The sisterhood series,1 of 3: Of two sisters, one is always the watcher, one the dancer
August in South Africa is national women's month. You know that already. What you probably didn't know, is that the first Sunday also marks National Sister's day. This discovery slipped into my head, an idea to celebrate the amazing bond of sisterhood. Through The Sisterhood Series, Real Empress shines the spotlight, first, on the Nxozi sisters: Lulu and Vuyiseka.
My sister is
Lulu: A rock, resilient, the joy in our family (her name Vuyiseka means one who brings joy), authentically herself – is not swayed by people’s opinions, is beautiful and deeply spiritual.
Vuvu: Beautiful, affectionate, generous, stylish and very intelligent.
Having her as part of my childhood...
Lulu: Was such a dream come true. I had been the only girl and last born for 5 years. And there she was, I instantly knew that she would become my best friend for life! When we were young, I would go with her everywhere – my study groups, beauty contests, my friend’s houses – everywhere. She was also put in the unfortunate position of being there whenever there were boys around trying to “mack” on her big sister! She would just stand there and roll her eyes! She would tell me immediately if the guy was “lame” or not. So, even though we never “played” together because of our age difference, I made sure she was part of everything I was doing. All my childhood memories are wrapped up in her!
Vuvu: Very memorable with fun moments, I was like her favourite doll. I was a guinea pig for everything she wanted to try out and she took me everywhere she went. So thoughtful too because when she would visit friends, she made sure they had little girls there so I would have someone to play with. To this day, she still makes sure I am comfortable in any situation. She would play and chat with me even with the age difference, I only started feeling it when she went to varsity.
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| Rock stars: wild versus tamed. |
Lulu: Was such a dream come true. I had been the only girl and last born for 5 years. And there she was, I instantly knew that she would become my best friend for life! When we were young, I would go with her everywhere – my study groups, beauty contests, my friend’s houses – everywhere. She was also put in the unfortunate position of being there whenever there were boys around trying to “mack” on her big sister! She would just stand there and roll her eyes! She would tell me immediately if the guy was “lame” or not. So, even though we never “played” together because of our age difference, I made sure she was part of everything I was doing. All my childhood memories are wrapped up in her!
Vuvu: Very memorable with fun moments, I was like her favourite doll. I was a guinea pig for everything she wanted to try out and she took me everywhere she went. So thoughtful too because when she would visit friends, she made sure they had little girls there so I would have someone to play with. To this day, she still makes sure I am comfortable in any situation. She would play and chat with me even with the age difference, I only started feeling it when she went to varsity.
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| Lovers of laughter: Sharing an inside joke that "probably wont make sense to other people". |
She makes my life…
Lulu: Complete and interesting; my life would be so dull without her! She’s literally the left side of my brain, my wisdom, my reason.
Vuvu: Feel like an adventure, never a dull moment. I have known her my whole life and she’s still so much fun. I cannot imagine not having her in my life, someone you can swap clothes with, borrow clothes from and stay on the phone with for hours talking about anything and everything. We look out for each other. Whenever we get together we always have fun and laughing at own jokes that probably won’t make sense to other people.
She is really good at...
Lulu: Reading people. She never gets that wrong – ever. That’s why I trust her opinion. She’s a lot more in tune with her spirit than most people, so she’s able to tap into that without even thinking, or realizing that she’s doing it herself. She’s taught me to believe in the God within, that each one of us have a piece of God in us, and if we allow Him – He will guide us, that it’s inherent in our DNA. My sister’s also a really good writer and a great cook.
Vuvu: Cooking, planning, organising, communicating, taking stunning pictures (shed make an excellent professional photographer), she can easily make new friends. She excels in anything she puts her mind to. She is one of the most gifted and creative people that I know.
She is different from me because...
Lulu: She takes her time with things. She’s patient. She thinks everything through, feels everything through. She’s funny – some of the best moments of laughter in my life have been with her. The careers we’ve chosen are also a testament to that, she’s in the finance industry and I am in the Media/Communications industry. She’s rational, and I’m emotional.
Vuvu: Our approach to situations is different, I have a late reaction and she always present and often reacts in the moment. She is a peace maker though; she is always quick to apologise even when she’s not in the wrong and rarely sulks. She is decisive and has a positive outlook in life. Some of the differences we have make us fight at times but those differences are also the reason why we get along so well. I wouldn't want to change her for anything.
Her favourite things are...
Lulu: Being a mom, health & fitness, beautiful clothes and shoes, reading and writing (her sense of style is faaaar better than mine).
