TrulyGrace

"Hi Dr. Alba..."

We were fortunate enough to have Uncle Aling (Dad's kambal / kaluha/twin) come to visit us this summer. Mom and Dad and I took a trip in 2002 with Uncle Aling and his wife, Auntie Elsie, to the Southwest, Midwest, and Western states. We visited a lot of National Parks and generally enjoyed ourselves. Their son, Michael, and I went to college at the same time in the Boston area, and got to be cousin-friends then.
Growing up as the child of an identical twin was not easy when our families used to visit each other. Not only did my dad and Uncle Aling look a LOT alike, but they have the same mannerisms and speech patterns. Sometimes when one of them calls me on the phone, I have to think a moment or use contextual clues to see who it might be! When we were children, my dad and Uncle Aling used to trade clothes, and we children would be confused. My brother--- being the observant scientist, even at a young age---noticed which of the two was wearing "Daddy's watch." Dad and Uncle Aling then traded watches, confusing all of us children. "Daddy!" a child would exclaim.
"No, him," from that parent.
So the child would go to the other twin.."Daddy!!"
"No, him," from THAT twin parent.
At which point the teased child would say, "Daddy, Daddy, which one is my daddy?!!"

We weren't the only ones to be confused. When Uncle Aling visited Michael in Boston, I met up with them and we took the T Red line across the Charles River from Cambridge to Boston. One of my classmates from high school, who also went to school in the Boston Area, Ed Whang, saw me on the train with Uncle Aling. "Hi Doctor Alba," he said, greeting Uncle Aling as if he were my dad. When the explanations were through, I think Ed was less confused than we were as children.

The photo on this post is that of the twins playing chess, one of my dad's favorite leisure activities now that he has retired. Now that both my dad and uncle are older, I can tell the difference between the two, as my uncle is about 15 pounds heavier than my dad. If the weight differential between them lessens, there may be some problems again....

posted by Grace @ 9/28/2005 04:52:00 PM