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By Joseph Vitug
Jamie-Lynn is a very fun, lively and funny lady – an animated and
vivacious conversationalist. It was an extremely enjoyable
experience chatting with her after the National Costume presentation
– we are both big Madonna fans and she got to see the opening
concert of the Drowned World tour in Barcelona, Spain. We also share
the same basic philosophy: “Be yourself”. The entire
interview and conversation with her was a pure unadulterated delight.
Besides the questionnaire below, I also mentioned to her about how I
found her costume presentation hilarious, and also about how in the
Miss Universe these days, it seems that the Dutch delegates wear this
orange gown instead of the usual Dutch dress that we know. She
explained to me how the orange gown represents the queen of Holland,
as she belongs to the house of Orange and resides in Oranjestad.
I’d love to talk to her more when I have the time, and hopefully
continue corresponding with her when the pageant is over…
1. Q: Now that you’re here, what’s your impression of
this country so far?
A: It is definitely very
different from my country, it surprises me, oh my God! The people here
are honest, nice, sweet and everything. It’s also quite an
experience seeing the streets and the traffic.
2. Q: Have you done any special preparation for this contest?
If yes, what is it?
A: None! I only joined
this contest two days before [the original representative] was about
to leave. [The original representative] urged me to go because
she told me “you’re a model, you’re more prepared…”
3. Q: What is the current environmental issue affecting your
country right now and what is being done about it?
A: In Holland, we have good
waste management and good cleaners, and we also have Greenpeace.
However, there are people who keep on throwing garbage in our
waterways. All these people do not realize that we have to keep
our waterways free from garbage.
4. Q: How would you counter some people’s negative perception on
pageants?
A: Before, I was scared of what other
people say or think. So far, I like it, meeting with so many
people of different countries. I like to know the languages and relish
this whole big experience [interacting with] many different countries.
5. Q: What is most important for you in joining any
contest: to win, to place, or to participate?
A: Just to be there and join.
It’s nice to win, but it’s not like if I win I’ll be happy.
I join for the experience.
6. Q: If you were chosen Miss Earth, what activities and/or
causes would you intend to focus during your reign?
A: I’d like to have an
arrangement to help Holland with the garbage and things. I also would
like to help out other countries with their problems, especially the
poorer ones, since Holland is wealthy [enough to help out the others].
[Brackets are used to make the context of Jamie-Lynn’s
statements clearer…] |
