Jana Murrell-Miss Earth United States
My Miss Earth Diary

On July 8th, 2008 a two-year dream came true when I heard my name announced as Miss Earth United States! Three months later, I was on my way to Manila, Philippines to represent the USA at the prestigious international pageant, Miss Earth!

Upon arriving at the Carousel mansion, I was greeted with open arms and warm smiles by Carousel family and friends. Although it was midnight, a party was in full swing, with karaoke, food, and fun! Miss Jamaica –Simone Burke and I arrived together, after flying for nearly 24 hours. Tired as we were, we jumped right in and celebrated our arrival with our new Carousel friends.

The next morning, not nearly caught up on sleep yet but full of excitement to start my day in the Philippines, I did my first official interview and participated in a photo shoot at the Carousel mansion.  Next we headed out for another photo shoot involving swimwear, a gown by a renowned Filipino designer, and an indigenous Filipino costume. My first day in the Philippines was full of activities and memories, but the best part was I was beginning to make lasting friendships with my fellow Miss Earth sisters and of course, everyone at Carousel Productions.

After a couple nights at the Carousel house, it was time to move into the Traders Hotel, the official residence of the Miss Earth 2008 delegates. As a result of all the travel in and around the beautiful country of the Philippines we only spent about one third of our nights at Traders Hotel, but every time I walked through the door of the hotel it felt like home. Everyone at the hotel treated us like royalty, and it was always great to come back to my home away from home.  My roommates, Miss Jamaica and Miss Romania, and I truly felt like queens.

Throughout the all the different places, cities, and resorts we went to in the Philippines I also roomed with Miss Sweden, Miss Bolivia, and Miss Serbia.  It was so much fun and a wonderful experience to get to spend so much time with the girls from these other countries and to learn about their unique cultures and habits. It brought back memories of being a little girl, who dreamed of being a beauty queen, having her own special slumber party.

With 85 beautiful girls representing their homelands, we were constantly breaking up into smaller groups so that we could tour the Philippines easier. But we always convened back as one large group, to even further forge friendships. Some of the exciting experiences and places I visited included: a beach resort in Boracay; Halloween party, tiger safari and repelling in Subic; school tours in various cities; several mall fashion shows; numerous TV interviews; a number of tree plantings; and guest appearances on TV shows just to name a few of the awesome and memorable things I was able to experience. So many experiences, so little time!

One of the most endearing feelings was the welcoming spirit of the Filipino people. Wherever we went and whenever the people saw our buses they would stop what they were doing, shoot us the biggest smiles and furiously wave to us. Every time we were in public, the locals rushed to have their pictures taken with us and give us a handshake or hug. We felt like celebrities, role models, and VIP’s every time we walked out the door!  I will always remember that feeling of fame and stardom, because for one month we all were mini versions of an Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, or Tyra Banks…superstars!! That is a feeling I will forever cherish.

Being a part of the internationally televised Miss Earth Pageant was amazing! It was an awesome production and I was honored to be a part of the top 16 semifinalists. More than the thrill of being called into the 16 was the experience and honor of representing my country. Everywhere I went I carried the USA name on my sash, and everybody’s’ first impressions of me were centered on the fact that I was from the USA!  When the locals looked at me, I was first identified as an American, and secondly as Jana Murrell. I still cherish that responsibility of being an ambassador, spokesperson and a positive role model for the United States wherever I went.

 I remember when I heard the news that our country had officially elected a new President.  All eyes were on the political happenings in America, and even though I was in another part of the world, I felt the rush of excitement and interest over the US political scene. When our new president was announced I felt a sense of patriotism and pride in my country and my culture. Although I was already honored and proud to represent the USA, I held my head just a little bit higher because this was a message to the rest of the world that all things are possible, and even further supported the thought that the American dream is alive and well. Never in my life have I felt more proud to be an American.

The month long trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so blessed to have had the chance to represent my country and grow as an individual as I expanded my life experiences. I made some great friends that I continue to stay in touch with and enhanced my knowledge on different cultures, different types of people, and the world. I am thankful to all of the people who sponsored me and helped prepare me for the Miss Earth competition through their kindness, love and support. Ultimately, I am thankful to Earth Pageant Productions for providing me with the opportunity to represent the United States of America. And although the Miss Earth title was not meant for me, I am truly blessed with the honor and privilege of wearing the Miss Earth United States title! And a spokeswoman for Mother Earth! What an awesome responsibility.

