End of Our Journey – Personal Reflections

Gabriela Velazquez, SAGE Team Member: This year has certainly been the best. I was given the opportunity to join the SAGE team without any prior knowledge of business management. I must admit entering SAGE has been a frightening but most rewarding experience in my life.


Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Kemp have spent hundreds of hours helping us in all of our SAGE projects and have dedicated themselves to making us the best.

This trip to South Africa has been a once in a lifetime experience. Although learning about the different cultures present at the SAGE World Cup has been amazing, touring the city has made this trip even more memorable.

This final SAGE competition has been the most stressful yet the most exciting one. The long working hours and sleepless nights have certainly paid off.

Samohi, ROP, Mrs. Jones, Mrs.Kemp, and all of our mentors have done an amazing job in leading this SAGE team. Thank you for all your hard work and for this amazing opportunity to become part of the BEST SAGE team in the WORLD!

Tanya Choo, SAGE Team Member: One week. One week was all it took for me to fall in love with South Africa.


I remember stepping off that plane to discover a country filled with such immense beauty, hidden from my sight and ignorant in my mind for so long. From the inspiring hope and spirit of the people we met, all the way to the white shores and clear blue waters of the ocean, the magnificence of this country has eternally laid its place in my heart.

What started out as merely something I wanted to do in order to compete with my sister, SAGE has truly become one of the greatest journeys in my life. All the hours of hard work, practicing, and even long arguments to make things perfect, were completely worth it in the end.

The dedication from the team came out not only with the reward of a 2nd place international title, but also the reward of having a true learning experience that I know we will use to eventually grow up and become better people, and leaders for our generation.

This trip will of course be remembered for all our encounters, such as the rhino and elephant that almost knocked over our jeep, the networking with all the cute boys from different countries, the great places we saw, and even the interesting food we ate, but most importantly, it’ll forevermore be remembered merely because of the great people in our team.

By the end of this journey, we did not just become a team, but a family that truly worked together, struggled together, and came together to represent our country. I hope the memories we all experienced this year will be forever cherished and deeply held in our hearts.

I just have one thing left to say: Congratulations, Santa Monica SAGE 2010!

Larry Kotovets, SAGE Team Member:  Wow this trip was the definition of a once in a lifetime experience. It was truly, and utterly remarkable, except for all of the hours we spent in the air.

First was our safari into the wilderness were lead by Dennis. Oh what can I say about Dennis; he is a man with no fear, a man with a heart of gold, and a man who knows no bounds. After our delicious warm-hearted breakfast our journey into the unknown began. We came across two rhinos. All of a sudden, one ran at our old army truck and Dennis quickly threw it in reverse, and allowed the rhino to see that were not there to hurt him. Or so we thought! Just as we again approached the rhino, he came charging back and gored our truck, and then ran off. Thankfully our army truck is strong, and built to last.

Then Dennis wanted to play with some young lions while we all watched in horror. His jacket got ripped and so did he. “It comes with the job,” said Dennis and we continued along on our safari. We saw gazelles, bissions, and South Arica’s national animal the springbok. We came across the elephants, and gazed at their massive beauty. We looked around, and saw all of the destruction these elephant caused, because as Dennis informed us that “they don’t know their own strength.” One of the elephants started creeping closer and closer to us. “Omg Ooo ah” our whole SAGE team was getting anxious. Dennis turns the key and nothing happens, he tries again…nothing the car wouldn’t start. He gets up and kicks the elephant in the trunk, giving us just enough time to escape.

That was just a mere sample of an event that took place here in South Africa. I cannot keep writing about my trip with this depth, otherwise it would be endless. But I will still list them.

• We went to the top of Table Mountain we were embedded in the clouds as if we were in Heaven itself.
• Our SAGE team came together, and grew into a loving family. We all have our differences, but that’s what makes us who we are. We are all pieces of puzzle, and it is all of these different pieces that bring us together.

Gabriela Ruiz, SAGE Team Member: This was truly a fantastic way to end my SAMOHI and SAGE experience. All our hard-work and dedication was truly shown in the presentations and question and answers.


We are still in shock of winning second place, yet the whole experience- meeting other teams and truly showing the expertise gained, and the unity our SAGE team achieved is something I will never forget.

