Initially scheduled for a 5-day visit to attend the crowning of the first-ever Miss Supranational Curacao (Queen AutoCity Competitions), the organisers have extended an invitation for Africa’s first Miss Supranational to stay longer, after witnessing how much she enjoyed the constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

During the last two weeks, Chanique has been part of a range of activities to explore the island. She was welcomed by the organisers of the two competitions, members of the government and the Prime Minister, Mr Gilmar Pisas. At a press conference to promote the local event, Rabe said: “A few months ago, I would never have imagined visiting a place like Curacao and being in the Caribbean for the first time is a dream come true. From the moment I arrived, I have felt the warmth and the love of the people of Curacao.”

The organisers of the AutoCity Queen event planned several special watersport activities for Chanique to enjoy, including a scuba diving lesson, several snorkelling trips, swimming with sea turtles and even an underwater scooter ride. She also visited Curacao’s smaller, mostly uninhabited island called Klein Curacao (Small Curacao).

There was also time to learn about the local culture, including trying local cuisine and visiting the gallery of a famous local artist, Nena Sanchez, who died three years ago. Miss Supranational also lent her support to a local campaign supporting women from all across  Curacao to earn an income through using their art skills, called the ChiChi Project.

On a visit to a local school, Chanique had the chance to answer the students’ questions about her country. “Even though you might not have heard of Namibia, our countries have more similarities than differences. They both have small populations, beautiful landscapes, incredibly diverse cultures and beautiful and warm people. But your ocean is definitely warmer than ours, and I am loving that,” she giggled.

Chanique will stay in Curacao until the third week of November before returning to Namibia to continue working on her ‘From the Ground Up’ sewing school projects.