Girls Explore China this June
AGS girls are citizens of the world! A group of Upper School AGS students is currently abroad in China on a three-week excursion exploring Shanghai and the Yunnan Province.
Their journey began in the Paris of the East–the vibrant city of Shanghai. In the mornings, they studied Chinese language, culture, and history, and afternoons were spent exploring the many faces of Shanghai and its surroundings–the Bund, Pudong, Yuyuan Bazaar, Buddhist temples, the famed garden city of Suzhou, and little villages such as Tongli. Every day in Shanghai the girls spent the majority of their time with local students, forming lasting friendships.
They are now traveling in the Yunnan Province. Yunnan, which means “South of the clouds,” is China’s most diverse province in terms of people and terrain: more than one-third of China’s ethnic minorities live here, and with incredibly diverse geography (from tropical rainforests to icy Tibetan highlands), over half of all China’s plant and animal species are found here. The girls are spending these days in small, off-the-beaten-path villages in the southwestern part of the province, hiking through pristine mountain forests and lakes in the region while learning about the diversity of China from Bulang, Tibetan, and Naxi people. While in Yunnan, the group is staying at a local school where they spend time each day with local school children teaching English, answering questions about the U.S., and learning about the cultures and lifestyle in this region.
Global Travel at Atlanta Girls’ School
AGS encourages each girl to find her place in the world through academics, service, and travel. As a graduation requirement, every student at AGS must participate in at least one AGS global travel experience during her time in Upper School; however, many of our girls choose to do more.
The AGS Global Travel Program asks girls to venture out across the globe so they can mature into young women who see the world through a broad lens. Each girl is expected to choose a destination that fuels a passion or stretches her out of her comfort zone, ensuring that the trip will be a transformative experience. Since 2008, every graduate of AGS has taken at least one trip abroad. AGS offers a variety of different locations for travel that vary in length and type of program, such as an exchange or internship.