Let’s not forget the excursions we were able to partake in! From going on a cable car to Table Mountain, to seeing adorable African Penguins, our SAGE team became a little family in the past week, with amazing memories of the gorgeous city of Cape Town and the stunning beaches.

Never will I forget these experiences and memories- I am forever grateful for being allowed this wonderful trip.

Yvonne Strahn, ROP Support Staff:  I am truly honored to have been allowed to accompany this group of students to the SAGE World Cup. This was my third SAGE World Cup and it was a wonderful experience. It was interesting to recognize some of the SAGE leaders from other countries that had attended the previous SAGE World events in Nigeria & China.


South Africa is a very hospitable country. From where we stayed, it seemed so much like Santa Monica; sometimes it was hard to remember we were in a foreign country. The weather was very mild, cold in the morning but warmish during the day. There were some things that helped remind me we were somewhere other than the USA. People had different accents. Steering wheels in vehicles were on the right side of the car and cars were driving on the left side of the street. Traffic lights are called robots. Water is not automatically included with meals; you had to pay for it. Oh and be sure you know if you want still water or sparkling water. Lemonade is a soda, not what we think of as lemonade. You pay for bags at the grocery store and some souvenir shops. There are wild animals and penguins in various parts of the country.

We had wanted to go the Robben Island and see the prison where Nelson Mandela was held but were unable to get tickets. We did see District Six in Cape Town. District Six is where people were driven off the land in the 60’s just because of their race. Sadly, most of the land is still empty with mounds of bulldozed building materials from years ago.

The competition from the other SAGE teams was incredible. Quite a difference from what I saw at the 2006 World Cup in Shanghai. It’s thrilling to hear about the projects the various teams have worked on during the year both globally and in their communities. How great for our students to connect with students from other countries working on the same goals!

We learned we can survive economy class in an airplane. The hours of flying were numerous (approx. 25 hours total) but well worth taking. Dubai turned out to be an interesting layover. People are incredulous learning about my “field trip” experiences.

Thanks to the hard work of our students, they have had experiences that many students their age have not had. I have been wowed by their drive and ambition. I look forward to hearing in the future where they end up in life.

Yoly Ramirez, SAGE Team Member: Where can I start?
Well first of all South Africa is amazingly beautiful. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity of being a member of SAGE, it has been the best decision I’ve made. SAGE has made us grow as a team, learn as a team and even cry as a team. It’s an experience that we will never forget.

I would like to thank our advisors and staff that came along to support us. Without them we wouldn’t have gone so far. We owe so much to them, and we are truly grateful to have had them.

The competition itself was very intense and stressing but what isn’t? Overall we had LOTS of fun and we spent sooo many memorable times together, from funny moments in the tour to sleeping videos in the bus.

Now that the end of the trip has come, we will sadly say goodbye and all take different routes, but SAGE will continue its course, and teach new students and open the doors of opportunities, just like it did to us.

Thanks to everyone who supported us in any way, thank you so much for this opportunity SAGE!!! I will miss all of the SAGE members of 2010 so much…

Jessica Santiago, SAGE Team Member: The South Africa trip was truly a remarkable journey. Our SAGE team did extremely well, placing 2nd in the WORLD! I am still shocked, but our team really deserved it. We have worked so hard this year and it was nice to have all our hard work pay off. From tight competition to crazy, exhilarating safari to very late nights and bedtime stories; I leave South Africa very satisfied and happy.


I have created wonderful memories that I will always remember in my heart. I saw animals up-close, created new friends, and most importantly, left with a great sense of the African culture and spirit.

The moment I arrived, I immediately felt the happy spirit of the people in this country. The opening night for SAGE really impacted me when they put on a show of Africans dancing a cultural dance. They put all their emotion into a dance in which I felt I gained a great feeling of the South African culture. I sensed their spirit and pride for their country and was grateful for having them share a piece of their heart with me.

I am excited and thrilled to share my experiences with my family and friends because visiting Cape Town, South Africa was truly a trip of a lifetime.

Mary Kay McCray, ROP Support Staff: Traveling to South Africa via Dubai with the SMMUSD 2010 SAGE students was an amazing and humbling experience. The students were delightful, full of energy, focus and enthusiasm for every adventure and new experience. The teachers, Ms. Kemp and Ms. Jones gave numerous hours in planning and executing a trip of this magnitude and their professionalism and presence was very inspiring. The students formed such a wonderful team spirit and looked out for one another in every way.


