Frat-ernal twins

This blog was written by one of my good friends Porter Sproul about his experience of being a twin in a fraternity. Porter is the President of Sigma Chi, Kappa Iota Chapter at Southern Utah University. 

When I started out in my fraternity, the part I was most excited for was receiving a big brother. A big brother is someone who is a constant support for their little brothers, and the relationship I developed with mine was one of best ones I've made since coming to college. At the time we went through the big and little ceremony I found out that I was going to be sharing my big brother with one of my pledge brothers- I was about to have my very own fraternal twin. I wasn't sure how to feel until I found out it was Jeong Su Park- then I was ecstatic!

When Stuart was revealed to us as our big brother, we were so excited and hit it off immediately. We started having grill outs at the fraternity house and early mornings sometimes consisted of coffee outings. The relationship we had was strong and even though Park transferred and Stuart graduated we are still close.

I'm so grateful to have the relationship with my twin that I have. Park is one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and I know he's always there for me if I need him to be- even from across the country. Twins for life, brothers forever!

Twin Brothers Poem

I recently was shown this poem by Michelle Salazar by a good friend. It perfectly describes how I feel about being a fraternal twin. 

Twin Brothers

I want to be noticed
For the person that's me.
My brother is special too,
Why can't we both be?

We don't like the same things
We don't always agree
We are two individuals
Brother and Me.

We don't mean to be rivals
Just friends and brothers
Unique and separate spirits
Defending each other.

We share much in common
It's easy to see-
I am not my brother
And he is not me.

Being a twin is not always easy
Why is everyone so blind?
I may look like my brother,
But I am one of a kind.

Conjoined Twins

I've always realized how lucky I am to be alive. I'm also so lucky because I was not born conjoined like hundreds of other twins are.

Conjoined twins are born 1 in every 200,00 births and have between a 5 and 25% chance of survival. They are also always the same gender and are identical.

There was a story from CNN yesterday about a set of twins who were conjoined and died due to the complications and can be found here.

As a twin I'm so lucky I am healthy and alive unlike other twins who have complications at birth. My parents also remind of us of our luck and we shouldn't take it for granted.

Laughing Twin Babies

So whenever Anthony and I start to laugh in unison people think it's the funniest thing, which I have no idea why its so funny. In honor of Finals Week here is a little pick me up video that will hopefully make you laugh and relieve some of that built up stress. Happy studying everyone!

Twins in the Classroom

So in the first grade, my twin brother and I were in the same class. Needless to say that was the only class we were in together until our freshman year of high school. It was nice to have my own space to learn and become my own person, but it was nice to have classes with him especially on days I was too sick to go to school.
Below is an infographic from http://visual.ly/twins-classroom about twins in classrooms and if they do better together or separately. What do you think? Should twins stay together in the classroom or be separated?

#WCW Twins Edition

Growing up I used to love watching Sister, Sister and seeing Tia and Tamera Mowry go through various life situations and the real life problems and joys of growing up with a twin sibling. They are probably my favorite set of real life twins and are a great inspiration of the relationship I hope to have with my brother when we get older. 

Who are your favorite set of celebrity twins? 

#twins #WCW

Are Twins Hurting the Economy?

Every once in a while I listen to NPR (National Public Radio) to stay updated with current world events while I clean my room. One story that appeared on NPR on November 30 peaked my interest immediately while I was listening.

Economist Mark Rosenzweig said twins are hurting the economy. He stated facts about how twins who weigh less when they are born are more likely to be less educated and make less money than non-twins. He also states twin cause more stress on families and are more expensive, especially with healthcare.

Although the part about the money and the stress is true, I don't necessarily believe that because I weighed less when I was born (4 lbs 10 oz) I will be less educated and make less money in my life. I think people make their own fate in this world. I also don't believe twins are bad for the economy and I don't think he has strong enough backing for his argument.

To read more about this click the link here. What do you think? Are twins hurting the economy?