Today, I had the honour of representing Malaysia in a fashion show that was organised by Diplomatic Spouse Club. This club is for ambassadors' partners who are in Sweden. There were 40 countries involved in this event.
How did I get myself involved in this event? When I first came to Sweden in June 2017, I did not know any Malaysians. I did not join any activities or you could say that most of my activities have to be cost-free because I could not afford to pay as I was not working. I joined the first event - Deepavali in November 2017 where I paid SEK150. That was a huge sum for me but I wanted to eat Malaysian food again. That was my first event that I got to see all Malaysians gather in one place and I was so happy to be there.
Subsequently, a Malaysian friend invited me to join her in another Malaysian activity, the Merdeka celebration in August 2018. I still did not have a Malaysian network. Then, came the Deepavali event in November 2018. I volunteered myself to be a member of the Swedish Malaysian Association. Then, we organised the Chinese New Year event in March 2019. I got to know the staff that works in the Embassy.
And ta-da, that is how I ended up in the wardrobe room of the Embassy today, getting ready to change into my traditional Malaysian outfit for the fashion show.
My make-up was heavy that evening and I was unaccustomed to it. I thought that I looked very scary.
The final result! Me in a lengha. I love this photo as my background has 2 Malaysian flags. This post will have lots of my photos. I enjoy looking at them!
The 6 of us that participated in the event. We posed in front of the Malaysian Embassy.
The Fashion Show was held at Musikaliska Theatre. Each country has 2.5 minutes to parade their traditional attire.
That is us in the dressing room. We were in the same room as Nicaragua (the lady with the feathers in the hat), Morocco (sitting on the sofa) and Iraq (the ladies in colourful clothings).
That is my 15-second catwalk which I was very nervous. My first and last catwalk ever! My smile was stiff and I hoped that I will not trip over my skirt and embarrass my country. I was wearing a pair of 3-inch heels. I was very proud, nevertheless, when Malaysia was called and I walked down the stage. This must be how beauty contestants feel when they represent their country in a beauty pageant. Haha! Although I am nowhere close to participating in one.
Group photo after the event with the staff from the Embassy. Our Ambassador is the lady in the middle flanked by her husband on the right.
I posed as much as possible with the outfit, knowing that I will probably not get a similar chance anymore. Haha!
Right after the event, we went back to the Embassy and broke fast together. It was the eve of Eid. Everyone was in a jolly mood! I was very happy to be able to eat Malaysian food again.
What an evening!
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