Meet TWSC Contributor Sibongile Mlotshwa Lugube!

Photo provided by Sibongile Mlotshwa Lugube

This woman here will have you in stitches. So if your bladder is nearing its capacity, you may want to empty it before proceeding…

Sibongile Mlotshwa Lugube and I go way back. We went to the same high school in Zimbabwe – Anderson High School – and our families lived close to each other for many years. I reached out to Bongi about a year after launching TWSC. I knew she was a writer and I’d read some of her articles and loved her writing style. Not only is Bongi an exceptional writer, she is incredibly funny and refreshingly candid. I’m so glad she said agreed to share her gift with us. You can read all her articles here.

So when I sent her the questions for this feature, I knew her responses would be EVERYTHING. And they are! Check them below:

1. What did you dream of becoming as a kid?

A teacher. A singer. A chef. A receptionist. A detective (thanks Enid Blyton) Now I’m a stay at home mom so I guess my dream(s) came true and then some!

2. What kind of trouble did you get into as a kid?

If my little sister was to be believed, my very existence caused her physical harm almost daily. Other than that, I pretty much stayed out of trouble. Typical middle kid behaviour, blending into the walls.

3. If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would you choose and why?

My husband. I’d like to be married to me for a day and just see if there’s any merit to some of his complaints or if he’s just full of it, and I am, as I suspect, ah-mazing!

4. If you could be mentored by anyone, past or present, who would you choose and why?

Not to go all “church” on you, but I’m going to have to go with Jesus. Something about living with intentionality. Super focused on His goal from childhood (I can’t remember my goals from this morning). Super intense. Everything He did was directed toward His purpose. I want to try that sometime.

5. What are you most proud of?

I mean, have you met my kids? Don’t ask me how, but I’m killing this mom-ing thing!!!

6. What is your typical day like?

A lot of “Moooooom!!!”; a lot of chaos; a lot of empty promises to self that tomorrow I will do better, plan better; a lot of lists and screenshots and reminders; a lot of silent prayers; a lot of gratitude.

7. What 3 words describe you the best?

Calm. Introspective. Peaceful. (I just fell asleep reading that too)

8. Flats or heels?

Omg flats please.

9. What is your favourite meal?

I’m pretty easy…if I had to pick one thing, I’d give a broad answer like potatoes 😂 . I never met a potato I didn’t like. Fries, mashed, potato salad…I’ll take it!!

10. What’s your least favourite house chore?

Ironing is a special kind of torture.

11. What is your biggest pet peeve.

Happy women running, jumping and laughing in tampon commercials. If y’all don’t go somewhere with all that positivity…🙄
Also, people who eat standing. 

12. If you had to go into isolation for 30 days and electronics were not allowed, what would your 3 must haves be?

(I started to type “A skipping rope”, then I laughed out loud and hit delete!) A good book. A journal. Chocolate. 

13. Any hidden talents? Tell us something about you that people would be surprised to know?

I’m a big DIYer. I don’t particularly enjoy it, but I do find myself doing it a lot. Oh this isn’t a talent, but people are always shocked when they discover that I’m a huge Game of Thrones geek!! Including the people who told me after I ignored it the first 4 seasons, “Just give it a shot!! You will be a huge Game of Thrones geek!!”

14. Tell us about an embarrassing moment as a teenager.

I was at a friend’s house waiting for her to get ready so we could go out. Her parents were very much into sex education, and growing up in a super conservative society, they were certainly more open about sex and sexuality than anybody else’s parents I knew. Anyway, there I was, waiting patiently for my friend in the hallway. Being a bookworm, I started casually browsing through the books on the shelf. I randomly picked one and opened it, and saw a diagram of a couple engaged in a sexual act that my curious teenage mind had never imagined possible. I turned the book upside down for a closer inspection (for educational purposes), and her parents walked up behind and past me and her mom said with a chuckle, “Hmm, I see you’re enjoying some literature!” I shut that book so quick and many words fell out of my mouth that were not related to each other 😩. I felt like they had caught me doing the thing the couple in the book was doing.

15. What do you like most and least about adulting?

What I like: Going to sleep as late as I want to…coz I’m grown 😌
What I hate: Waking up early, even when I don’t want to (and I literally never want to)…coz I’m grown 😩

16. What do you love most about being a woman?

Carrying human life inside of me was pretty awesome (aside from the nausea, fatigue, rollercoaster emotions, weight gain, swollen feet, sleepless nights, excessive peeing and tender breasts). I love being a nurturer and a soft place for my people to land on. Also, I don’t have to watch ratchet reality shows in secret and pretend not to enjoy them.

17. What are you most grateful for in this season of your life?

I can’t not make this corny. In 2021 I’m grateful for life itself. I’m grateful for my husband and children and our extended family and friends. I’m grateful for the “little things” which are turning out to be really, really huge.

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