Dear family, First, I would like to thank you for the great opportunity you are giving me! I have been dreaming of this experience since I was a little girl, and finally my wish is coming true! I am sure it will be a wonderful life experience and will surely make me mature a lot. I have always wanted to experience the American lifestyle and your beautiful country. Talking about myself, my name is Margherita and I come from northern Italy. My family consists of many people: I live with my mother, Simona, and her partner, Daniele. In addition, my family also consists of my father, Sebastiano, and his wife, Elena, and they live in another city. I have a beautiful relationship with my family and I like them very much because I can always talk to them openly, they care about me and my dreams and they are always ready to help and support me. I am a very sociable, cheerful girl who enjoys new experiences, as curiosity is a real value for me. When I approach new situations, I become a little bit shy but at the same time I am very adaptable, so after getting familiar I open up more. That might also be the case with the language, but I am sure that it will just be a matter of getting acquainted to it. I love to travel and my favorite sport is artistic gymnastics: I have been practicing it since I was 8 years old and it is my greatest passion. When I am in the gym I have a lot of fun and I feel really good, especially thanks to my teammates with whom I have a wonderful relationship. I have had a boyfriend for more than two years and I love spending time with him: together we went to the beach and also went skiing, in beautiful places in Italy. He has supported me in my decision to become an exchange student and is happy that I can make my dream come true. My typical day here starts with waking up, followed by breakfast, getting ready and going to school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. After school I have lunch with my family and study, while on Tuesday and Thursday I go to gymnastics training. I then have dinner and relax in my room. Some days I also meet up with my friends, having lunch with them: I love to spend time all together. I wonder what my day will be like in the US: surely it will be different, but I am very happy to try a different lifestyle. However, I can surely bring a bit of Italian culture to you, and let you try typical Italian foods! What is your typical day like? I can't wait to meet you and start this wonderful journey with you! I’m sure that it will be a very important milestone. I still don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’m sure I want to be a happy person and hope to share that happiness with you! Looking forward to hugging you soon! Love, Margherita