Having Ms. Baxter, administrator extraordinaire, travel with us provided such a sense of comfort. Ms. Strahn kept us all organized, making sure everyone was present, taking volumes of pictures and always rock steady in her support.

For me, personally, the trip was an opportunity to support the quality of work that SMMUSD ROP has provided to its students and lend a helping hand to two very dedicated teachers.

Africa itself was so beautiful and the people so humble and kind.

The students represented the USA admirably. We learned so much about other cultures and schools.

I felt humbled to have what we have and it certainly was a life changing experience for all of us. I had the opportunity to mediate some of the teenage drama, but ended up learning so much from the students and was surprised by their maturity and kindness.

Thank you SMMUSD for your support and for letting us have this wonderful memory.

Evan Parra-Raygoza, SAGE Team Member:


“Writer's Block”

Jessica Chuan, SAGE Team Member: Culture Shock: A phenomenon in which an individual encounters a surprising ritual, custom, or norm that is not familiar to them in their homeland. This is my definition for culture shock, because I had a few bolts here and there. That is one of the best parts about traveling, these electrifying differences! South Africa was phenomenal as a whole and I’m precisely grateful that the language barrier was paper thin. English is a common language and the only obstacle was some of the thicker accents.

Is it cliché that I’m going to say that this trip was a forever memorable one? Maybe so, but hey, I have proof!

1) I will never forget the security guard who asked for a strip of my plastic bag in order to use it as teeth floss.

2) I will never forget the charisma and the very human connection that the all the African SAGE teams gave me as we made friends. If there’s something I want to bring back to the states, it’s that ability be so attentive while chatting in an everyday conversation.

3) I will never forget Denis, our safari ranger who had a strikingly pleasant accent and a fantastic sense of humor. Apparently he was close enough to the rhinos that he felt comfortable eating their feces as he yelled out “Welcome to Africa!” It’s okay though, he reassured us rhinos diet consisted of only grass.

4) I will never forget all the business contacts, friends, and international students I have met; how we are all so different, yet we have all of these interesting parallels. I was talking to Shaquille Jele from South Africa and we automatically related to each other as we spoke about the urgent need for humanity to halt selfishness and consumption and become more altruistic and philanthropic.

5) I will remember the gorgeous sides of South Africa; it’s melodic beach tides and it’s astonishingly honest people.

6) I will also remember the sides of South Africa that still needs improvement; the sensitive parts that are tucked away carefully from the tourists, hHidden areas like the squatter’s camp where they had huts made of scraps of metal and the frozen mornings where the homeless would huddle outside an extravagant building.

7) I will remember yanking my shirt down when it accidently slid up a little in Dubai. When in Rome, …I mean Dubai; cover your knees and elbows!

8) And of course I will always remember that the team makes the star, and we are all like pieces of a remote. Some of us charge the others with energy, some of us connect us together and others, and well others push our buttons. But without each piece, we wouldn’t be able to steer us into the right direction. So I thank SAGE, South Africa, and all of our wonderful pieces for working together, even when we thought control was the last thing we had.

If I listed all the things that I remembered from this trip, then you would probably want me to keep it in my memory bank and off this blog, so I guess I will end it off with this: We need a climate change in human consciousness and a global warming of hearts. SAGE has shown me, us, and I think it’s safe to say everyone that we are all working for a common goal. So let’s give back, and make profits!

Ricardo “Ricky” Reynaga, SAGE Team Member:


“Writer's Block”

Alejandro Villero, SAGE Team Member: This year's SAGE World Cup in South Africa was truly unforgettable. With top teams from over 20 countries competing, I witnessed some of the most unique entrepreneurial projects (not to mention polished presentations) I've seen in my life. In addition, the international networking opportunities were phenomenal--I'm actually negotiating a business deal with the leader of SAGE Ghana right now!


The scene at Cape Town was also nothing short of amazing. From Table Mountain tops to breathtaking wildlife to shimmering beaches, Cape Town had a lot to offer, and is certainly a place I'd like to visit again someday.

As I leave for college, I feel that this SAGE trip was the perfect ending to my high school experience (2nd place ain't too shabby!). The introduction I've had to entrepreneurship will undoubtedly serve me for years to come. I thank Ms. Jones, Ms. Kemp, and the entire ROP Staff for all their support during my time at Samohi.

