Bahraini beauty queen Manar Nadeem "Jess" Deyani is in the country for a visit.
She was one of the candidates at the Miss Universe pageant in December 2021 at Eilat, Israel, and the first to represent her country at the prestigious event.
The Philippines is special to Jess for the reason that Yugen Group Dubai, the organization behind Miss Bahrain, is headed by the Dubai-based Filipino PR maven Josh Yugen.
Excited to be visiting the country, Jess said in Zoom interview by PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), "I’ve always wanted to come and I’m happy that I’m finally here.
"I’m loving every second of my visit here, and I always appreciate the beauty around me. I'm really enjoying my time.
"I'm looking forward to look to more places and try more food. I tried a few and I’m just looking forward to try more, yeah as all, I’m just feeling so great.
"It’s always amazing, it's always amazing, the people are so kind and loving, I love it! And my supporters are so lovely so it’s amazing, yeah."
Asked about Filipino words she has learned so far, Jess said, "The first thing I learned actually was 'gutom na ako,' which is 'I’m hungry,' so that was important..."
Trying Filipino food was one of the many things Jess looked foward to during her short trip. So far, Mango and Ube are her favorites.
"What I tried is there’s this sweets, bread [that] I tried, I don’t remember the name, but it was so good, I tried fruits, I tried mangoes...
"The only thing I’d drink was like mango shake, and it was so fresh and so good.
"And I also tried the Jollibee, I think? I tried it yesterday it was so delicious, I mean it’s so good. And also tried the ube... oh my God, this is my favorite!
"I tried the ice cream before that, I tried the desserts, I think... And a few days before I tried ice cream, which was so good!"
HER REIGN AS MISS UNIVERSE BAHRAIN
PEP.ph also asked Jess about her reign as Miss Bahrain over the past year.
For Jess, one of her most memorable experiences as a beauty queen happened recently when she finally met Smile Train patients in the Philippines.
This was actually her first activity upon arriving in the Philippines last week.
Smile Train is a nonprofit organization and charity providing corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates.
She said, "In Dubai, I go to their office, and, like, have a message with them, but I didn't really experience it.
"And I did today. I'm so glad that I did because it was an amazing experience getting to see all the children.
"And I've seen a few already that had their surgeries, and some of them, their surgeries are due tomorrow or the day after.
"And it was surreal and it's so different, like, you know, seeing the pictures, the videos and hearing their stories without seeing them are actually a whole different experience than actually getting to meet them.
"And they're the most beautiful souls. And it's also important for us to spread awareness on that."
Jess promised to continue helping the organization even after her reign as Miss Bahrain.
AFTER HER REIGN
In the meantime, the 25-year-old fashion design student revealed her plan to start her own eco-friendly clothing brand after crowning her successor in Bahrain.
Jess said, "I want to create a brand that is more connected to the soul than the body.
"I want to create pieces that everyone will be comfortable wearing, no matter what your gender, your size, or whatever.
"I want to create pieces that are like, 'If I love it, I'm gonna wear it.'"
She added, "I also want it to be sustainable and I also want it to be environmentally friendly because I care about nature and I don't want to do something harmful.
"Because we all know how fast fashion industry works."
Jess arrived in the country on Aprl 27, 2022, to attend the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 grand coronation night and show her support for her Miss Universe batchmates, the reigning titleholder Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu and Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Luigi Gomez.
The event was held last Saturday, April 20, 2022, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Celeste Cortesi from Pasay City was crowned as Miss Universe Philippines 2022 at the end of the event.
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