KATHMANDU, Aug 25: Miss Nepal 2012 Shristi Shrestha is home after spending a month in Inner Mongolia, China.
Competing in Miss World 2012, the 23 years old has not only gained good experiences and memories but also good friends. She looks happy as she recollects her time in the world’s biggest beauty pageant.
With Shristi, we have our first Miss Nepal making it to the quarter finals of the Miss World 2012 beauty pageant. She was also in the top ten of the Beach Beauty and Multimedia Award contests.
She talks about finding Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ the perfect book to be reading during the pageant and how she doesn’t have a single thing to regret.
How would you sum up your experience of Miss World 2012?
I think for all the girls there, it was a once in a lifetime experience. I represented my country the best that I could and that for me was the most important thing. I feel like I’ve achieved something. Maybe it’s not what I wanted to achieve but I did my best and I have no regrets. And it was possible because I had so much love and support and encouragement from everyone. I had a good time traveling to the many parts of China. We saw some remote places and some very modern, yet the warm hospitality and the traditional culture were present everywhere. That was amazing to see. I also made friends there. In fact, Miss Canada, Miss Peru and Miss Fiji have plans of visiting Nepal. Miss Canada will be here in the coming spring and we’ll work together for the cause of human trafficking. It was less like a competition and more like a sisterhood. The girls from the Caribbean taught me to relax, take it easy. But the most important lesson we learnt was togetherness and being there for each other. I’m really happy and overwhelmed by all the memories that I’ll be carrying throughout my life.
You’re one of the most popular Miss Nepal. Do you think the hope that everyone had pinned on you made you feel any more pressured or nervous than you already were?
One can take it either negatively or positively, but more than feeling pressurized, I took it as my strength and my courage. I’m just glad to know that people had so much expectation from me and they thought I was capable enough.
How do you feel being the first Miss Nepal to reach the quarter finals in the competition?
I’m really humbled because it wasn’t just me winning, it was all of us. I didn’t go there thinking that it was just my competition. For me, it was like I was taking Nepal with me. So I’m happy that I could give back something for all the love and support that I got.
What will you be doing now?
I’m going to be working closely with World Wildlife Fund, now that I’m their Goodwill Ambassador. We’re planning to work with Snow Leopard conservation. Apart from that, I’ll be working on human trafficking. This cause is very close to my heart.
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