Dear Host Family, Thank you for welcoming me in your family. I am Gregor and would like to describe me and my life in Germany. Together with my parents and my brother, I live in the North of Germany. My brother is almost 17 years old and used to play soccer for a long time. Mom and Dad are 52 years old. My father used to play handball when he was a teenager. He is an urban planner. Mom works as a secretary for a shipbuilding company. - Our terraced house has an approx. 130 feet long garden with trees, bushes and a basketball basket. Just as my brother, I played soccer (“Fußball”) for about 10 years. However, I came across basketball because of my friends and neighbors. And now, it is my favorite thing to do/play. Learning something new in basketball or other areas is always exciting for me. My family is very important for me. My grandparents live about 2,5 hours from my town and I love them very much. They are 85, 86 and 87 years old and still quite fit. Unfortunately, we don’t see them so often. My father’s parents have 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. My other grandfather has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. I enjoy playing with the little children of my cousins, e. g. at the 60. birthday of my uncle. My hometown has about 550,000 inhabitants. The most relevant thing seems to be the local soccer club and the harbor. We do not have snow in winter for some years now (and only flat land) and we have to go to the Alpes mountains in Austria for skiing. In summer, we have a lot of rain. The good aspect is that we have 4 real seasons here. More sun would be great. However, life is good and I like it. My school is situated in the city center, in the old town close to the river. We have about 1,100 pupils and I am going to the 9th class this year. My favorite subjects are PE, geography, history, biology and sometimes math. - When I was on primary school, I used to play chess but I have stopped some years ago. - I am catholic and go to church regularly. Having had much to do with activity and movement, I prefer sport activities instead of museums or stuff like that. When I was younger, I played the guitar and piano and sometimes I still like “hitting keys”. We have no pets because my parents are against it, and if you have a dog or other pets that’s cool. Doing something (or noting) with others puts me in a good mood, but sometimes I like being alone, too. We hear a lot about the US and I am looking forward to getting to know more about your real life. I wonder what the difference between the school system in the states and in Germany is. What subjects do you have and which activities besides lessons? I like to try new things and I want to explore the world, including America. I want to learn about the American culture and share in your life. I am looking forward to meet you. Warm regards, Gregor