It's lunchtime, and seniors Suran and Aran Yoo can be found in Uni High's library. But don't think that means they are of a stereotypical Asian brand; in fact, they are quite the opposite. They are most generously donating their lunchtime and a chance to eat their prized avocado sandwiches to do a Q&A with me. Smart and funny, the Yoos have made their mark at Uni, starring in basketball (Aran) and soccer (Suran) and serving in a variety of leadership positions. They briefly played soccer together this year — the first time they had ever been on the same sports team. In fact, soccer novice Aran led the team in scoring after four games (with three goals) but had to stop playing because of problems with a bunion. Read on to find out more about the Yoo sisters. This is the latest in a series of Q&A’s with senior students before graduation on May 31.

Questions and Answers with Aran and Suran Yoo

Biologically speaking, what type of twins are you guys?

In unison: We are identical mirror twins.

S: I’m also older.

How much older are you?

S: Like three seconds older.

A: But people say I look older.

S: But people say I act older. We did share an amniotic sac, and usually, as Mr. [David] Stone says in his biology class, one twin tends to dominate the other in terms of nutrients, and that just happened to be me.

A: Yepp, OK, so I’ll tell my side of the story. So we were both in the womb, OK, Suran next to me. I was a little smaller than her, and she boss-checked me all the time in the womb. She just pushed me around, she took all the nutrients for herself, and she just flung me around like I was some embryo!

And she just took all the nutrients and I almost died and she still hasn’t reimbursed me for that.

S: What can I say? There was only room for one!

You almost died?

A: Yeah I almost died!

S: She stayed in an incubator for a week. She lived.

A: Obviously I lived.

What was it like playing soccer together this year?

S: It was good. She was the first person that I really clicked with in soccer. I would just pass to her all the time and people would be like, “Why do you always pass to her?” and it was just like natural; it wasn’t like I was doing it on purpose. And yeah, we just really clicked.

Were you jealous that Aran scored more goals than you? [Aran had three goals in four games before she had to stop playing because of a bunion.]

S: Um … [Suran finished the season with five goals and 10 assists.]

A: [Interjects] Honestly though, I think those first goals were just beginner's luck. And I was just really glad to have Suran on that team to kind of show me what to do and tell me what I was doing wrong.

How does the twin thing work? Do you guys finish each other's thoughts and stuff?

A: So basically, are we the same person? Yes! [laughs] But actually I can read her mind!

Really?

A: Yeah.

S: No, we’re not going to do that, Aran. It was just a trick. It’s not reading each other’s minds.

A: It is!

Well can you tell me about how you used to pretend to be able to read each other’s minds?

A: We didn’t pretend. We did.

OK, can you tell me how you did that?

S: OK, well basically we just used to manipulate this trick where we pretended to read each other’s minds, but it was more believable because we’re twins.

A: Yeah, so basically what you do is each finger has a word, so like the thumb is “Ready,” and you hide a finger behind your back and the other person guesses. So if I say “Ready,” Suran knows it’s my thumb.

S: But back to the question. It [finishing each other’s thoughts] happened more subbie year because we were really similar subbie year, but I guess now that we have grown into our own personalities it doesn’t happen that much.

A: Yeah.

S: But it still does happen sometimes [laughs].

Do your names mean anything?

A: Yeah. Mine means big white wave.

S: The meaning behind hers is that the white wave, it doesn’t come a lot so hers means that she’s really creative and unique. And mine means big lake, and it’s like I’m really deep and … what’s that word …

C’mon Aran, help her out!

A: Pensive?

S: Yeah, I guess. It means that I’m really reflective and thoughtful.

What’s been your favorite part about Uni?

S: You go first, Aran.

A: Oh. OK.

You really shouldn’t let her boss-check you like that, Aran.

A: [Laughs] Yeah I know, it’s like what she did in the womb with the nutrients!

S: [Laughs] OK, I'll go. I would say the freedom, just like at lunchtime and in classes, and things like that, your free period, the freedom that you have.

