Dear future host family, Thank you so much for possibly welcoming me into your home next summer. It would be wonderful to spend a year of my life as a part of your family. With this letter I would like to introduce myself and my family. My name is Luise, and I live in a small town in Germany. My parents have been divorced for a few years, but they get along well and both help me a lot to realize my big dream. I live with my mother, my stepfather and my nineteen-year-old brother in a house with a small garden. My brother and I have a good relationship with each other, we often go on trips or go climbing together. He leads his own scout group and has already been to the World Scout Jamboree in the US. He told me a lot about it and awakened my enthusiasm for your country. I visit my father almost every day because he lives not far away and I am always happy to see him. Both of my parents work, my father in the IT industry and my mother as a nurse in a hospital. Maybe you would like to know something about my daily routine? During the week, I get up at 6:45 a.m., have breakfast and take a 15-minute train ride to the nearest high school. There I go to the 11th grade. My favorite subjects are English and French. I meet with other students in the afternoon once a week and we work on the school newspaper. I like going to school and would describe myself as an ambitious person. Later, I would like to study and become a teacher. Usually, I come home around 2 p.m., eat some lunch and then do my homework. Sometimes I study again in the evening when there is a lot to do. In my free time, I like to meet my best friend and we go for a walk with her dogs. I am very fond of animals and go horseback riding regularly. My father leads a table tennis group for children. I often help him with that. I am also a member of a dance group and we practice once a week for our performances. Furthermore, my family and I are passionate about playing board and card games. That is always very funny. Sometimes I just like to be in my room and read a book or watch a movie. On weekends, I like to sleep longer unless my mother wakes me up with the vacuum cleaner :) By the way, I have to clean my room myself. My brother and I have to take out the garbage, we regularly discuss whose turn it is. During vacations it is sometimes not so bad to have two parents who live separately. This way I can go on trips with two families. We love to travel and I have already seen several countries in Europe. Three years ago, I also participated in a two-week student exchange with France. That was a great experience, but unfortunately too short. I have never been to the United States before. I am very curious about your country on the other side of the world! Maybe I will be a bit shy at the beginning because of all the new impressions, but I hope that your family will welcome me warmly and help me to settle in. Of course, I would like to improve my English skills, but I would especially like to learn about your culture, religions and traditions. For example, I would like to experience Thanksgiving or Christmas and take the famous school buses to school. I am looking forward to the moment when I get off and see an American high school for the first time. I could list so many other things.... Dear host family, I hope you enjoyed reading this letter and that you could get a first impression of me, my family and my life. Maybe I could become a part of your family for ten months soon. I am looking forward to meeting you and can't wait to hear from you. Best regards, Luise