The preparations.

“America here I come!”

It’s already December, which means I’m soon about to fly off to the States! Before I could depart t, a couple of things had to be taken care of.

The first thing I had to do was to get official permission from school to go there, since I would have to miss one entire week of school. Once I got approval, my father booked our tickets and reserved the hotel. We’ll first fly to LA and from there we’ll fly to Phoenix, where we’ll stay at the Arizona Biltmore Resort (this is also the location of the event).

Besides arranging the necessary stuff, I also figured it was the perfect time to add a bit more healthiness into my daily lifestyle. I have tried eating somewhat more healthier (yet I couldn’t resist the taste of chocolate every now and then) and I started exercising some more (which included going to the gym once a week, I’m not really a sporty girl). Furthermore have I practised walking in heels, because I had never done so before. I guess I wasn’t “born in heels”… I also figured my trip was an excellent excuse to buy some new clothes!

I’m really excited to join the FOX modelling event and can’t wait to see what all these fashion people are like! However I do know/ realize that my chances of becoming a model due to this event are really small, so I don’t expect anything big to come after this. Of course do I hope that I will get a call-back from an agency (this is an interview, saying that they are interested in you), though just the experience itself is already thrilling me. I’m curious to see what it’s going to bring me…!

The invitation.

“Oh girl, you look like a super model!”

Last summer my family and I made a road trip along the west coast of the USA. It was an amazing trip! We’ve seen some incredible nature, been at amazing places and most importantly we’ve had lots of fun! Not only will I remember this vacation because of the incredible memories, but also because of the exclusive opportunities it has brought me….

It was the fourth of August. We were staying at the Lake Powell Resort in Page. Me and my younger sister were heading towards the dining area, where we would meet the rest of our family to have breakfast, when we were suddenly stopped by a foreign woman. She was super enthusiastic and wanted to know everything about me. Since I had no clue who this woman was, neither did I know why she had stopped me, I was kind of speechless (perhaps it  also had something to do with the early timing..). While she was talking to me, she grabbed her bag and took a card out of it. It was her business card, which she gave to me. Her name was Vaiva Tuckuviene. She has her own modelling agency, is a successful scout for FOX models and used to be a model herself.

Vaiva told me she saw some great modelling potential in me. Still perplex of the whole situation, I listened to the things she told me. She explained me what the FOX modelling event was about. She also told me that if I was going to join, which I didn’t consider at first, the chance of me actually becoming a model would be very small. To be clear, this event is a so-called ‘showcase’ at which you present yourself to the international top modelling agencies and only 10 percent of the participants actually get to work as models. Nonetheless is it a great experience for young (international) people, even when you don’t get into contact with any of the agencies after all.

My father spoke with Vaiva some more and gave her our information (phone number, email, etc…). She asked me to email her some additional information and photos of myself. She said she would give my information to Keith Fox, head of the FOX modelling agency.

I felt extremely proud of myself at that moment and needed to call my mom to tell her everything that just had happened (since she was still at home). I guess she was even more excited than I was (she was seriously about to scream through the telephone) and told me she was very proud of me.

Weeks later I got a phone call from my father who had just been called by Keith Fox. He had called my father to ask whether his daughter was coming to America upcoming December. “Well, I guess I might have to discuss that with my daughter at first….” I was thrilled with excitement and couldn’t believe I might actually go to America AGAIN. Before I knew it, tickets were booked and it was sure, I was going to the FOX modelling event. I even got official permission from school, so nothing was going to stop me. Now, 3 months later, I must say that I still don’t seem to realize the fact that I am flying to Arizona in less than two weeks’ time…