Catherine Baxter, SAMOHI Administrative Team:


“Tongue Tied”

Teri Jones, SAGE Instructor:


“Tongue Tied”

Anita Kemp, SAGE Instructor:


“Writer's Block”

Natalie Barba, SAGE Team Member:


“Tongue Tied”

We’re Home!

After our penguin tour, we drove back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, say goodbye to Ms. Baxter, and on to the airport for 25 hours of flying back to LA. Our first flight, Cape Town to Dubai, was only ½ full so some of us were able to spread out. The longer flight, Dubai to LA, was full so we were had to remain in our cramped seats.

Though sad to leave Cape Town and the wonderful friends we made there, we were so very happy to finally arrive in LA where our families were waiting for us.

We have our memories and are very happy to have been able to experience the 2010 SAGE World Cup in such a beautiful city and country.

We are exhausted, need showers and to unpack, and to sleep, sleep, sleep. But we will be back one last time with our final individual comments.

-Posted by Yvonne

South African "Tidbits", A Few Facts Regarding Our Host Country

South Africa’s official name is the Republic of South Africa.

South Africa, on Africa’s southern tip, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and by the Indian Ocean on the south and east. It shares borders with Namibia in the northwest, Zimbabwe and Botswana in the north, and Mozambique and Swaziland in the northeast. The kingdom of Lesotho forms an enclave within the southeast part of South Africa. The southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas, located in the Western Cape Province about 100 miles southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.

South Africa is a parliamentary democracy and though much of the population lives in poverty, it is considered a developed country.. All major urban areas have modern, world-class hotels and tourist facilities. Food and water are generally safe. The capital is Pretoria, while the seat of parliament is located in Cape Town. Johannesburg is the financial capital and largest city in South Africa.

South Africa is a multilingual country. Besides the 11 officially recognized languages, many others - African, European, Asian and more - are spoken in the country.

The country's Constitution guarantees equal status to 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga

South Africa’s monetary unit is the Rand

Based on 2001 statistics the ethnicity/racial percentages are black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5%.

The South African flag is the only national flag to display six colors as part of its primary design: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band that splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the; the Y embraces a black triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes. The flag colors do not have any official symbolism, but the Y stands for the "convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity"; black, yellow, and green are found on the flag of the African National Congress, while red, white, and blue are the colors in the flags of the Netherlands and the UK, whose settlers ruled South Africa during the colonial era.

Around two thirds of South Africans are Christian of some form including Catholics, Anglicans, Dutch Reformed or African independent churches. There are significant Hindu, Muslim and Jewish communities and traditional African beliefs are also practiced.

Our trip to South Africa has been very short but very rich with experiences, scenery, good food, warmth and hospitality. While we are eager to return home, we will always treasure our time here.

Last Day in Cape Town – Penguins!

We have come to the day we are to leave. We have really enjoyed our time in South Africa.

Since our flight doesn’t leave until the late afternoon, we have one last excursion planned. We are going to see the Penguins at the Boulders within the Table Mountain National Park.

This is a protected Penguin colony. The penguins here are called African penguins formally known as the Jackass Penguin because of the donkey-like braying sound they make.  We were able to see some of the baby penguins.

The penguin colony was located along the Indian Ocean and our hotel was located along the Atlantic Ocean.

So Cold and Windy!

Prior to leaving on our journey, CPK provided us a generous donation of a fabulous lunch to hold us over until our first meal on board the plane.  As we traveled through Cape Town, we made sure to show off our CPK bags!

Thank You CPK!

We’re now headed back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and head to the airport. On our way back, Ms. Baxter read us one last bedtime story to send us on our way!

See you soon!

-Posted by Yvonne

Email from the Holy Angels SAGE team in Cape Town South Africa:

The following post was written by Brian Carrier, the SAGE coach for Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo, New York as his final email.  Brian recounts the excitement of the evening of the Finals competion and the awards announcemnt. In 2008 and 2010 Santa Monica and Team Holy Angels both participated as the USA representatives to the World Cup event. In addition, Holy Angels also traveled to Brazil in 2009 and placed 3rd.

