The Amazing Race > The Racers
TAR 21: Natalie and Nadiya Anderson "Twin Sisters"
ZouLy:
an article plus interview from fellow sri lankan... :js:
An Amazing Race – Amazing Experience!
Posted on December 10, 2012 by itb2p
The Amazing Race is one of the most popular reality television shows in the United States. And this year, the Race is special to us in Sri Lanka as two Sri Lankan ladies are currently participating in the race. With their sense of enthusiasm, competitive spirit and fun loving nature they have certainly brought some colour in to the Race.
Q) Your full names :
Our full names are Nadiya Anderson, and Natalie Anderson
Q) Please fill us in on your Sri Lankan roots
We were born in Queens New York, however, our parents brought us back to Sri Lanka when we were three years old. We lived in Dehiwala, then moved back to the United States when we were 14 for high school.
Even though we were born in the US and have spent the last 15 years here, we have, and will always consider ourselves Sri Lankan! We are extremely proud to be Sri Lankan women!
Q) Do tell us about your family
Our parents, Bernadine and Anton Anderson, are the most important people in our lives! They are the reason we are as outgoing, confident and strong as we are. They have always encouraged us to stand up for what we believed in and be true to ourselves, even if it meant not meeting others expectations of what we should be.
My sister and I always did things our own way, and our parents have been our biggest supporters.
Our Dad, Anton, is Managing Director and Partner of Scanwell Logistics Sri Lanka. He is also the reason we have always been athletes. He grew up an athlete and was a definite influence in our lives. He has been our number one supporter! He was very proud of us when we represented the CR&FC on the Women’s Rugby team one summer. It was also a proud moment for us to be able to play with local Sri Lankan female athletes and be apart of the history of the club.
Our Mom, Bernadine is also an inspiration to us. She is the owner/principal of La Petite Fleur Montessori House of Children and also founded a non-profit programme, Bridge2Peace in response to the devastating Tsunami in 2004. My mother has been a great role model, she taught us how to be strong, powerful women.
Our parents are both invested in the cause of creating opportunities and a better life for the unprivileged children of Sri Lanka. Together they have changed the lives of so many, and we couldn’t be more proud of them both!
Q) Where did you school in Sri Lanka and in the US
In Sri Lanka we attended Asian International School. We made an easy adjustment to school in the US, where we attended a public high school in West Hartford, Connecticut called William Hall High. We then attended Fordham University in New York and graduated in 2008 from the school of business.
Q) What are you qualified in
We both did our Undergrad in Business Management, with a concentration in International Business and Marketing.
Natalie: I am currently pursuing my Masters in Physical Therapy at Hunter College in New York.
Q) What are you interested in doing in terms of work etc and why
Natalie: I would like to finish school and work closely in the area of sports rehab with a professional sports team. This has been a dream of mine since a rugby injury while playing for my university team, where I tore my ACL and MCL and underwent surgery and rehab.
Nadiya: I have worked in the non-profit sector in New York City for three years. I am currently working with my mother and Bridge2Peace. I want to continue to bring awareness to Bridge2Peace and our country.
Q) So what made you guys enter The Amazing Race
Our friends and family have always told us that we would be perfect for The Amazing Race. We always thought it would be a good idea, but never applied. Then, a friend of ours submitted a video of us to The Amazing Race, and from there, The Amazing Race wanted us to be apart of the show.
Because we are twins and very close, we knew it would be perfect for us. The fact that we are athletic, strong, well travelled, and do well in intense situations together made us perfect candidates!
Q) What has it been like so far in the race?
So far The Amazing Race has been a truly amazing experience. Getting to travel while completing extreme challenges and fun obstacles was a dream come true for us. We love being physical, challenging ourselves and seeing how far our bodies and minds can be pushed.
The race was exhausting, but at the same time one of the most exhilarating things we have ever done. We also got to meet new people and create friendships that will last us a life time.
The process of watching ourselves on national television and being recognised in both Sri Lanka and the US is surreal but at the same time pretty cool. Amazing Race is the number one watched reality show in the US, and close to 11 million people watch it each week.
People who recognise us ask us about Sri Lanka and about our parents, they want to know more than what the camera shows. We don’t think we will ever get used to people coming up to us and asking for pictures and autographs.
Q) What do you think your chances are at winning the race?
We went into The Amazing Race feeling confident about our chances of wining! Part of it is our personality, and part of it is our experiences!