A: I would say that. And also you’re allowed to do a lot of stuff. Like I was able to do sports, being in clubs, and also do music, and I don’t think you could do that at other schools. Plus I also really like the environment at Uni where everybody cares about their education but at the same time they will socialize.

What was your favorite class at Uni?

A: Philosophy, that was the best class ever!

S: Probably Social Advocacy and just learning about all these different issues.

If you could go back and do Uni again, what would you do differently?

S: I think that I could have done better at Uni, but if I had to do it all over again I probably would have done it the same. Just because there was so much that I learned from my mistakes and it’s developed me into the person I am today.

I guess I would have had better study skills, but I guess that’s the same with everyone, like everyone thinks they could have tried harder when they look back.

A: I’d say the same thing.

Would you rather hang out at the beach or go camping?

A: Camping.

What would you do when you went camping?

A: I would make s’mores, and I would roast ants …

Tell me about roasting ants.

S: It’s so brutal.

A: Well, I don’t really do this anymore; I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’ve become a better person.

But, you get a nice fire going, and then you get a nice thin stick that isn’t too long because then it will mess up the whole process. It’ll just make the whole process slower.

And so you get that long thing, or short — I mean medium-height stick — and you get it into the fire so that the tip is kind of hot, but you don’t want it to be completely red because then it will fall off while you’re in the process of doing this act.

And then after you get that all hot, you find the biggest ant you can find, hunt it down, and then you just try to roast it with the stick. And this is actually a really hard game because the ants run really fast once you poke them a little bit.

And the funny thing is that they kind of pop, especially when you get a really big ant …

S: [Interjects] Oh my gosh [rolling her eyes a bit].

A: But then again I stopped doing this because I learned that it is very bad and cruel.

Suran, would you rather go to the beach or go camping?

S: Well, I would rather go camping on the beach.

Who’s funnier, you or Aran?

A: Pssshhhh I think that you may have taken the nutrients but I took the humor food.

S: [Sighs] Uh huh, OK, I think that we have different kinds of humor. Aran’s humor is in roasting ants …

A: [Interjects] I think I laugh at my own jokes more than other people laugh at me so …

S: What does that say about your humor, Aran!? [laughs]

A: Yeah, OK anyway …

OK, pick four words to describe the other person.

S: Umm … independent, um …

A: Don’t hold back, Suran, just say it.

S: I’m very thoughtful, Aran; I want to find the right words to say!

A: Oh right, OK.

S: Thoughtful … um … sensitive — both good and bad …

A: OK, you can hold back a little bit.

S: No, it can be a good thing.

A: Yeah.

S: And um … hardworking.

A: OK, I’d say competitive, intelligent, dedicated, and let’s see … athletic

Are you guys BFFs?

S: Of course. Duhh.

A: Gosh.

Do you get in fights?

A: Well yeah we get in fights. Well actually no. OK, hold on. Let me pause and rearrange my thoughts. OK, so I wouldn’t say that we fight as much as most siblings, and I say when we do fight it’s over less petty issues and more over sensitive topics that we both have been thinking about and need to discuss.

And so it works out really easily because …

S: [Interjects] We’re really open with each other.

A: Right, we’re able to …

S: [Interjects] We’re really direct with each other.

A: Yeah we’re able to talk to each other and just figure things out, and I think it just builds a stronger friendship as time goes on.

S: Yeah, I mean, because not only are we best friends when we talk to each other about everything, but we’re sisters too, so it’s not like you can just walk away from the relationship and say, “I’m not friends with you, I’m never going to see you again.”

You have to go through it; you have to take time to discuss it with each other.

What do you guys fight about?

S: Clothes [laughs].

A: I don’t know; maybe like … hmm … what do we fight about, Suran?

S: I don’t know. I would say just little things, like when we’re not having the best day, just stuff like, “Why did you wear my shirt today …?”

A: [Interjects] Wait, I said not petty issues. Those are petty issues.

