Dear host family, First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this exchange program and become part of your family in addition to my first experience abroad. Discovering new places and cultures has always fascinated me, which is why I am really excited about the experiences and impressions I will get. My name is Lale. I can say about myself that I am a very open-minded person. I have visited many countries in Europe on vacation with my family and I enjoy talking to people, getting to know languages and countries and integrating myself into new societies. One of my hobbies is volleyball. I have been playing in a club for about 1.5 years and really enjoy it. I have also been playing the piano for 8 years, as music plays an important part in my life. I also do a lot of creative activities. I like to draw and paint and I love making up stories and characters. I also love reading books and talking about them. But my family and friends are the most important things to me. I spend most of my free time with them. I live with my parents and my sister, who is two years older than me. My parents are great. They look after me and help me when I have a problem. My sister annoys me sometimes, but I'm still pretty lucky to have her because she's always there for me. After school and on some weekends, I meet up with my friends and we always talk about funny things that make us laugh forever. I only cook together with my family sometimes, but we eat together every evening. In general, I would describe my relationship with my family as very close, which makes me even more curious about getting to know a new family and their habits and routines. But actually, I'm curious about pretty much everything. Life in high school (is it really like in the movies?). The American school system is also very different. I'm particularly excited about the school sports. Here in Germany, there are no sports programs offered by the school and no school teams. If you want to pursue a hobby, you have to find a course or a club that is willing to take you on. But what I'm looking forward to most is my host family. I want to experience how an American family lives. The daily routines, household chores and especially the family activities. I want to get to know everything and hopefully become part of the family. My school career has been pretty normal so far. I have always gotten good grades (about B+/B in the American grading system) and have therefore never had any problems in certain subjects. My favorite subjects are English, history, philosophy and sports (but it always depends a bit on the subject :D). In general, I have a lot of fun at school and I also find some of the courses and competitions very appealing. For example, I took part in the debating competition and the media safety course in the lower grades. It's easy for me to get involved because I want to work in a profession where I can help people. I am interested in people's needs. I'm just not sure yet whether I want to go in a political, medical or legal direction. My father works for an online bank and my mother is responsible for taxes in a German-Chinese daycare center. My sister is not yet of legal age, but she has a mini-job in a bakery. I see more and more pictures and videos of experiences abroad, which make it very easy for me to get excited about my year abroad. I really want to get to know the culture and the people, as well as the language. I firmly believe that I will never forget the memories and experiences I will gain. Thank you for your time! Best regards Lale