Dear Host Family, Thank you for hosting me for ten months! I really appreciate your openness to this experience and I’m really grateful that you are making this possible. Ever since I was just a little girl, I have dreamt about living in the United States and when I had the opportunity to visit your country the first time, two years ago, I was super excited. I’ve always loved to travel and to get to know different countries and different cultures and that’s why, when I started talking with my parents about this exchange experience, I immediately started to dream about what my life away from home could be. Before I have the chance to meet you, I would like to give you the opportunity to know me. I consider myself an outgoing person. I’m curious, open-minded and also very chatty, sometimes too much (probably). If you ask to my friends to describe me, they would probably say that I’m a good friend: I’m loyal and honest, always ready to help someone in need. I’m really attached to my family, composed by mum Francesca, dad Tiberio and three brothers (Jacopo, Nicolò and Matteo) and to my friends. I think that they are a really important part of my life and because of that I’m a bit worried about leaving them for ten months. Another important member of my family is my little niece Ada, she’s the daughter of my oldest brother Jacopo and was born on the 24th of February 2022. Sometimes I like to be an aunt and spend my time with her! What about you? I can’t wait to get to know you all! One of my biggest passions are animals, I especially love dogs and horses, in fact, I practice horse riding and horse jumping! Do you like animals? Do you have any pets? Besides of animals, I love all kinds of creative activities: painting, writing, listening to music, singing! Another thing that I love are books! I especially like to read in the summer, when spending time at the beach while sipping a cold diet Coke. Because of this kind of vibe I love the summer, sun and hot temperatures: I’m a huge fan of the sea and all the activities that you can do there. I have been a swimmer since I can remember, I began swimming with my mum at almost 6 months old. During the last year of elementary school I started synchronized swimming. I did a lot of competitions but I quit three years ago. I still love the pool and the sea, water in general! What do you like to do in your free time? I also really enjoy watching sports matches with my family, on tv or at the stadium. As a good Italian family, we are soccer fans. Even though I no longer play any organized sport, I love to watch every kind of sport match or competition. Do you play or follow any sport? Of course, another important part of my life is school. I love studying pretty much all subjects and I’ve gotten good grades. I’m very grateful to the Italian education system, because I think that it prepares us students very well and provides a strong base of general knowledge. At the same time, I’m really happy to have the chance to try another type of system, maybe less focused on the academic side but more on the single student, with their interests, weaknesses and skills. In Italy my daily routine is focused on school. I wake up at 7am and I start school at 8. I’ve got 5 hours of classes in the morning and then I get back home where I have lunch, usually with my dad. Then I always take a little nap (probably my biggest guilty pleasure!) and then I do my homework for a couple of hours. Twice a week I also go to the stables and once or twice at the gym. Then I get back home and I have dinner with my parents around 8 or 9 p.m. I know that this schedule might sound a little bit weird to you, in fact, I will have to get used to having my meals earlier with your family! Before I go to bed I always take a shower and I spend some time with my family, for example watching tv! What is your daily schedule like? It’s not easy to introduce myself to my future host family just by writing a letter, but I hope that you were able to get an idea of my personality and my life. I can’t wait to share this experience with you! It’s a pleasure for me to get to know you and your country, and I’m looking forward to receive your presentation. Love, Lucia