UA Delegation visits the Summer Palace

Our first official outing as a delegation was on Monday when we visited the Summer Palace, the beautiful garden-filled retreat of Chinese emperors. The students could not have been more enthusiastic about the opportunity to be outside and with each other in this gorgeous and historical place (which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site). They also enjoyed interacting with locals and other tourists who were visiting the palace. As you can imagine, the students cause quite a sensation as they walk through crowds of people (usually much older people) in their bright uniforms. Unlike the next day (this story coming soon), we were blessed with nice weather and so we took the opportunity to take many photos.

The official delegation photo at the entrance of the Summer Palace

Posing with Richard, our tour guide during our time in Beijing

Megan looks lovely in this ancient Pavilion

The "Ashleys" in a relaxed moment

Our group is not without moments of humor and frivolity 

The Seniors!

Our  students are excellent at striking a pose

The famous Dragon Boat which took us across the man-made Kunming Lake

Inside the Dragon Boat

Another awesome photo opportunity at the Palace

Morgan and Jennifer celebrating nature at the Palace Gardens

Our group enjoyed the serene and cool walk around the Summer Palace

It's almost impossible for us to escape the Chinese Paparrazi

We loved riding the Dragon Boat!

UA Students make friends everywhere they go

Juniors Sarah and Lelesse are bonding as they are living with the same host family