Every once in awhile, the International Programs Office at Linfield gives us international students a chance to go sightseeing around Oregon. These day excursions are free and include transport to and from the destination, but spots are limited to about 24 people.
Last Saturday, me and my friends had a blast visiting the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, which is an hour or so away from campus. It was a bright and beautiful day. The fields were just filled with multicolored tulips; some came in solid colors, others had a “striped” or “splattered” look to them. Interestingly enough, some tulips had frayed edges. Now there’s an edgy flower..
We also found a cool pink tractor to climb on top of! All aboard..
After a series of endless photos and poses with the flowers, we explored other areas of the farm, including a quaint little garden where we napped for a few minutes, a mini carnival offering kids rides, a gift shop and several food and beverage stalls. Unfortunately, food was not the highlight of the day, but it wasn’t terrible either. I tried agua de orchata, which from what I understand is a variant of rice water (just try it – it’s good!).
All in all, the trip was a welcome break from assignments and studying. Of course, that means it’s back to work again for now. At least we have these beautiful photos to remind us of more carefree times.. 
