Good day to All!

Meet Courtney Gee of South China. Courtney is the daughter of Michael and Christine Gee and will be entering this years Miss Maine Pageant being held at the Portland Marriott Sable Oaks on November 30th and December 1st. She is hoping to win and would really like to represent Maine in the Miss USA Pageant.



 Courtney Gee and Norm

Courtney grew up in South China and is a 2010 graduate of Erskine Academy and is currently in her senior year at Bryant University in Providence, Rhode Island studying international business.

Last year, she studied abroad at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, a city of approximately 24 million people. For those of you who are not great with numbers, this is approximately three times as many people as are in New York City. Courtney now speaks fluent Chinese and had a great experience with her host family during her time in China. She also met Chika, a Nigerian student,  who has become her best friend. Courtney has hopes to visit Chika in Nigeria and would love to meet her family and explore their culture.

One of Courtney's most memorable experiences while in Shanghai was celebrating the Moon Festival. Families usually gather at home and cook traditional Chinese dumplings (of which she learned to make) and eat Mooncakes of many different flavors. Typical Mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, see the picture below. Mooncakes are offered between friends or family at gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals where people honor the Moon and give thanks.

 

 

  Chinese Mooncake

 

 

While interviewing Courtney, she told me that her trip to China was a big deal for her, taking her out of her comfort zone. She feels she matured a lot by going to a country where she knew no one, not even the language. She came home having made many new friends, versed in a new language and now possessing the confidence to do even bigger and better things. As a high school senior, Courtney competed in the Miss Maine Teen USA pageant and has watched religiously every year, saying that when she got older she would love to represent Maine.This recent trip to China has given Courtney the courage to do just that! 

Courtney has a new appreciation for Maine and America. She was taken back by the fact that so much information is blocked by the government on the Internet, something that you would never see back here at home.

Starting this past July, Courtney enlisted the help of a trainer and pageant coach to increase her work out schedule and to practice "selling herself" so that she will be in the best position to represent Maine. She mentioned that some girls do it just for the fun and some take it very seriously, Courtney informed me she plays to win!

When asked what part of the pageant is the scariest to her, Courtney told me it was the one on one interviews in the preliminary round, where you have two minutes to answer several questions put forth by a five person panel. This portion of the contest can either make or break you. When I asked her what the most fun part of the pageant was, Courtney stated "getting to dress up and putting on make up." Courtney sees herself as a strong, independent and motivated woman with big goals.     

As a Miss Maine contestant, she is excited about the possibility of networking opportunities, meeting new people, and doing charity and volunteer work should she be fortunate enough to win the title.

The China Dine-ah is proud to sponsor Courtney in this endeavor and we certainly wish her the best.

Make it a great day!


Norm