S: Oh OK, so deeper issues … hmm.

A: Yeah OK, so we like to argue a little bit over petty issues like those, but when we actually get in fights those are never about that.

Do you ever wear each other’s clothes?

Together: Yeah.

A: So we’re supposed to ask each other before we do. But since we have different styles it doesn’t really happen that often. But maybe Suran will just steal a polo of mine, which is a pretty general thing.

What are your styles?

A: Suran likes clothes that … I would not wear [laughs].

S: Aran’s style consists of a T-shirt and jeans, maybe a polo once in a while … hoodies, button-up shirts …

A: I like these zip-up things, these hoodies; these are pretty easy to put on …

S: Um … tennis shoes … bunion shoes …

A: Once in a while when we get tired of our clothes we have this maybe annual like …

S: [Interjects] Trade-off.

A: Yeah, trading of our clothes, and it’s weird. Well, we don’t think it's weird, but other people do. So when I come to school in Suran’s shirt, people will say, “Hey! aren’t you wearing Suran’s shirt?” and they’re so like accusatory … is that a word …?

Yeah, it is.

A: Yeah, so they like accuse me, and it’s like they’re really offended that I would wear Suran’s shirt. But they usually get over it and get used to it.

Anything else?

A: I wear more than T-shirts.

S: A sweatshirt. OK, maybe a polo.

Where are you going to college?

S: Um … I’m not really sure yet. I’m deciding between the U of I and the UIC; I accepted to both. [Note: This interview was done on Tuesday, May 13; we will update the article with Suran's final decision.]

You can do that?

S: Yeah, I talked to them.

A: And I’m going to the UIC.

What major are you looking at?

S: For the UIC I’m in biological studies or sciences, and for the U of I I’m in general studies — I don’t know yet.

A: I’m in the guaranteed medical program, so I am committed to being a doctor. They are guaranteeing me a spot in their medical school, so I will be staying there for eight years.

If you guys go to different schools would that be weird?

A: Yeah, I was looking at the housing for the UIC and that’s when it hit me that I’m going to sleep in a room without Suran. And I just recently got off my night light …

S: [Laughs] What are you talking about? You still use it sometimes. Wait, you still have it hanging in your room; I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Do you share a room?

S: We used to for a really long time, but then a couple years ago we stopped sharing a room.

A: [Echoes] We stopped sharing a room, yeah. But I only use a night light because sometimes I try and read at night.

S: Right, sure.

A: But before we moved I got off it. I can sleep without it if I don’t want to! I mean if I want to!

S: It’s OK. It’s OK, Aran.

Are you No. 1 on each other’s speed dials?

A: She’s No. 3. No. 1 is my voicemail [laughs]. No. 2 is my mom, and No. 3 is Suran.

S: No. 2 is Aran, No. 3 is my mom. No. 7 is [senior] Austin [Rundus] for some reason. I think he put it on there [laughs].

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

A: I would not have bunions.

OK, let’s talk about your bunions, Aran. What is a bunion?

A: A bunion is a — I think it’s a bone deformity, and it’s basically where a bone in your foot kind of juts out. Your [big] toe kind of goes in towards your other toes and it looks like there’s this huge thing sticking out of your foot.

S: But it’s ultimately about support, because you had to find some other way to support your weight because you have weak ankles. That’s what I thought it came down to.

A: Well, no. But actually it’s probably a combination of weak ankles and flat feet.

Why don’t you have bunions, Suran?

S: Um … because I have thicker ankles [laughs].

A: She stole the nutrients. She stole my bunion strength away from me!

Why do people make fun of you so much for your bunion, Aran?

A: Um, probably because I’m wearing these ridiculous shoes.

What shoes are these?

A: These are my bunion slippers. [See photo at right.]

Why do you have to wear them?

A: My mom got them for me.

S: She got an extra pair for college too.

A: [Echoes] Yeah, I got an extra pair for college.

What do they do?

