Dear future Host Family, Hi, my name is Sienna and I live in Germany since I was 10 years old. I live in a small town surrounded by nature and two big cities close by. I cycle to school every day because it’s the most common way to get around in my town of 25,000. I grew up in a sportive family, so no wonder PE is my favorite subject in school. In my spare time I play Basketball twice a week in a club, and we compete almost every weekend during the season. I also love dancing, inline skating, swimming, and gymnastics. Furthermore, I enjoy painting, arts and crafts, baking/cooking, and photography. I am an assistant coach in gymnastics for kids from 6-10 years old and I am tutoring a 9th grade student in English. On the weekends I spend a lot of time with my friends if I’m not studying. Whether it is going playing basketball, enjoying walks together, playing board games, watching a movie or just talking, meeting my friends is always a lot of fun. And yes, I also spend some time on my phone and iPad. For example, I love watching scripted American series – which my parents allow me “unlimited” because it does improve my English . My family would describe me as a fun, loving, active, determined, hard-working, capable, open-minded, friendly, and sometimes overthinking teenager who knows what she wants. We are a family of four and I have a cute little brother who is 6 years younger than me. My dad is a finance leader in a non-profit organization who works against hunger in the world. He loves football, basketball, and soccer. My mom is a project manager for an American company. My parents both grew up in Germany. Together they have moved a lot internationally because of work. That’s why I was born and went to kindergarten in Brooklyn, NY before we moved to Belgium when I was four. As I got a little older, I got more curious about my native country especially since my parents have lived there for over 15 years. Since then, living and experiencing the American way of life has been my dream. After leaving the US, my parents stayed in touch with the parents of my best friend from kindergarten. When our families met in Germany this year, my friend told me a lot about her High school and in talking with her I just knew, that now it is my time to make my dream come true. I became very excited and started research about an exchange year and here I am now, writing a letter to my future host family. I love it! My family and I have spoken English in Belgium but since we moved to Germany, I’ve been missing to use my English every day. I am looking forward to expand my horizon, to gain new memories, and of course to speak English on a regular basis. About my plans for my future: After my year abroad I will complete my high school diploma. What I’ll do after that, I’m not sure yet but I would love to go to a college and to work in an international company in a job I enjoy. The international exposure I am about to gain during this exchange year will contribute to a great start of my professional career. I would love to be able to travel and I would also love to have a family and live in different parts of the world, if possible. During my stay with you I would love the opportunity to introduce you to a few traditions for example how we celebrate our Christmas holiday, what we do for Mardi gras, or how a typical German dinner looks like. I look forward to that, and also to learning about the American traditions in your family. I love spending time with my family and hope to become a part of yours. looking forward to meeting you soon. Best wishes Sienna