Dear Host Family, Thank you so much for being willing to participate in the exchange program and accepting me to live with your family. I am a Romanian/German boy and I am in 10th grade, first year of senior high school. I like to try new things and gain new experiences. I love to travel and find it nice to get to know the traditions and culture of a country from up close. So also i am looking forward to get to know the USA and see as much as possible. I am very passionate about art, especially comics and mangas. I am an open, creative, artistic, loving, funny and philosophical person. I really like to draw, taking photos, film and design. Through drawing and designing I have learned to be patient and focused. Also, filming and taking photos help me to develop my visual imagination which I use for my art. However, I am not only passionate about art, I am also passionate about technology. I'm always up to date with the latest smartphones, pc components, games etc. Through the passion for technology, I can handle very well with software. Through this skill, I complete my hobbies, because I edit my photos; edit and cut my videos and like to draw digitally. Currently I am trying to expand my knowledge and skills to visual effects and web design. What fascinates me most about visual effects is that you can make your creativity and dreams as real as possible. The possibilities are enormous! Besides my hobbies I also dance hip hop and go to the gym 3/4 times a week. I speak four languages: German (fluent), Romanian (native), English (very good) and French (good). But German was not always the language I use mainly in everyday life. When I was seven we moved to Germany for a better life and more opportunities in the future for which I am very grateful. Unfortunately, I then had to separate from my family and also from my sister, because she had decided not to come with me, my mother and my father. Since she was already 17 years old at the time and she had almost graduated from school, she wanted to stay there and my parents accepted this. They didn't want to force her to do something she didn't want to do, especially because she was almost an independent adult woman. The separation was difficult for me and the first months in Germany as well. I didn't really know German, and neither did my parents, except for a few words of understanding such as hello, goodbye, thank you, please, and so on. My luck was that I was enrolled directly in school and had a very nice teacher who took a lot of time to teach me German. I am still very grateful for this today, because if I had not had this support at that time, I might not be here where I am now. After that, everything went relatively quickly. The language suited me well, so I could learn it quickly, I found good friends and a best friend with whom I am still friends for 14 years. Since my father was here a year earlier, we were financially well covered and had no serious difficulties. My parents also learned the language. Since we moved, we visit the family annually and they also visit us, so the relationship with the family is great. Even though my sister and I didn't spend a lot of time with each other as siblings usually do, I still love her very much and I enjoy the time I get to spend with her to the fullest. Something I learned later about my family tree is that my great-grandmother was also German and that's when I realized how small the world actually is. Even if not much of the culture and traditions of Romania is known internationally, there is a story that I find very exciting and would like to share shortly with you. You probably know Dracula and Transylvania from the movies "Hotel Transylvania", but did you know that the famous vampire comes from Romania? His name Dracula is not his real name and he is not a vampire, but it is true that he is scary and brutal. His real name is Vlad Țepeș, who is known for his brutal and painful executions. He imprisoned people for days, impaled on stakes, until they died. This is how he got the name Dracula, which means devil (Dracu in Romanian = The Devil), from his folk. When we will see each other, I would love to introduce you to the traditions and culture of Germany and Romania, if you wish and if you are interested. When I saw the wonderful pictures of my Ayusa sisters and brothers, it made me more determined to go to America and learn about your culture. I believe that I can also take amazing photos and have unforgettable memories with you and my new friends in America. I am excited to become a part of your family! Warm Regards, Eduard