Vuvu: Spending time with loves ones, hanging out with friends, going to the movies. She also loves reading (She has a mini library in her home).
I love her because...
Lulu: She’s my pillar of strength. She’s that best friend every girl needs to have – the one you can phone at midnight when you can’t sleep. I love her because she’s a great listener, she listens with her heart. She’s the funniest person I know. She lives in the lighter side of life. She’s my biggest supporter in everything. She’s also my acting and dialogue coach – every script I have ever worked on my sister would help with learning the lines and directing. When I played Zuki on White Wedding – the younger sister – I completely channeled my sister in that role. She truly inspires me. My sister has a very strong sense of self, and always has, even when she was young. Not only that but she stays true to that without fail. She’s strong, which comes as a surprise to most people because she’s so tiny! I love her because she’s rational, and that’s truly refreshing.
Vuvu: (In no particular order). She is family orientated - my brothers and I are so blessed to have her in our lives.She always tells me the truth.The confidence she has in herself is inspiring. She taught me the importance of saving from a very young age and that has shaped me to be the person that I am today – to be more responsible and pay attention to what happens around me. She is truly a beautiful human being without even trying. Lulu has a BIG heart and loves people…a nurturer.
We sometimes fight because...
Lulu: Of my impatience and my sometimes overbearing nature. I’m the big sister and I always want to protect her and at times tell her what to do. Over time I've had to try and pull back, allow her to be a grown-up - I’m not quite there yet but I’m working on it. My impatience would stem from our different ways of doing things, if we have a disagreement, I want to talk about it or cry about it right there and then. But she doesn't do that – she takes her time with things, and when she’s ready she’ll come to you.
Vuvu: She can be very stubborn and a little rash at times. I am often calm and little laid back even when I am in a very tricky situation and then her protectiveness some out and wants to fight my battles for me. Sometime we argue because pf how different we are. It can get frustrating at times but I wouldn't really say we fight. We always talk and clear out the issue because our mother raised us to understand that we are not the same person and it's important to remain true to who you are instead of trying to be like someone else.
She crosses my mind every time ... plays because...
Lulu:: This is not so much about songs playing on the radio as it’s about music in our family. My sister was in a school choir in primary school, and she had to learn this particular song, and of course we lived in the same house so we all had to learn the song. To this day, we would laugh ourselves silly singing that song! I’m in tears just typing this! Our late cousin Zolile would sing this one hymn whenever he had had too much to drink – Njengebhadi libhadula. To this day, we can never keep straight faces when this song is sung, either in a church or funeral even!
Vuvu: If tomorrow never comes by Joose. One morning I woke up with her staring at me (that was not creepy at all!) and she sang me that song and told me how much she appreciates me…that warned my heart.
Lulu: Buy her a Range Rover – it’s pretty enough and big enough to be a mommy car :-).I would give her a round trip to anywhere in the world so she can go on holiday, she works so hard! I would give her everything she ever wanted so she never has to work! Unless she chose to J
Vuvu: A mansion where she can have a massive walk in closet to fit all her clothes and shoes. A motor bike and we would take a year off and travel the world together.
Vuvu: Feel like an adventure, never a dull moment. I have known her my whole life and she’s still so much fun. I cannot imagine not having her in my life, someone you can swap clothes with, borrow clothes from and stay on the phone with for hours talking about anything and everything. We look out for each other. Whenever we get together we always have fun and laughing at own jokes that probably won’t make sense to other people.
She is really good at...
Lulu: Reading people. She never gets that wrong – ever. That’s why I trust her opinion. She’s a lot more in tune with her spirit than most people, so she’s able to tap into that without even thinking, or realizing that she’s doing it herself. She’s taught me to believe in the God within, that each one of us have a piece of God in us, and if we allow Him – He will guide us, that it’s inherent in our DNA. My sister’s also a really good writer and a great cook.
Vuvu: Cooking, planning, organising, communicating, taking stunning pictures (shed make an excellent professional photographer), she can easily make new friends. She excels in anything she puts her mind to. She is one of the most gifted and creative people that I know.
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| Deep in thought: The rational thinker. |
She is different from me because...
Lulu: She takes her time with things. She’s patient. She thinks everything through, feels everything through. She’s funny – some of the best moments of laughter in my life have been with her. The careers we’ve chosen are also a testament to that, she’s in the finance industry and I am in the Media/Communications industry. She’s rational, and I’m emotional.
