Jill Nicholson May 19 Compare/Contrast Essay
	My Sister and I
	Most siblings are very similar, but my sister and I are very different. Whenever someone meets us both, they are shocked to learn that we are sisters. Sometimes they don’t believe it and think we are joking! This is because we don’t look alike, we have completely different personalities, and our lifestyles are totally different.
	Do you resemble your brother or sister? If you weren’t adopted, you have the same parents; therefore, you have the same genes. Thus, it is very reasonable to expect you to look like your brother or sister. My sister and I, however, don’t resemble each other at all. I am tall, but she is very short. I have short dark brown hair and green eyes. She has long blond hair and blue eyes. I have always been strong, but she is not. I have big hands and feet; her feet, and especially her hands, are very small. When we were kids, she was always skinny, whereas I was fat. Now we’re both fat! That’s probably the only physical characteristic we share now.
	In addition to our physical differences, we also have nearly opposite personalities. She is very nervous and stressed out. I am calmer and more easygoing. She is very worried about what other people think and say about her, but I really don’t care. I think when she has a problem, she just worries about it, but when I have a problem, I try to fix it. She also really regrets mistakes she made in the past, and still feels guilty about them. In contrast, I try to learn from my mistakes, but leave the past in the past so I can focus on the present and the future. She can get very angry very fast, especially with our mother. On the other hand, I am more patient, and things don’t really bother me. She is also very religious, but I am not.
	Finally, our lifestyles are very different. She is married and lives in a condo in the Pearl District. I am single and live in a duplex in Northeast Portland. I love old things. She loves to buy new clothes and shoes and hates old things. I rarely buy anything new, especially clothes and shoes. The shoes I am wearing now cost $1.00 at a thrift store. She probably spends $100.00 or more for one pair of shoes. She likes to cook fancy food and go to a lot of expensive restaurants. I cook with a microwave, and rarely spend more than $8.00 on dinner at a restaurant. I have cats. She has a dog. I read. She watches TV. I work in a school. She works at a bank. She wants children. I don’t.
	In conclusion, I can’t really imagine having a sister who is less like me than she is. We have almost nothing in common, and only see each other on birthdays and holidays. We have the same mother and father, grew up in the same places and went to the same schools. So why are we so different?
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