/ 27 July 2013

Twins in synch from grades to graduation

Twins In Synch From Grades To Graduation

Twin sisters Vicky and Suzy Graham consider themselves "pretty ordinary people". Despite the popular stereotypes about twins, these two cannot telepathically read each other's minds. When one feels pain, the other doesn't. You won't find them being interviewed by Discovery Channel any time soon, they say.

But they dress almost exactly the same way, without intending to. They sigh at the same time. And they both received PhDs in politics at the University of Johannesburg — at the same time.

However much they insist that they are, in fact, your regular 32-year old South African citizens, their relationship and achievements are exceptional.

Born in Johannesburg, they attended Mondeor Primary School, where their parents asked for them to be placed in different classes to ensure they developed as individuals, not just as twins. But their intellectual aptitudes turned out to be similar so when it came time to attend Mondeor High School, the girls naturally moved into the same classes. At both schools they had the same friends, played sport for the same team and joined the French club, debating club and environment club together.

In grade seven, the school felt it could not make one twin a deputy head girl and leave out the other, so they were both awarded the honour. Even the teachers played on their twin-ness, incorporating a set of twins to the plot for the school play.

But when boys came on the scene, Vicky laughs, "they never went for both of us as if we were a package or anything. They always chose one of us."

But the boys also often happened to be best friends, Suzy says.

They are sitting opposite each other in the university office they have shared for the past seven years. 

Best friends
"We're best friends. We like to be together," Suzy says.

Vicky is wearing a green polo neck jersey and black coat and Suzy is wearing a purple polo neck jersey and black coat. Their hairbands holding back identical long blonde hair match the jerseys. When they stand up, I can see they are both wearing long skirts and knee-high boots. They insist this was not planned. I believe them. But how did it happen?

They take a breath at the same time and both start to answer. They talk fast, finishing each other's sentences and laughing at each other's quips.

"We share the same clothes because obviously we're the same size and we like the same styles. It's cheaper too," Suzy says.

They like the same movies and music, even the same cars. Vicky bought a Tazz and Suzy bought a Corsa. Except Suzy now drives the Tazz and Vicky drives the Corsa because they "just happen to prefer the other car". 

But growing up, Suzy liked to do crosswords, puzzles and write poems. Vicky liked to paint and bake. Vicky loves chocolate and Suzy can only stomach one piece of a slab. When they were younger, they tell me, Vicky was more outgoing and Suzy was quieter. My first impressions are that that is still the case. They are perfectionists and if they fight, it is just because "I want to check something six times and Suzy wants to check it only three times", Vicky says. 

These are the differences. There were never any problems, they say, from too much sameness.

This isn't the circus
"It was always fun. We used to say to people: 'You don't have to look at us weirdly, we're not circus freaks, there are other twins in the world'," Vicky says.

Vicky started working at Monash University last week as a politics lecturer, but until then they were both lecturers in the politics department at UJ. They both studied journalism, majored in politics and became assistants in the politics department after that. They then became lecturers in different fields within the department, as this was the only way they could continue to work together. Suzy chose international relations and Vicky went into political science. They organised to be in the same office, though, because "we work really well together".

The sisters talk about what used to be a common occurrence with students who could not tell them apart. A student would come into the office with a question. The sisters knew each other's respective subjects so well that they could answer the student's question without even mentioning that the student was talking to the wrong twin.

They live really well together too, by all accounts. They both still live with their parents in Mondeor. It was here that they spent long nights studying towards their PhDs. 

Every night for the past five years they have sat opposite each other at the dining room table piled high with books and papers, reading and writing. They were each other's editors. Earlier this year, they graduated together. 

"We had to get our PhDs together," Suzy says. "We couldn't live with ourselves if one finished before the other."

That's just how it is
It's always been like that. "If I got 89% at school, Vicky would get 90%. That's just how it is."

There is a fondness and sense of knowing in the room. The one twin talks as if she knows she is about to be interrupted by the other. It is not a bad thing. It is a partnership.

They don't like to be apart, it just doesn't fit. So, when Vicky was sent overseas earlier this month for a week-long work trip, it was the longest they had ever been apart in 32 years. They Skyped each other every night.

Deliciously stereotypical in some ways, their life story so far satisfies the person on the street's fascination with twins. 

But the Graham twins are quick to acknowledge the opportunities a bond like this can bring.

"There is a twin effect. We have double the impact on people," Suzy says. "Because we're twins, it opens doors for us. There is a little bit more interest in us because of us being twins. You might go to a conference and someone will say, 'Oh, you're twins, would you look at that', and then you get talking."

They want to work together again one day. "I always imagined seeing 'Professor Graham and Professor Graham on the same door' or 'Graham and Graham' on the same academic paper," Suzy says.

They say they will be happy as long as they can teach and contribute to the world of academics. 

The opportunity for "Graham and Graham" appears to be getting smaller, though. Suzy has had a boyfriend for the past two years.

But even if their names do change one day, nothing can separate these twins. "We will have to live, probably, next door to each other or something," Vicky says. "Our partners would have to be fine with that."

They used to joke that one day they would marry twins. They laugh. 

"But that would be weird," says Vicky. "Then you'd definitely see us on the Discovery channel."


Twin facts

No one knows exactly how many sets of twins there are in the world, but it is estimated there are about 100 million.

The Central African country of Benin has the highest national average of twinning in the world. According to a LiveScience website, the country has 27.9 twins per 1 000 births. This can be compared to other developing countries, which showed an average of 13.6 twins born per 1 000.

Benin's high twinning rate can, the article says, be linked to the country's dominant ethnic group, the Yoruba.

Research on fraternal twinning (nonidentical twins) says the factors leading to this phenomenon include the mother's age, her contraception, whether she smokes or not, the number of pregnancies before the twins' birth, and her height. For more information, go to: http://www.livescience.com/16469-twins-countries-twinning-rates.html