Her life changed after being crowned Binibining Pilipinas International

I had to somehow sacrifice education for a year to be able to perform my duties as a beauty queen. After the competition I transferred to Davao to live a normal life but you know when people know you they still invite you to host events, or host a TV show, and I just gave them a condition that [it’s] okay but I must be allowed to still study.

The move to Dubai was not planned
 

I had an opportunity through LinkedIn. Someone sent me a message offering me a job here. It was a tough decision because I've been three years in my job and they offered me a higher position. I just got promoted then, they gave me a PR job for the entire Philippines, but then also getting an opportunity outside the country with a bigger salary is also a big deal so it was a family decision and I took a lot of prayer. But everything fell into place.  

Her first two years here was a ‘mixture of everything’

My first two months in Dubai I felt like a tourist. You know, going around with your friends treating you and showing you places. On your third month, that's when all the hardships step in because you're on own, you cook your own food, you prepare your own clothes... 

Do people still recognise her?

We'll not exactly because after the Binibining [Pilipinas] I left the limelight... sometimes in the Metro, they know my entire name. Like, "You’re Nadia Lee Cien Shami!" And I'm like, "Hi! Do I know you?" Yeah. So sometimes they do. They still recognise [me].

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