DUBAI // Kelly Graham is getting a kick out of using her nine A*s and one A to tease her twin sister, Lara. Lara, however, did not do too badly herself, scoring three A*s and seven As. And Lara is adamant that, when the A-levels come around, she will take revenge by beating her sister. "We've always been in competition with each other, trying to be the best and the fastest and the smartest," said Lara. "Mainly because we're twins, I think, we're always using each other to compete."
Their competitive nature seems to have paid off. When once it was a contest as to who could finish meals fastest or be first into their mother's arms after school, today the 16-year-old sisters put their energies into achieving the highest marks. The girls, pupils at the English College in Dubai, moved to the UAE from England nine years ago. Their mother, Jackie, said they had always done well at school, despite having health problems when they were young.
"Like any two sisters, they know how to wind each other up," said Jackie. "But they stick up for each other, and their competitiveness is very healthy." Both sisters want to become physical education teachers. "We want to go to the same university, but we might not," said Lara. "We can't study together because we end up fighting." Still, they are diligent about studying, because, as Kelly put it, "if we work hard now, we'd have an easy life later.
"I hope we'll do as well in our A-levels. I think we will, because we'll be working just as hard." hkhalaf@thenational.ae