Lauren Parkinson, won the Miss Grand Wales crown at the UK Power Pageant in June 2018 along with a trip to Myanmar for the Miss Grand International final! Lauren had the most incredible three weeks with her sister queens and looked stunning on the international stage! Here’s what Lauren had to say about her experience:
My experience at Miss Grand International is one I will never forget, I mentally prepared myself to make the most of the experience and I can truly say I did. The people you meet are friends for life and the opportunity and doors it opens are one in a million.
From the moment we arrived at Myanmar the staff treated us so kindly and really made us feel so welcome and comfortable. The Chatrium Royal Lake Yangon Hotels hospitality was something I have never experienced, and I would honestly say I will be visiting them again in the future. Once we settled in, we were taken to the streets of Yangon to shoot our official portraits which was one of the coolest experiences with plenty of staff on hand to make us feel comfortable and at ease. With lots of activities and sponsored events we were truly treated like royalty and having the experience to see Pagoda’s and understand the stories behind them was amazing. But for me and the rest of team UK, I think our most memorable moments were the times spent in rehearsals. Although long days we were in our gym gear and our feet could have a break from the heels. For me coming from a dance background this was so much fun and the MGI choreographers made everyone feel so at ease with all the steps. All the hardworking made for an amazing opening number. Did you spot team UK?!
We had the most amazing opportunity to travel to Kawthaung, which is a little island with only the hotel located on it. We woke up each morning to a beautiful view of the sea and Thailand which was only half an hour away. Monkeys would be on your balcony and it is something I have never experienced before. The MGI organisation took us on a boat trip where we visited lots of islands, some of which were in Thailand. Who could say they had just hopped over to Thailand for a few hours. The beaches and food they supplied us were beautiful and we had so much fun.
So to round this off, I have truly enjoyed my time being a part of the MGI family, the staff, girls and culture of Myanmar has truly opened my eyes and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to represent Wales on such an amazing stage and production. I can’t stress enough how much you need to experience this yourselves! Just take that chance and enter.
