Dear host family, Thank you very much for being willing to participate in the exchange program and accepting me to live with your family. I’m a German boy and my name is Fridjof (say: “Freedyof“). It might be a bit hard to pronounce it – it is for most people in Germany, too. I’m a very active und fun loving person, so, if you do any activities, I will always join you, participate in your activities and at least try it out. I do a lot of sports at school and in my free time. I have 5 P.E. lessons each week in school because I chose “P.E. and health“as a new main subject last year. I also play football (soccer) and that’s one of the main topics in my life because I’m a huge football/soccer fan. I also support a club here in Germany, its name is Borussia Mönchengladbach. I really like music as well. My whole family is very musical, my parents have both studied music and musicology and I have played the drums for over 4 years now. I visit a gymnasium (kind of high school) and I’m in the 10th grade. When I’m 18, I’m going to pass the „Abitur“ which is the highest school grade in Germany and will allow me to go to the university. My dream is to get a job which has something to do with sports; I will do sports my entire life anyway, so it would be perfect to do it in my professional life, too. I have two younger siblings: a 9-year-old brother and a 13-year-old sister. My dad is a headmaster of a primary school, and he loves soccer, too. My siblings and I go to the stadium with my father sometimes which is always a very cool experience. My mom has a PhD in Educational sciences and works as a lecturer in drama and education. My parents love traveling. They take me and my siblings to different places and European countries on almost every holiday; I really appreciate that. For example, I’ve been to Greece, Italy, Finland, France, and Sweden. I love to see new places and countries and now I want to see America! I’m also very good with kids. Not only because of my younger siblings. I also work as an employee in a youth house and at church. We are a very good team of employees in the youth house and at church and I really like to work with children. Apart from that, I enjoy activities with my friends and family like cinema or water skiing. I always want to learn new things and to get to know new places, build up memories. Of course, I also play video games with my friends sometimes and it’s very nice to spend the evening talking and playing together. In general, I love to do something with other people and as I said above: Whatever you want to do as a family, I’m in! An exchange year would be perfect for me because I could experience so many cool and new things especially in America. I would like to experience as much as possible, see many new places and collect incredible memories. I also think it will let me grow as a person to live in a different country, on a different continent. Some of my cousins had an exchange year as well which was a very positive experience for them. In my imagination, America is completely different from Germany and any other place I have been before. Of course, I’ve watched many American movies and series, but I really want to find out what it’s like to live there and learn about your culture. I’m also interested in your family life and traditions and how different it is to our life here in Germany. And it would be a pleasure to me to show you how we celebrate the different festivals in Germany and in our family, for example Christmas, Easter, birthdays etc. I’m very happy and I really appreciate the chance to spend a high school year in the USA; I really hope my dream will come true and I’m excited to become part of your family! Best wishes and warm regards. Fridjof