Naomi S. Kida is perhaps the first Japino
to make it to the finals of Miss Universe-Japan. Born in Tondo,
Manila, in June 1988, she made it to the Top 5 of the beauty contest in Tokyo
on June 17, 2011.
Naomi is the daughter of Cristina Rivera
Santiaguel of Imus, Cavite and Masami Kida, president of a cement production
company.
Fluent in Japanese, English and Filipino,
Naomi regularly visits the Philippines and stays in Almanza, Las
Piñas, with her aunt.
“If I am back here and speak Tagalog, I
have to change my [frame of] mind. It takes me one to two weeks to adjust,”
she told the Inquirer over lunch recently in a restaurant in Salcedo
Village, Makati City.
She studied in the Philippines—at the
Manila Japanese School and the International School—until Grade 3 before she
left for Japan.
She went on to study at the Minamikata
Elementary, Nishishima Junior High School and Nobeoka Nishi High School—all
in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu.
She just earned a degree in
international economics from Hosei University in Tokyo.
At 170 cm or 5’7”, she is tall by Japanese
and Philippine standards. Her height served her well as a
volleyball player in school and as a model.
On her calling card with her photo, she
describes herself as a free-lance model, a tourism education consultant and,
of course, one of the 2011 Miss Universe Japan Top 5.
She plans to work in the Philippines and
someday put up an international language school to cater to Japanese
who want to learn English.
Her dream is to become a bridge
between Japan and the Philippines.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Japino
(adj.) – means Japanese - Filipino
2.
Make
it (v) - to be successful at something
3.
Regularly
(adv.) - often
4.
Adjust
(v) - to gradually become familiar with a new situation[= adapt]
5.
Inquirer
(n) – newspaper in the Philippines
(in this article)
6.
Earned
(v) – get; to do something or have qualities that make you deserve something
7.
Serve
her well (v) - to do something or have qualities that make you deserve
something
8.
Cater
(v) - to provide a particular group of people with the things they need or want
9.
Bridge
(n) - something that provides a connection between two things
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
How do you define beauty in your own words?
2.
Have you ever seen a beauty pageant? Would you
like to join the contest if given the chance?
3.
What can you say about multi-cultural families?
Give advantages and disadvantages.
4.
Who do you think are more beauty conscious, men
or women? Explain
