By: Izumi Hasegawa July 14, 2020
When I was introduced to Carmen and Lupita Andrade, I was so impressed. Lately, we have seen so much news about conflict and disagreement that turns to violence. Look at them! Since they were born, Carmen and Lupita have to find agreement and balance in every moment. How many obstacles have they faced and found solutions to? Although their situation sounds very challenging, they are very light-hearted and very much regular American young ladies with a great sense of humor as well as fiercely intelligent. We have so many things to learn from them.
Q: What was the most memorable moment in making this documentary?
Carmen: The last day of filming was the most memorable because we spent about four months working on this project and have grown to like the film crew. It felt sad that we weren’t going to see them anymore.
Lupita: The most memorable time for me was when Carmen and I went bowling with some friends. I really appreciated how our friends took time out of their lives to be with us in the documentary
Q: What was the most challenging thing for making this documentary?
Carmen: It was letting myself open up and be a little more vulnerable. I am usually reserved when it comes to sharing certain aspects of my life that almost no one knew about.
Lupita: I think it was allowing myself to open up to the crew and be able to share our lives
Carmen: Right now we are working on our YouTube channel. The channel is called Carmen and Lupita. To pass the time being quarantined at home, we are gardening different vegetables and herbs.
Lupita: I have been catching up on my favorite television shows, working on our YouTube channel, gardening, and going on drives around our town to pass the time.
Q: What is your dream?
Carmen: My ultimate dream is to become a dairy operation manager. First I want to earn my associates in Vet Tech and specialize in Large Animal Veterinary Technology. Be in charge of a dairy operation. Another part of my dream is to be able to take care of my parents financially so they can finally be able to relax. They have worked so hard for us to have a good life and I want to do the same.
Lupita: I want to obtain my associates in Vet Tech and specialize in large animals. I want a career with dairy cows. My dream is to honestly to be respected as an individual and not be underestimated just because I am a conjoined twin.
Q: For Carmen, what is the thing you admire most about Lupita?
Carmen: Lupita is quiet at times, but if something is not right or unjust, she’s not afraid to speak up about it. She also donates her hair for cancer when she can.
Q: For Lupita, what is the most admire thing about Carmen?
Lupita: I admire how Carmen is protective about the people she cares about. She taught me how to read at the same time she was, She never let anyone bully me, and she’d do anything for anyone if she could.
Q: For Carmen, how do you describe Lupita?
Carmen: She’s not shy, she’s observant. Like I previously mentioned, if something is not right, she is not afraid to speak out against it.
Q: For Lupita, how do you describe Carmen?
Lupita: Carmen’s personality is very strong.
Q: The best and worst thing being conjoined twins for you?
Carmen: The best thing is we’ll always understand what it’s like to be us. The worst thing is the harassment we get from time to time
Lupita: The best thing is we only have to pay one movie ticket, because they charge by seats not by pairs of eyes. The worst thing is situations like when Carmen broke her foot and I was also stuck being incapacitated. I was bored out of my mind
“Conjoined Twins: Inseparable” premieres on Thursday, July 16th, 10 pm on TLC