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What is it really like to represent your country as a Miss Universe contestant? Sharita Mariella Sopacua can tell you from personal experience.

Sopacua, who was born in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Indonesian father was crowned Miss Universe Netherlands in 2005. The experience has changed her life and has opened a number of doors for the now 26-year-old.

Recently, the opportunity to learn more about her Indonesian heritage fell in Sopacua’s lap.

In 2007, she became a spokeswoman for a program called “Promote Tourism Indonesia” on Garuda TV, a channel that focuses on Indonesian culture in the Netherlands.

“I met the owner of the TV station and he asked if I wanted to do some volunteer work promoting Indonesia, to do maybe some filming projects in Indonesia, so I thought, yeah, of course,” she said.

After an initial visit in 2007, Sopacua has returned to Indonesia and is working on some ideas to promote the country to Dutch people.

“They want my input because I know a lot about what Dutch people want to see on TV,” Sopacua said.

Before entering the Miss Universe Netherlands contest, Sopacua studied human resources at Utrecht University and worked as a model.

She said becoming Miss Universe Netherlands did not really change her, but some people look at her differently now.

“Girls, not men. Always girls. They twist it around. They say, ‘Oh, love, peace and harmony, I’m gonna save the world,’ making fun of me. But I just laugh,” Sopacua said.

“I don’t think I’m better than the rest of the world just because I have the title. My parents say, ‘Sharita, you should keep both your feet on the ground. Don’t be snobby. Stay normal.’?”

Sopacua’s grandparents are from Maluku. Her grandfather served in the Netherlands East Indies Army during the Dutch colonial era, and the government moved him and his family to the Netherlands during a time of political unrest.

“At that time, they traveled by boat so it wasn’t very easy to go back” she said.

Many Indonesians in the Netherlands live in a communities with strong connection to their cultural roots, she said.

Sopacua’s Indonesian grandmother doesn’t speak Dutch, only speaking Indonesian to her family and friends. She used to cook authentic Indonesian dishes, like nasi goreng (fried rice) and pisang goreng (fried bananas) for the family while she was still able.

Sopacua said she became interested in promoting tourism for Indonesia because of her Indonesian heritage. She also wants to continue her modeling career in the country.

In her time in Indonesia, she has noticed that white skin is being marketed.

“I met some women who quit surfing because they didn’t want to get tanned. Their boyfriends say it’s ugly,” she said. “I want to promote tourism and put across the message that black is beautiful.”

Sopacua said she tanned easily, just like many Indonesians, but that tanning would not stop her from playing water sports. She has been learning to dive in Bali and plans to travel to different diving spots around Indonesia, particularly in her father’s hometown of Saparua in Maluku.

Although she projects the image of a woman who is most comfortable in glamorous evening gowns and designer clothes, Sopacau says she prefers her jeans and sneakers. Photo: Former Miss Universe Netherlands Sharita Mariella Sopacua is exploring her work options in Indonesia, having already promoted the country on TV in the Netherlands. (Safir Makki, JG)