What follows is Brian’s posting of the final competition events sent to all of the supporters and fans waiting in Buffalo. It is very long and of course written through the lens of our sister team Holy Angels but Brian does a great job capturing the excitement and emotions of the evening.

Thank you Brian

 From Brian-
Everyone, first a little history, the Holy Angels Academy High School SAGE team has competed for 5 years and this is their third World Cup appearance in a row; Cape Town this year 2010, Brasilia Brazil in 2009 and Abuja Nigeria in 2008. SAGE stands for Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship. The girls start real businesses each year, continue their real business every year, start and continue social responsible projects. Add in 6 other criteria, ..now do it globally in a socially and environmentally responsible way. BP are you listening? (That’s British Petroleum who should send their President, their senior staff and their board of directors to a SAGE event to SEE HOW THEY SHOULD THINK AND ACT!)

This is the final email of long tournament with teams from about 20 countries.

The semi final brackets were yesterday and they seem like forever away. The fantastic final four starts at 4:30 PM but, I am still waiting for Heather Wilson to return from her air flight to be interviewed on national South African TV, our equivalent to Good Morning America in the United States. Our Holy Angels President, Heather Wilson and David, the leader and president of the South African High School team got a full 10 minutes of airtime on the premier TV morning show broadcast to over one million viewers! They rocked. They get back to the hotel at 3:00 PM and the finals start at 4:30!

Girls got dressed and ready to go, entered the main room at 4:15 and right at 4:30 the big show starts. Now the excitement really starts. There is an announcement that in one of the brackets there was a tie, so two teams from that bracket are moving up and it is now a FIVE team final. All five team names are in the bowl and the hand goes in to select the first team to present. EVERY team from the sweet 16 has come ready to perform because no one knows the winner of the individual brackets. The name drawn is from Bracket “C”, our bracket of Holy Angels, South Korea, Santa Monica and Zambia. And the winner is, USA, Santa Monica! It is like sudden death overtime in a sporting match, we lost, and it’s over? No tears from these Angels, we cheer Santa Monica on as they quickly go to the stage to set up and present. Solid presentation (14 minutes) with a good Q&A, 7 minutes, I keep my own score to see if I can predict the winner. I score them high.

 Next pick is Bracket B winner: Nigeria! They just knocked off the three time defending world champion from their country. Here comes a power packet presentation. They started something like 6 new businesses, continued 7 businesses, start 6 or more social ventures, it goes on and on, I give them literally a perfect score believing I am looking at the new World Cup champ. But here comes the Q&A and it can’t go any worse for the Nigerians. They only answer 3 questions in 7 minutes. They ramble on don’t answer the questions; I and everyone in the room are shocked. Never in 5 years have I seen a Q&A like that. They are in big trouble.

Next team up is Canada! They were in Brazil last year and are twice as good. Powerful opening, high energy, slow in the middle, good ending, very good Q&A, Gloria Yoon their team advisor is very proud and so am I!

Next up is South Africa! Home team makes it to the final 5! This is the team with the student who went to Johannesburg with Heather for the TV show. Our teams have been hanging out and emailing for two years, we are happy. They perform well, but are clearly the weakest of the 5 teams. Great ovation for the boys, who also have great accents when they speak!

Final team called up: This is the mystery team who tied in their bracket; we know this because all 4 brackets have been called, this last team could be any team, and it is Singapore! But this is the second ranked team from their country. They perform, just a team of 3, polished, clear speakers, poise, confidence, energy, passion. They open with describing how they came as a first year team because they were new to their school and the last year’s SAGE team had disbanded. So they tie their bracket and they move into the final 5. So Team Singapore presents and blows the roof off the venue. When they end the room goes crazy cheering for them. When the cheering stops, I turn to my girls and say “We Got Schooled”! They were that good.

Now the fun begins, as the judges for the final 5 go to select the World Champion, the 10 special awards are given out. They award first ($200), second ($100) and third ($50) for each of the eight Millennium Goals. The Grossman Environmental Award first ($2000), second ($1000) and third ($500) and the Boschee award for best social businesses first ($2000), second ($1000) and third ($500). Holy Angels is build around the Boschee award and we are praying for a top three and maybe another award so one or two of our girls can go on stage and accept an award while holding our Holy Angels Banner and our huge red white and blue American Flag. Here it comes, the first MDG award, Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty: they announce third, not us, second, not us, first place: Holy Angels Academy! Wow first place for our Congo and Lifestraw project in Haiti. Sister Mary Finnick and Dominique, thank you for your prayers, we made it to the big stage and won a beautiful plaque for the school.