Sarah's Blog

     The weekend of the 19-22 of September, I had the opportunity to attend the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Expo, in Fort Collins, Colorado. This was my very first experience traveling alone, and I was a tad nervous, but it all worked out better than imagined!

     I left Salt Lake City Friday afternoon and arrived in Denver, Colorado a short time later. I was greeted by George Hirata. Jana and I stayed with the Hiratas, who were so hospitable and very welcoming. We then went and met up with Jana and Carol, and it was so exciting to be all together again.

     As we walked around parts of Fort Collins, I noticed how many bikes there were everywhere. It was so refreshing to see people using alternative forms of transportation. There were bike racks everywhere for people to keep their rides secure, and the roads were so biker and pedestrian friendly--I was very impressed!

We were able to attend a cocktail party that night, where we met many of the vendors that would be at the expo, signed autograph cards, and enjoyed some good music. We learned a lot about the efforts of many companies, businesses, and organizations that are going "green" and being very environmentally friendly. Along with being environmentally friendly people, they were just friendly all around, and it was great to meet with them.

      The next day, we attended the Expo. It was beautiful weather, although it got a bit hot in the afternoon. Carol, Jana and I walked around and visited as many of the booths as we could, and learned a lot. We attended various lectures and workshops, where we learned about things from the controversy of different types of alternative energy, to small ways everyone can make a difference.

     We had the opportunity to meet Ed Begley Jr. and introduce him on the main stage. This was so exciting for me, because I have wanted to meet him ever since I learned about all of his environmental efforts. Besides being an accomplished actor, he is very clever and has devoted so much of himself for good causes--primarily environmental causes, and he takes time to educate many other people. A few things he said stuck out to me. He talked about how you don't go and make huge changes all at once because it is too overwhelming. He related it to Mount Everest, and how you don't climb it all in one day--you must acclimatize first. Small steps at a time. He urged everyone to reach for the "low hanging fruit on the tree". It is not reasonable to go get solar panels and live solely off of those if we don't have the means. He said to live within our means and just do what we can.

     That night, Jana attended another gathering called "Drinks With Interesting People", and I went with George to a Colorado State University vs Brigham Young University Volleyball game. It was a blast! I was the only one loudly cheering for BYU in my entire section though... (Which is fine, GO COUGARS!)

     On Sunday, we again attended the expo and made our way to the remaining booths and learned even more. There was also a booth where they were giving complimentary massages...so of course we stopped there and waited in line for a bit...(a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!). There were many booths that had either recycled or organic clothing, which was neat! There are so many creative ideas that keep extra trash out of landfills.

     Then, we had the opportunity to go to the Raptor Center. We saw many birds and learned about the journey that they take while being cared for and are being prepared to go back in the wild. The people there take very good care of the birds, giving them individual attention and keeping them free of danger.

     Later that day, Jana and I participated in a "Second Hand Fashion Show." It was a lot of fun! We modeled clothing that would later in the show be turned into something else. For example, we each wore a sweater on stage for the first segment, then we went off and gave it to a nice lady named Mandy, who turned my sweater into leg warmers, a pillow, and a shrug. She turned Jana's sweater into a bag, a head band, and arm warmers. We then went back on stage and modeled the new attire. It was really neat, and it gave me great ideas on how to change up my clothing, make it unique, and keep it for longer by recycling it and making it into something else.

     After the Expo, Carol took us on a tour of Windsor, and showed us lots of Tornado damage. It was eye opening and we were able to see the effects of such a devasting natural disaster.

     That night, we came home to a scrumptious meal that George had prepared and we reflected about on the day's activities.

     Monday morning, Carol took some pictures and we prepared our things to go home. The weekend flew by, and although we accomplished so many things, we still felt as if there was more to do.

     All in all I feel the trip was very successful and we were able to get out our message and raise awareness. It is a great thing to see people make small changes and get excited about making a difference! It was an awesome experience to be in a city that is so environmentally friendly, and it does show that there is hope for many other cities to follow suit.

     Thanks to all the people of Ft. Collins for a great Expo and for receiving our message so well; what great support we felt! Also, thanks to Evan; he is a wonderful director, and without him none of this would be possible.

Well, much love to everyone, and remember: reach for the low-hanging fruit!

xo

Sarah