There were several reasons why we felt like we would have a good chance at winning:
1) We grew up in Sri Lanka
2) We were in the best shape of our lives
3) We are strongest when we work together
4) We do very well under pressure
5) We can have a good time no matter what we are doing!
Q) What has been the best part of the race so far?
The best part of the Race so far has been experiencing The Amazing Race together and being able to represent Sri Lanka! As the first Sri Lankans to ever be on The Amazing Race we are very proud to let people know who we are and where we come from!
Also making our parents proud of how strong we are as a team – It’s a reflection of how they raised us. They have always encouraged us to be ourselves, be it at school, at work, our personal lives, or on national television, with 11 million people watching!
Q) In terms of fitness has it been rigorous and do you guys think you are handling it well
We think we are handling ourselves amazing in terms of fitness, being one of only two female/female teams, we knew that upper body strength would be something we needed to work on.
We have always been athletes, we swim, play rugby, basketball, track and field and have always stayed active but for the race we knew we needed to focus on strength, so we took up CrossFit (heavy lifting and strength training) and worked out five days a week for three months prior to filming/competing on The Race.
When we left to The Race we where the strongest, and fastest we had ever been in our lives! During filming everybody was surprised at our endurance and athletic ability, not only because we were female but also because people are not used to seeing girls from Asia/India/SriLanka being so strong/athletic.
It was a great feeling to crush people’s stereotypes of what a Sri Lankan girl ‘should’ be like, and dominate the physical challenges!
Q) Anything else you’d like to add on the race and anything else in general?
We are proud to be representing Sri Lanka while running the race. We are known as the Sri Lankan/American twins and people don’t understand why despite being born in New York City, and spending most of our lives in America, we still are so closely attached to our Sri Lankan culture and heritage.
We try and explain that Sri Lanka has been THE most shaping factor in our lives. It is apart of who we are and what we are, and no matter where we live or what we end up doing in the future, being Sri Lankan will always be apart of our identity, is at the very core of our identity and will continue to shape our lives.
From all the places we have lived, Sri Lanka will always be home.
Also we just want to say thank you to all the people watching from Sri Lanka! Thanks for the support and thanks for cheering us on!
By Natasha Fernandopulle
http://www.bridge2peace.org/an-amazing-race-amazing-experience/
couchracer:
I found the twinnies loud and overbearing, but likeable and not mean. They were fun to watch, especially the reactions of ones around them. I loved the way they almost always made things fun and laughed.
Kamineko:
--- Quote from: Coolio! on December 11, 2012, 04:25:49 PM ---
--- Quote from: BuuYaa on December 11, 2012, 11:55:05 AM ---
--- Quote from: Joab on December 11, 2012, 11:07:07 AM ---I think I might have to mute the video every time I watch each episode. :cmaslol
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Joab on December 10, 2012, 11:24:51 PM ---I think we might see them in the next Allstars, but it will be another torturous run of TAR where we have to endure their shoutings and rude vibes.
--- End quote ---
It's amazing how you just HATE Natalie&Nadiya :cmaslol
Sure it's okay for you to bitch about'em
Posters here are hating for no logical reason I love it <3
I am out of this thread !!![/b][/color]
--- End quote ---
There's no reason for you to attack people for no logical reason. Last time I checked, people can have opinions. That's what a forum is for.
--- End quote ---
Umm... There are no team without haters... All teams have their fans and haters, and it's up to us to become which. Why are you seems really angry about that? Like Coolio! said, all of us can have our own opinions about every teams. :cmas5 :res:
RaceUntilWeDie:
I read somewhere that the Twins actually did complete the mushroom Roadblock far ahead of the Beekman's but were forced by production to go back because they apparently did something wrong? It also looks to be why the Twins looked pretty unhappy arriving at the mat. Thoughts?
I am looking for an official source..
Jobby:
--- Quote from: BuuYaa on December 11, 2012, 11:55:05 AM ---
--- Quote from: Joab on December 11, 2012, 11:07:07 AM ---I think I might have to mute the video every time I watch each episode. :cmaslol
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Joab on December 10, 2012, 11:24:51 PM ---I think we might see them in the next Allstars, but it will be another torturous run of TAR where we have to endure their shoutings and rude vibes.
--- End quote ---
It's amazing how you just HATE Natalie&Nadiya :cmaslol
Sure it's okay for you to bitch about'em
Posters here are hating for no logical reason I love it <3
I am out of this thread !!![/size]
--- End quote ---
:wtf: :cmaslol
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version