But here it comes, the flood gates open and Holy Angels storms the stage! We are awarded top three in 7 of the 8 Millennium Goals of the World. No team came close to walking on stage as many times as the girls did. But it is not over, here comes the big one, the Boschee Award, they announce third, not us, second place: Holy Angels! For our third year in a row we take second place and win $1,000.00 and our total prize money is $1,850.00 in awards. We are stunned. All the hard work the girls did all year is truly recognized. I never imagined that we could achieve what last years team in Brazil did, but they did. Once again as I have said in the past, “Never, never, never, never underestimate a Holy Angels girl”!

Now they announce the final Team event winners:

Turns out there is a tie on the judges ballots for first place! They have to add up the judge’s individual score sheets and verify everything! I takes a while and we wait as students from around the world walk on stage and sing songs and rap to pass the time, very cool.

Drum roll:

• 5th Place: Nigeria – The room is shocked! The Q&A did them in, dead silence as they accept their award.
• 4th Place: South Africa – Good for the boys! We love this team and are happy for them
• 3rd Place: Canada – this team is in tears, happy tears for making it this far, a joy to see students so happy they openly cry in front of 300 to 400 people
• 2nd Place: USA Santa Monica! I gave them our American Flag to hold on stage and they look great! Be proud America!
• 1st Place: Team Singapore! They kids are ecstatic! Tears for at least 30 minutes, cameras flashing, hugs all around. They earned and WON this award.

 We stayed up until 5:30 am hanging with the Irish, Russians and best of friends the South Africans.

  It is 11:00 am we are now up and heading to Robin Island where Nelson Mandela spent all those years in prison.

And now it is our turn to change the world.

As my Holy Angels girls say as they end every presentation: “NOW, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO”!

Recap of Finals Day!

This morning "Finals Day" some of us went on a tour of Cape Town while others slept in. Our touring group was the with the first tour group on a double-decker bus. We sat on top but it was so very cold. We could see our breath!

We were dropped off at the Waterfront at the end of the tour to meet the rest of our group, do souvenir shopping and eat lunch.  We then headed back to the hotel to prepare for the Gala Dinner and final competition.

At this point in time, no one knows who will compete as the final four. It has been kept a secret so all teams must arrive prepared to present if the team is named as a finalist.  We arrived at 4:30pm to hear the judge’s instructions. We found out there would be five teams in the finals instead of four!

Prior to the announcements, teams sat through a long 8 1/2 hours of presentations, dinner, various awards and entertainment this evening.

Each team was announced one at a time. We were the third team to present. After our presentation, which was awesome, we had our first course, soup. The last two teams presented then we were served the main course. Each course was served with quite a bit of time between each one. By the time dessert arrived, it was very late.

The scores were added, added again, then- added once last time and the suspense was building. There was a tie for first, but finally the SAGE officials announced they had broken the tie.

Team USA and Team Singapore were tied through two ballot counts. It took an extra 45 minutes to revote and recount ballots. Finally Singapore was awarded 1st place by only 2 points!

Team Santa Monica placed 2nd with Team Singapore placing 1st, Team Canada placing 3rd, Team South Africa placing 4th and Team Nigeria placing 5th.

We were finally done at 12:30am. We were all so tired; the dinner, presentations, and announcement of the winners took 8 hours!  We left completely exhausted but oh so very proud of our team.

After sleeping in we may do some more shopping, explore Cape Town Center and take a final tour to see the penguins before heading out to the airport.  Our plane leaves for Dubai this afternoon (Tuesday) at 4:45 pm and we will arrive home in Los Angeles Wednesday, July 28, 1:45 pm.

We will be doing some final posting, reflections and photos so be sure to check back to our blog.

-Posted by Yvonne

News Flash! Team USA Santa Monica Earns International 2nd Place in World Cup Competition!

This just in...

Team Santa Monica earns International 2nd Place in the SAGE World Cup Competion.

Only 2 points separated the 1st and 2nd Place teams.

1st Place: Team Singapore
2nd Place: Team USA Santa Monica
3rd Place: Team Canada
4th Place: South Africa
5th Place: Team Nigeria

It is after 12:30 am and we are tired and happy!
Recap and details will be includeded in our next blog entry after we get some rest!

