Dear host family, Thank you for participating in this program and giving me the opportunity to live with you as an exchange student. I am Johanna from Germany and I am currently in the 9th grade of a high school. I'm really looking forward to meeting and getting to know you. I am very adventurous and open to new things. That is also the reason why I applied for this year abroad. I live in a large family with lots of siblings and love doing things with my family. Because my parents live separately, I have many step-siblings in addition to my biological brother, which makes life all the more enjoyable. There are 5 siblings on my father’s side and 2 on my mother’s side. I am very motivated and ambitious and work hard to achieve my goals. I also love sports, for example tennis, which I have been playing for some time now. I danced all throughout my childhood and I still have a great passion for it. I really enjoy doing things with friends, such as shopping or going to an amusement park near us with my friend. But I also like to stay at home and just relax on the couch. I speak two languages, German and English and am currently learning French. Of course, I hope to improve my English a lot during my stay in the US. I volunteered as a school paramedic one and a half year ago and have been helping my school and the students ever since. I have also been working as a babysitter for the past three years and recently started a little after-school side job in a bakery. My mom has 2 cats, and my dad has a dog, which I love very much. I enjoy taking care of them, playing and snuggling, but also taking the dog for a walk, or cleaning the cats litterbox. I am a very cheerful and positive person. I am a big fan of cooking and baking and am currently learning some recipes with my mother. When I am staying with you, I am happy to show you as much of my culture as possible. I will explain to you what life is like in Germany and what it is like to grow up here. I will also tell you about some North German festivals and events, such as Walpurgisnacht, the fish market or the world's biggest sailboat sports event, which takes place near me. I would love to attend an American high school to challenge myself and to get involved in the social life in the US. I would also like to make friends and relationships that I will last for years to come. The USA has always been one of my biggest travel destinations, and I am happy to finally get to know you and the country. My parents both work for an international company in the medical and safety industry. I see myself working either in the tourism industry, or for an organization that campaigns for women's and children's rights. These are very different areas, but I would very much enjoy a career in either one of these areas. It will be nice to use my language skills for this, which I will be able to improve while in the USA. I hope this has provided you with a little glimpse of my life and interests, allowing you to get to know me a little better. Best regards, Johanna