I had the prestigious opportunity of cooking thanksgiving dinner, a holiday celebrated in America and Canada, together with Vanessa Ponce, Miss World 2018, Chef Efrain Cruz, Toni-Ann Singh, Miss World 2019 and Jack Heslewood, Mr. World 2019.

Before we begun cooking, I spent some precious moments with Stephanie Del Valle, Miss World 2016. We discussed college lifestyle and student nutrition. It was amazing being able to share some funny stories about university life that we both related to. For instance, we both agreed that the times we didn't have time to prepare food, our diet mostly consisted of noodles and sandwiches, something many students can relate to, which wasn't all that healthy.

We also talked about future goals, my plans as Miss World Somalia and my life story. What amazed me about Stephanie was the love she had for her country Puerto Rico, and the reasons why she wanted Miss World to be held in her hometown. Now looking back at this moment, I can see how important this meant for her and the beautiful citizens of Puerto Rico. Despite all the restrictions related to Covid, she was still working hard to achieve that dream for herself and her country. 

After this amazing conversation, we all went into the kitchen to prepare the thanksgiving turkey dinner, as supervised by chief Efrain Cruz who taught us how to prepare it according to Puerto Rican traditions. The turkey was served with local pumpkin, taro root gravy, roasted turkey sous vive, mushroom and pigeon pea ceviche. We later sat  together to eat the delicious meal which I would definitely recommend everyone to try.

Being able to experience this moment reminded me of my first thanksgiving dinner in Canada which I celebrated together with my family. Everyone was in the kitchen giving a helping hand. I remember helping my dad stuff a turkey, and I was very proud of the work I contributed to, but this is what thanksgiving is all about, being able to be with loved ones and being thankful for all the good in life.