Vuvu: Our approach to situations is different, I have a late reaction and she always present and often reacts in the moment. She is a peace maker though; she is always quick to apologise even when she’s not in the wrong and rarely sulks. She is decisive and has a positive outlook in life. Some of the differences we have make us fight at times but those differences are also the reason why we get along so well. I wouldn't want to change her for anything.
Her favourite things are...
Lulu: Being a mom, health & fitness, beautiful clothes and shoes, reading and writing (her sense of style is faaaar better than mine).
Vuvu: Spending time with loves ones, hanging out with friends, going to the movies. She also loves reading (She has a mini library in her home).
 |
| Rightfully out there: Lulu's chosen life path is in tune with the star she is. |
I love her because...
Lulu: She’s my pillar of strength. She’s that best friend every girl needs to have – the one you can phone at midnight when you can’t sleep. I love her because she’s a great listener, she listens with her heart. She’s the funniest person I know. She lives in the lighter side of life. She’s my biggest supporter in everything. She’s also my acting and dialogue coach – every script I have ever worked on my sister would help with learning the lines and directing. When I played Zuki on White Wedding – the younger sister – I completely channeled my sister in that role. She truly inspires me. My sister has a very strong sense of self, and always has, even when she was young. Not only that but she stays true to that without fail. She’s strong, which comes as a surprise to most people because she’s so tiny! I love her because she’s rational, and that’s truly refreshing.
Vuvu: (In no particular order). She is family orientated - my brothers and I are so blessed to have her in our lives.She always tells me the truth.The confidence she has in herself is inspiring. She taught me the importance of saving from a very young age and that has shaped me to be the person that I am today – to be more responsible and pay attention to what happens around me. She is truly a beautiful human being without even trying. Lulu has a BIG heart and loves people…a nurturer.
 |
| Laid back back versus rash: Lulu and Vuyekiswa approach situations differently. |
We sometimes fight because...
Lulu: Of my impatience and my sometimes overbearing nature. I’m the big sister and I always want to protect her and at times tell her what to do. Over time I've had to try and pull back, allow her to be a grown-up - I’m not quite there yet but I’m working on it. My impatience would stem from our different ways of doing things, if we have a disagreement, I want to talk about it or cry about it right there and then. But she doesn't do that – she takes her time with things, and when she’s ready she’ll come to you.
Vuvu: She can be very stubborn and a little rash at times. I am often calm and little laid back even when I am in a very tricky situation and then her protectiveness some out and wants to fight my battles for me. Sometime we argue because pf how different we are. It can get frustrating at times but I wouldn't really say we fight. We always talk and clear out the issue because our mother raised us to understand that we are not the same person and it's important to remain true to who you are instead of trying to be like someone else.
She crosses my mind every time ... plays because...
Lulu:: This is not so much about songs playing on the radio as it’s about music in our family. My sister was in a school choir in primary school, and she had to learn this particular song, and of course we lived in the same house so we all had to learn the song. To this day, we would laugh ourselves silly singing that song! I’m in tears just typing this! Our late cousin Zolile would sing this one hymn whenever he had had too much to drink – Njengebhadi libhadula. To this day, we can never keep straight faces when this song is sung, either in a church or funeral even!
Vuvu: If tomorrow never comes by Joose. One morning I woke up with her staring at me (that was not creepy at all!) and she sang me that song and told me how much she appreciates me…that warned my heart.
 |
| Wild versus tamed: Even their hair tells you about who they are. |
Lulu: Buy her a Range Rover – it’s pretty enough and big enough to be a mommy car :-).I would give her a round trip to anywhere in the world so she can go on holiday, she works so hard! I would give her everything she ever wanted so she never has to work! Unless she chose to J
Vuvu: A mansion where she can have a massive walk in closet to fit all her clothes and shoes. A motor bike and we would take a year off and travel the world together.
 |
| These sisters would give each other the world if they could. |
The Nxozi sisters are the first of three to be highlighted in The Sisterhood Series: celebrating the amazing bond of sisterhood. In the next one, Real Empress, shines the spotlight on princesses in the literal sense of the word. You don't want to miss it. You will relate, especially if you have a sister whom you consistently carry in your heart.
Well done Molatelo! The interview with sister's was just wonderful! Makes me think of my own sister��
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE. So beautiful and touching.
ReplyDeleteI wish for a friendship such as this too.
Stay Blessed GUYS! ALWAYS
Thanks so much Itu. The effects that your words have on me are indescribable...Enkosi nawe Thuli. The Nxozi sisters were a joy to work with.
ReplyDelete