We're in the Finals!!!!!!

SAGE Team Update

Samohi SAGE has been selected as a finalist in the World Cup Competition. They were chosen to present first and just finished.

They were stellar!!  We will know in five hours how they placed.

We are so proud of them. Whatever the final outcome, they have represented Samohi , the district , the state, and the nation with honor and excellence.

More news to follow.

-Posted by Catherine B.

A Little About Cape Town

Cape Town  is the second largest city in South Africa and is the capital of the Western Cape Province as well as being the legislative capital of South Africa (the Houses of Parliament are here).

It is located in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope, and is the most southern city in Africa. Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East.

The Cape Town metropolitan area covers a large area.  The city center is located in a relatively small area between Table Mountain and Table Bay. Our hotel is located in Milnerton, facing Table Bay, just north of central Cape Town.

The Cape Town population is a fusion of Indonesian, French, Dutch, British and German settlers, the local Bushman and Hottentot tribes and the Bantu tribes from the north.

The first human heart transplant was performed in Cape Town in 1967 by Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

June and July are winter months and tend to be rainy. It can also be very cold at night, sometimes below 38° but usually it's around 40-45° and warmer during the days, very much like San Francisco winter weather including the winds.  Just like southern California winters, you can be surprised by sudden sunny and warm weather where temperatures could climb to 80°.

First Round Competition Day!

Sunday:

Today was first round presentations for 1st place country teams and also the winners of yesterday's 2nd place country team competition. Yesterday morning while first place teams toured Table Mountain the second place teams vied for the opportunity of compete today with the 1st place teams. Team Holy Angels from Buffalo New York won the opportunity to move forward into today’s events. Yea USA!

Teams were divided into four separate competition groups. Our “round” competed in the afternoon and our competition slot included USA #2, South Korea (they are rumored to be the team to beat - just our luck they’re in our first round!), USA #1 (us), and lastly Zambia. The students did great on the presentation…not so great on the question and answer session. Hopefully, that will not work against us. We find out tomorrow if we are in the top four! Twelve other teams presenting today.

After competition, we all changed our clothes and a group of us walked along the beach. It was nice, as long as we had a light jacket on. The sand felt good beneath our feet. The sand was so soft and fine. There were rocks and some shells in the sand and plenty of people and dogs out for a stroll. The water was cold but felt as warm as SM beach during winter.

Tonight, we took a shuttle from the hotel and went to dinner at the V&A Waterfront. We ate at Balthazar Restaurant. The restaurant specializes in steaks but some of the more adventurous students had game meat – Larry had the springbok, Jessica and Evan each had the Kabob that included meat from wildebeest, springbok, impala, kudu. They enjoyed their meals and willingly shared to any of us that wanted a taste. By the time we finished dinner, we missed being able to look in the shops.

We did meet up with the SAGE teams from Ireland and South Africa at the Waterfront. We heard there were some worthwhile shops to check out and an aquarium, so we may go back Monday. 

Back to the hotel for the evening.  Our "tireless" teachers and chaperones were only too glad to finally find a few minutes to sit back and relax!

-Posted by Yvonne

SAGE Cultural Day

Friday Afternoon:

Saturday afternoon we returned to our hotel and practiced our presentation for Cultural Day.

We set up our USA/Santa Monica booth then prepared for our country presentation. Our SAGE students collaborated with Holy Angels SAGE Team from Buffalo, NY (the USA second place team), to present the east and west coast of America in the Cultural Day presentation.

The teams also set up exhibit tables. It was a long afternoon, with many technical difficulties with sound, PowerPoint presentations and computer compatibility issues but most teams were able to present. Our slot was near the end of the program and most of us were tired and having trouble staying awake.

When our turn came, the Holy Angels group went first and then the Samo SAGE students got the energy going and did a fine presentation.

The presentations from the different countries were interesting and most were very polished. Thirteen countries presented but more teams are due to arrive tomorrow. After the presentations, it was time to go around to the various country team tables to see their country exhibits and share, barter, giveaway or sell country or team products. Team Santa Monica SAGE shared California State and USA lapel pins.

Tomorrow is 1st Round Presentation Day!!

-Posted by Yvonne