A: They’re basically just extra cushioning and extra space.

What would you change about yourself, Suran?

S: I would probably be 7-foot-4 [laughs].

Are you guys the same height?

A: I’m taller.

S: I used to be 2 inches taller.

A: [Into the recorder] Aran is taller!

Is one of you the parental favorite?

S: It’s pretty much even. It’s just that I guess I’m more like my dad and Aran is more like mom, just in personality.

But apparently when my mom was a teenager she looked exactly like me.

A: Yeah, she looked exactly like you.

S: Except I am prettier.

A: Uh no. She looked exactly the same [as you]; there’s no room for comparison.

What color is your aura?

A: Well, I’m wearing all green, so that might affect things.

S: What?

A: I’m wearing all green … [points to her sweatshirt] green … [points to her earrings] green. Well, only two green but … wait, what is an aura?

It’s basically the color that describes you best.

A: Oh, blue

OK, what about you Suran?

S: Um … brick red. But not like maroon and not like red.

A: But brick red? [laughs]

S: Yeah, because it’s in between [laughs]. I used to when I was little have this box of 1,000 crayons and I was obsessed with colors.

A: I remember her favorite color a long time ago was swamp green, and she insisted that it was swamp green [both laughing]. Not green, not light green, not dark green but swamp poopy green!

What’s your favorite food?

A: Avocado [laughs]. I have an excellent avocado sandwich today.

S: I do too!

A: You do?

S: Yeah, I woke up this morning and saw the other half that you had …

A: [Interjects] I was saving that half …

S: Oh … you had it nicely wrapped and everything too.

A: Yeah … I know. That’s OK; there’s another one.

S: I was going to eat that one for breakfast, but then I didn’t.

A: Oh good.

S: Um, I don’t know — everything I think.

A: I think that in college all I’m going to eat is avocado, olives, bread, and potato soup.

S: Yeah, good luck with that.

A: And salad.

S: She keeps saying that, but I don’t think it will actually happen [laughs].

A: Why not?

S: Because you need more variety.

OK, my last question is about sports. You guys have both been really active in Uni sports. What’s that been like?

Both together: It’s been good.

S: Well Aran’s definitely more athletic, I’ll admit. But I’m stronger.

Do you guys arm wrestle?

S: Dude, I wrestle her, not arm wrestle — wrestle. We used to wrestle all the time; I would take her down.

A: I’ll admit that I … I … I get whooped when wrestling, but um … these ankles become useful when we race, and I always beat her when we race. But she’ll beat me up when I win.

S: [Laughs] Yeah, I’ll beat her up when she wins.

That’s all the questions I have; anything else you guys want to say?

S: I guess the one thing that I have to say in this interview is that even though we are twins and we do think a lot alike and we have a lot of similar characteristics, at the same time we are very different people too. I guess you can see that a lot with, I mean, throughout the five years and how much we’ve changed and I mean even with the people that we hang out with, like you can just tell.

And in the end I guess I just really appreciate having Aran there with me …

A: [Interjects] You guess??

S: [Laughs] Well, I mean, when you think about it you’re like, “Wait, I don’t want a person exactly like me!” People compare you all the time, people are like, “Oh my gosh! If Aran does that will you do that?” or like, “Aran did this, why can’t you do this?” Things like that.

Do your parents do that?

S: Well yeah. Sometimes our parents get us mixed. She’ll say, “Aran do this!” and I’ll be like, “Wait, I’m not Aran.”

And like teachers, they’ll be like, “Oh yeah, we can tell you apart because of your hair.” And I’ll be like, “OK, because my hair is a really important part of me, I can tell too, you know, from our hair.” It’s just little things like that.

But at the same time it’s been really nice to just have someone there who can understand me. And at the same time the reason we have our arguments is because we are different people.

Thanks, Suran, that was really mature. Aran, do you have anything you’d like to say?

S: That was from the heart, Aran, from the heart.

A: Um … no …

S: [Laughs] I’m the mature one!

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