Dear Host Family, Thank you for participating in the exchange program and accepting exchange students like me to live with you and your family. I would be really grateful to have this opportunity. My name is Kira and I am a German girl. I am now in the tenth grade and my two mother tongues are German and Spanish. I would love to learn about American culture together with you as my host family, and I am sure that I can show and tell you a lot about German culture. I love going to school and my favorite subjects are mainly science like math, biology, chemistry, physics and computer science. I also love music classes and physical education. One of the best things in school is also to see my friends and spend the school breaks and free time together. In the afternoon I take part in some sports activities. Twice a week I go to table tennis and jiu-jitsu. This keeps me fit and I also enjoy training with other people. Since I was little I have been going to ballet classes. Dancing is something special for me and I love classical music. I have been playing the piano for eight years and I like to play for my family, friends or even strangers. On weekends we like to go on trips as a family. We go to museums or to the opera. We also like to go on little bike rides and visit the zoo. Or we just go for a walk in the park. Sometimes there are small open concerts that we listen to. Every Sunday morning I go to church with my mother. I love to spend time with my friends and especially with my family. I am a very outgoing and friendly person. My good social skills make it easier for me to deal with young as well as old people and I like to chat with all people. I am helpful and love to learn new things. My mother is from Peru and she studied social pedagogy in Germany. She is a full-time mother and she likes to learn about new cultures. My father is interested in everything, especially in science and new technologies. Professionally, he is a software developer. My little sister is eight years old. She loves dancing and likes animals very much. She is very active and can be loud sometimes, and I love her more than anything. I have three older siblings and two of them also did a year abroad in the U.S., the other one in Australia. All of them had only positive experiences and told me about them. My two brothers are studying in different cities right now and my sister is already done with her studies. She is now working in scientific research. I would love to live in the U.S. because I want to get to know the people who live there, as well as their celebrations, food and everyday life. This way I can also look at my identity from a different perspective and give myself the chance to develop. I am looking forward to using the English language on a daily basis with you as my host family and new friends so that I can improve my language skills and become fluent in English. My wish is also to get to know the school system in the U.S. with the many new subjects that do not exist in Germany. I would be happy to participate in many sports activities for a year and to be able to experience the everyday life of young people my age in the U.S.. I am looking forward to exchanging with you as my host family about our cultures and to spend a great time together. I would like to gain many new experiences with you. Are you as excited about the coming year as I am?Well, I am ready for new challenges and I look forward to living with you in the U.S.. Warm Regards, Kira