The twins Ivan and Marco - Juliana Sousa

By: Pedro Braña (Former student level C1)

Having a twin is a unique feeling. That is to have someone who not only has been by your side since the pregnancy, but also shares physical and emotional traits with you. But what is it like to be a twin? Ana Gabriela and Ana Alice Pereira (50) share their experiences as two female adults who were born, grew up and matured together, while Ivan and Marco Sousa express what they feel as two male toddlers who are starting their lives alongside their dual.

The talk about the beginning of their lives already demonstrates a difference. Ivan and Marco claim that they knew from the start that they were identical twins, while the ladies say they were not aware of this. But the differences stop there. In addition to sharing the same interests, both pairs have an older brother and a younger one, in the ladies’ case, a sister. “Our relationship with our other brothers is great. Our younger sister is like a daughter to us”, says Ana Alice. The same happens with the boys Ivan and Marco according to them.

The school experience can be different for twins when they are kids. Friends making comments, the relationship with teachers, everything is new when you are very young and inexperienced. However, this seems to have affected the older duo’s childhood more. “They do not care. They comment, but they treat us equally”, says Ivan. On the other hand, Ana Gabriela tells how the school separated her from her sister into different classes. “I cried a lot. They said it was for us to create an individuality, but that didn’t help. They didn’t know what it’s like to be a twin.” Ivan and Marco also don’t study in the same class, but they make up for it by meeting up at break to play together.

This separation was compensated by the two sisters. Besides helping each other with their homework, just like Ivan and Marco, the two studied together in college, took the same civil service examination, work together until today and even got married at the same time. According to Ana Alice, their wedding list was very similar, although they did not talk to each other about it. “We have a special connection. She knows me like nobody else”, says Ana Alice. This feeling is something that Ivan and Marco already experience. “We see each other being together forever,” says Marco.

What most differs the two ladies is their personality, which they claim is very different, but complementary. “I just look at her and I know what she’s thinking. I ask her directly what happened, not if she’s ok, because this I already know”, says Ana Gabriela. Marco says the same about his brother. This seems to be a very outstanding feature of twins, sometimes due to them knowing each other well, sometimes unintentionally.

Although they say they don’t think their relationship would be any different if they weren’t twins, the ladies admit that their bond is not common, and that they are very pleased as twins. “In a perfect world, everyone should have a twin”, says Ana Alice. Ivan and Marco were also lucky, and now they have a whole life ahead of them to share, and using Ana Alice and Ana Gabriela as an example, it seems that destiny directs them to that path.

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