
- You’ll get a great cardio workout with all that walking.
- There are live singing and dance shows.
- You’ll have some delicious, rather overpriced, chicken tenders and fries from food
- You can go on a paddleboat on a nice day.
- You can climb a TREE! Though you’re not supposed to, just make sure no one sees
Reenad Alhussein, GLS250
Last Thursday, all the students from Virginia Tech went to Washington DC to visit The Cherry Blossom Festival. We arrived at The National Mall. First, we saw The Washington Memorial, and we walked near it. We went to The WWII Memorial. We took some pictures with our friends and professors. In addition we listened to educational a tour guide. He gave us a lot of information. Later, we visited the Lincoln Memorial. Then some classmates went to The Korean Memorial where we finally saw some cherry blossom trees. The trees were white and pink, and they stood out beautifully. The fieldtrip was great.
Hamzah Masoudi GLS 250
Today we went to America’s Capital, Washington DC, accompanied by schools, and we visited many monuments. It has some of the most beautiful tourist sites I have visited in Washington DC. The National Mall contains the most important museums and the political cultural sites and monuments in the city. Among those are The White House, The Congress Building, and the most important features of the province which packs the Capital’s many tourist attractions such as the Library of Congress. My favorite place was a monument to President Abraham Lincoln who ended the Civil War in America. The place has a beautiful view, and I took some pictures.
Programmer Hussain Jalal
Every year, a lot of people who live in the East Coast go to visit Cherry Blossom, which is located in Washington DC. In addition, there are also many of international visitors who go just to have this opportunity and take some pictures with these Cherry Blossoms. Cherry Blossoms are a kind of plant which America was given by Japan in over a hundred years ago. It is called Cherry Blossoms because it looks like cherry. The natural colors of this plant comes either pink or white. Most people enjoy visiting Cherry Blossoms because they are pretty and essential. Virginia Tech organized a trip to Cherry Blossom last week to explain to the international students why Cherry Blossoms are pretty and important to visit.
Cherry Blossoms are pretty because of their amazing colors and great smell. As we mentioned before that Cherry Blossoms are unique with slight pink color. Moreover, it has another color, which is white that is very rare in plants and flowers. Furthermore, this plant has a unique smell that anyone could notice. For these reasons people considered Cherry Blossoms as a beautiful masterpiece to visit.
However, Cherry Blossoms are not only pretty, but also essential because of their values. The story behind this area is that Japan offered these plants to the U.S in the World War 1 as kind of making peace with the U.S.
Additionally, that area contains Abraham Lincoln statue because he made his first speech in that area. Lastly, that area is significant because it has the cemetery for solders who died in the World War 2.
In short, people are highly enjoy visiting this place because it is such an attractive place to visit, plus it has some significant historical places such as Abraham Lincoln statue, and solders cemetery. For these reasons people considered this place as a beautiful and important place for visiting.
Top Ten reasons to go on field trips at Virginia Tech
Mrouj Anbar , Zainab Ajeeb- By visiting some historical places such as Lincoln memorial would retain the student a great deal of factual information about the history.
- Field trip let the student get out of their everyday classes routine.
- Field trips build a wonderful relationship between the students and the faculty.
- Field trips like these will make the students open their mind to learn more new information.
- Knowing more about Abraham Lincoln’s life will inspire the student to be eager to learn.
- Many students don’t know a lot about the World War II. Therefore, a tour of the World War II Memorial is a great way to gain the knowledge and see it firsthand.
- Tidal Basin with its cherry blossoms is breathtaking place which will let the student see one of the most wonderful views of the memorials and of Washington DC.
- By passing through the cherry blossom area they can make a stop by the MLK memorial and read some famous Martin Luther King quotes.
- Memorials such as a Korean memorial celebrate the bravery of the people who died during these wars and remind as every day of their sacrifices.
- By visiting such places (Korean memorial, world war memorial and Lincoln memorial), students will now better about the great American history.
Salem Al-Mutairi
Yesterday I went to Washington, DC for a trip with classmates. First, I went to Washington by Metro, when I arrived, I went to Washington Monument. It was a big obelisk. It was built to commemorate George Washington. We took pictures with it. Then I went to World War II memorial. The memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice and commitment of American people. After that I went to the Lincoln Memorial. It’s an American national monument built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It was amazing. It was a great day with teachers and classmates. I learned new knowledge for history America.
Abdulrahman Alharthi
In this beautiful day, we went with our school to Washington, DC to sightsee. Everyone was excited and happy to go. We visited many famous and nice places. First of all, we went to the monument it was huge and very tall. And the area around it was nice because in the spring so man trees are an attractive color. We walk around it and took some pictures of it. It was built in 1848. After that we visited the World War II Memorial. It is a place where there is a beautiful fountain and names engraved on the wall. It is a national memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as a civilians during World War II. Then we saw my favorite part of this trip it was the Abraham Lincoln Memorial because I just saw it in the movies or news but now I’m seeing it in person. Also, you can see the monument it was an incredible scene. The last part was the place contains statues of soldiers who took part in World War II. Also there was a wall engraved with pictures of warriors I don’t know how they did that but it was amazing. And after that we had lunch together with the professors in a pretty area and enjoyed with the weather. This trip one of the best trips I went to it I saw very different and new things and had fun with friends I will never forget.
Kholoud Almaojel
Did you visit the national mall area in the Heart of Washington, DC before? There are a variety of museums and important historical monuments. In April, our school organized a trip to visit some of them. They gave us a lot of information about them. Jefferson Memorial was built to honor Thomas Jefferson. The monument consists of a white dome and Portico. Insider there was a large bronze statue of him.
Washington Monument is a huge obelisk built to honor President George Washington. It is between the US capitol and the Lincoln memorial.
Finally, during our tour of this place, we enjoyed watching the open Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees. Japanese people donated to the American people an expression of friendship between them.
Hamzah Masoudi
Today, we went to the capital, Washington, DC, accompanied by the school and visited monuments. Of the most beautiful tourist sites that I have visited in Washington, the National Mall Park which contains the most important museums and the political, cultural sites and monuments in the city. Next we went to the White House, congress building. My favorite place was the monument to President Ibrahim and he ended the civil war in America. The place has a beautiful view and I took some pictures.
My Journey as a Tourist
By Arwa AlkathiriOn Thursday morning, I went with a group from Virginia Tech on a journey to visit tourist spots in Washington, D.C., that talk about American history. This was my first visit to the Lincoln Memorial.
There was a quote at the memorial that said, "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Beneath these words, the 16th president of the United States sits immortalized in marble as an enduring symbol of unity, strength, and wisdom.
After that we went to see the World War II Memorial. The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served, the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. In addition we toured the Korean War Veterans Memorial which is located southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
Visiting the memorials was exciting and educational. My classmates and I enjoyed learning about American history and so many American fought to preserve freedom. I would enjoyed learning more about Washington, D.C. in the future.
The Cherry Blossom Festival
By Mohammed Alzaabi and Mohammed Alnuaimi (RW 250)On April 9, 2015, Virginia Tech students went on a nice field trip. The trip was in Washington, D.C. to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival. The metro stopped near the Washington Monument. Then we saw the National WWII Memorial. Second, we walked beside the Reflecting Pool, but there was no water because of the cold weather. Finally, we had fun and the fieldtrip was a nice experience.
