The first day at Miss World was quite awesome. Everyone I met was pleasant, the nice and serene atmosphere at Puerto Rico was a sight to behold, needless to mention the beautiful and lovely girls I was meeting from all over the world.
We were all led to a venue at the Grand Hyatt Resort in Puerto Rico for a conference meeting where different media from Puerto Rico and worldwide were present. I was among the few beauty queens selected to give a vote of thanks in the presence of the media and everyone else who was present.
As soon as I stood at the podium, the sound of many clicking cameras and flashlights taking my photos took me back to my bedroom mirror practice, emulating a movie star. Many quick thoughts suddenly crossed my mind. “Wow, this is happening, it's real! I am in the limelight! How do I handle this? Am I doing the right thing, saying the right words? I had to speak and make sense, now was the time.
With the support of Julia Morley, Miss World director, her comforting gestures prior and after my speech gave me hope and reasurrance that I was in the right place doing the right thing.