Dear Host Family, thank you very much for participating in the student exchange program and giving me the opportunity to stay with you. This is not a matter of course and I think it's great! My name is Nora and I come from Germany. I am currently attending 10th grade at a Gymnasium. German Gymnasium is similar to American high school with the goal of going to a university afterwards. Why am I interested in the USA? Well, I had the desire to get to know the USA from a very early age. My godmother lived with her family in Washington D.C. for about 5 years. When I was 6 years old, my parents and I visited her for three weeks and I can still remember a little bit of this great vacation. Another reason is that my dad did a six-month internship in San Francisco while he was in college. He still raves about the USA. In addition, we in Germany have a great connection to the USA. We know the country from many movies and books, e.g. the yellow school buses, football games or prom. It will be very exciting to experience all these things with you. I have been taking piano lessons for about two years. I like playing the piano because it relaxes me a lot and makes me forget the stress of everyday life. I listen to music on many occasions, such as when I go to the gym with a friend after school, when I study, or when I do laundry. I also like to play theater. I enjoy putting myself in other roles. Besides acting, I like to read. I can read through good books in one day, but I also like good movies. I like to take care of little kids, so I babysit for neighbors regularly and earn a little extra pocket money. I recently started volunteering at the non-profit vacation care for younger school children in my town. For this purpose, I have completed a sports helper training. I often do things with my family or friends. For example, we go to the movies or play games together. I like doing sports, recently I started skiing and I go to the gym regularly. I like to learn about new countries and cultures. With my parents I have been to many European countries and to the USA. Together with friends, I spent two weeks in Spain and Croatia through a church youth organization. I have also participated in several week-long church camps. All of these trips were exciting, especially the ones without my parents. It would be great if I could continue some of my activities and volunteer tasks with you in America as well. Besides my native German, I have been learning English for 7 years and Spanish for 3 years at school. I would describe myself as creative, curious, versatile interested and adventurous. I am punctual, reliable and very ambitious. I also like to organize topics and solve exciting tasks. It is important to me that we treat our fellow human beings and our environment well. For example, I eat a mainly vegetarian diet. We humans eat a lot of meat. I think that too much meat is bad for our health. I also think that factory farming is bad for the environment and that farm animals are often not well. In addition I am a very curious person. My wish is to meet many people all over the world and also to make new friends. I am interested in their way of life, their culture and their beliefs. My mother is a pharmaceutical consultant for a big pharmaceutical company. She loves gardening and, like me, loves to read books. My father works as a team leader in the IT department of an insurance company and manages large IT projects. He likes to ride his bike and loves skiing. My brother is two and a half years younger than me and is currently in 7th grade. He plays saxophones and goes to play volleyball. We stick together as a family and support each other. I would be very happy to become a part of your family too. We Germans like to eat bread and potatoes, we value sustainability and separate our household waste. We like Christmas markets, German beer and also our cars. Although I don't drink beer and am not interested in cars, I am well organized, value quality and drink black tea. In that sense, I guess I am typically German. My plan is to finish school in 2027 and then go to university, e.g. law. I would like to have financial independence and a profession in which I can be successful and which I enjoy. I am very curious about you! Do you have children or a dog? Do you live in the country or in the city? I am very excited to meet you and become a part of your family! I am sure that my experience with you will accompany me positively all my life! Warm Regards, Nora