A Bangkok Love Affair Miss Grand International
Miss Grand International, Lees Garcia, is loving life in Bangkok. LEES GARCIA; TAKING CONTROL | Darrin Henry Attacked by a dog as a four year old little girl growing up in Puerto Rico, Lees Garcia required stitches to patch up her torn face, yet 23 years later was crowned Miss Grand International at a glittering ceremony in Thailand. As against the odds, inspirational stories go, this is right up there. Today, 28 year old Lees is mid-way through her reign, living in a Bangkok apartment that came with the win. The Miss Grand International (MGI) pageant is new, just two years old, but its growing and the Thai organisers have high ambitions for it to become one of the most prestigious events on the global pageantry calendar. The inaugural competition (2013) attracted entrants from 75 countries. Last years competition (October 2014) saw ladies from 85 countries compete, with Lees, representing Cuba, crowned queen after a month of events. Meeting Lees at the Phra Khanong BTS station, in the heart of Bangkok, our first impression is definitely, wow! Effortlessly oozing beauty queen glamour, she greets Sharon and I with a mega-watt smile and we are all instantly at ease, chatting away as we walk to a nearby coffee shop. Lees took a little while to adapt to the Bangkok lifestyle. Traffic is always a challenge. We managed to keep shooting as the scooters drove around us only in Bangkok! Lees Garcia adding plenty of glamour to the Bangkok streets and generating plenty of interest from curious locals. So hows life in Bangkok? Its awesome! Its not even a barrier that I dont speak Thai, its really easy to get around; people are really open and friendly. Lees finds it funny that she seems to spend more time teaching English than learning Thai. The drivers like: Left? Is this left? She may be gushing now, but for Lees, Bangkok story has also been testing. Well Ill give you the stages of my adoption, she says, explaining that first it was easy; a month in Thailand with the other contestants, having fun being well looked after without considering she might win. But then everything changed overnight. When I won all 85 girls I was competing with went home. They were like my family then suddenly theyre all gone. After one month in Thailand suddenly I dont know anyone or anything, so come November I was so depressed; more than ever in my life. Working on how to frame the next shot. Bangkok was a difficult place for Lees to begin with, but now its really beginning to feel like home. Dropped at her new apartment with the keys and a suitcase full of clothes, and well call you when we need you, Lees was suddenly alone. She admits feeling lost and spending the next month in bed, watching TV, hoping for a miracle. When that didnt happen Lees decided to take control and figure it out. It was back to basics. Where do I find a mall? How do I get there? How much will it cost? Suitably motivated, Lees began meeting people and making friends who in turn helped her learn the Bangkok way. In just three weeks she was finding her feet and enjoying it. When her pre-planned Florida holiday came round in December she didnt want to leave. It was the saddest, she recalls. Our second look was shot on a commuter walkway bridge, over the street. The noise from the traffic below was almost deafening at times. Miss Grand International, Lees Garcia, street photo-shoot, Bangkok, Thailand. Lees Garcia, Miss Grand International:
sometimes its scary to be in a new place
A wiser and more determined Lees returned to Bangkok in March. When I got back I hit the ground running! I was like; I cant sit around and wait for things to happen. I dont want to look back after seven months and say, oh, that was fun, I sat around and I was a small piece of nothing. But its part of life right, you have your inner doubts, sometimes its scary to be in a new place. But no ones going to help you but yourself; youve got to be your own cheerleader. Miss Grand International, Lees Garcia, in Bangkok. Cultural challenges have been more fun to overcome. Mainly the greeting, says Lees, explaining the bowing felt strange to begin with. But Im learning to adopt it and they way they respect their king, its mind blowing, different to what we know in America. The reserved culture of the Thais also conflicts with Lees big personality. No, Lees, no, is something the staff [MGI] say all the time, youre a lady you should be more reserved, theyre like no, Lees no, but I just have to find a balance. They also say my name as, Lee, so now Im calling myself Lee too! Before the MGI adventure began, Lees was a hotel manager for the Hilton in Florida for five years. I do miss it, but I dont want to go back. Lees time is now split between fulfilling her MGI contractual obligations and plotting a course for life after she relinquishes her crown to a new MGI queen in October. For MGI she carries out promotional appearances, advertising for sponsors, charity work and modelling. The non-stop energy of Bangkoks streets makes for an ever changing backdrop. Lees Garcia wants to continue living in Bangkok after her year as Miss Grand International is complete. My main job is to represent the MGI organisation. Their purpose is to stop war. So I work with refugees of war and am put in other [promotional] situations. Yesterday I was doing promotional work with the Red Cross. Makeup on the go. In her own time Lees is busy trying to ascertain the viability of remaining in Bangkok, post MGI, as a model and preferably a TV presenter. Before meeting us today she had attended a TV screening (interview). Ten years ago Lees studied communications at college with dreams of finding TV work. A series of turns led to an unsuccessful interview for presenting TV weather at age 21. Looking back at my baby faced pictures I think, poor thing! I know now that I wasnt ready. Hopefully this time around the timing is better. Quizzed on the best thing about Bangkok; Is it bad to say the nightlife, laughs Lees. If youre a night owl like me, Bangkok is great, everything functions through the night markets, shops here everything is unlimited all hours, thats the most exciting part, youre not restricted. I think its amazing. I definitely want to stay beyond my contract. Having adapted to the city, Lees is now walking tall in Bangkok. Traffic, is the immediate answer for the worst thing in the city. Its awful; [which is] unfortunate as everything is so close and theres so much to see and do, there are some days when you are better off not even trying to go out. What does Lees miss about life in the US? I miss the busy lifestyle, is that weird? The pace in Thailand is slow motion, she says, then snaps her fingers to emphasise, America is now, now, now! When I got here, I was like, where are we going, what are we doing, and everyone was like, relax, chill out. But its easy to adapt. Another shoot is nearly over and its been good fun. Sharon asks Lees about the faint scar on her right cheek, and Lees recalls her mums account of the dog attack as she was too young to remember herself. I had to get reconstructive surgery and I was covered in stitches. My mum told me I would sit in front of the mirror every day and cry. She would tell me, you cant pull your stitches, you have to let them heal but I kept touching, kept touching and it never healed properly. So I dont remember but Im kind of glad that I have it. Conversation is always very animated when excitable people get together! We leave the coffee shop to go shoot some pictures in the nearby streets, but truthfully we could have sat and chatted for hours. When we met Lees an hour earlier our impression was wow, beauty queen, but now its all about personality. Shes comes across as very open, not taking herself too seriously and very enthusiastic about life; our interview was full of laughter with the conversation constantly going off in all directions. But theres also a determined intelligence that belies Lees beauty queen looks; a realisation that success is not a given and that even setbacks can be opportunities in disguise. A perfect example is the MGI competition. Originally Lees had entered hoping to represent the USA but was unsuccessful. However, the Cuban [manager] then approached her about representing Cuba, having watched her performance. Her father is Cuban. The politics of Cuba prevents girls from the island attending such competitions. Lees went on to become Miss Grand International 2014. As for her love affair with Bangkok? Thats something we are beginning to understand all too well ourselves. Lees, Sharon and myself, the three of us easily converted to the Bangkok lifestyle.
Create Date : 27 เมษายน 2558 |
Last Update : 27 เมษายน 2558 10:26:12 น. |
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