Being a twin is great. Ever since I was born, (literally), I have always had a best friend. No matter what I did, I always had a partner in crime right by my side. It is always entertaining to see people’s reactions when they realize that we are twins, and not a day goes by when we go out together and people ask us if we are twins. Growing up, I never really worried about not having someone to sit next to at lunch, or be partners with in class. My sister was always just there, and I never even had to think twice about it. I was extremely lucky to always have someone to hang out with me and keep me company, and never really had to worry a whole lot about being by myself; she really is my built-in best friend. Going to separate colleges was hard, but allowed us to grow into the people we are today.

When we finally decided to be in separate classes in fourth grade, I realized that I wouldn’t have my sister by my side at all hours of the day. I became more independent, and we slowly started becoming different from each other. Instead of wearing the same outfits in different colors that our mom chose for us, we started developing our own sense of style and likes. This time period was beneficial for us to become our own people. Being a twin, I think one of the most important things is to try to be independent early into growing up. If my sister and I were in the same class for longer than we had been, it may have been harder to separate from each other after being in the same class for so long.

Despite how great it is being a twin, it comes with its downfalls. Sometimes it can be tough for people to distinguish us from each other. I personally admit that I even have a hard time telling most twins apart, and it makes me realize how hard it must be for most people to tell my sister and I apart. Being a twin comes with a struggle to be your own person, and having people who can't distinguish who you are apart from your twin. This is why it is so important for twins to make sure that they are independent. As I went into high school and eventually college, where we chose to go to separate schools, I made an effort to be friends with different people from my sister and do different things. While we had the same friends for the most part, I was closer with some people more than she was, and vice versa. This was not because we wanted to be different people, but we were different people. I think it is easy to have a misconception that twins are the same person. What matters the most is to make sure that you are independent from each other, and people will begin to notice what really does make you different from each other. In the end, I am truly blessed to have a best friend for the rest of my life, and I could never imagine not having my twin sister by my side.