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!