Dear Host Family, First of all, thank you so much for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to live this new experience that I have been dreaming of for so long. I really hope that in these ten months that we will spend together, we will create a strong bond and share beautiful and unforgettable moments together! My name is Caterina and since I was a little girl I have always loved to dream and travel, and I think this is thanks to all the books I read and the movies I watch. I love being with my friends, the people I love, who always make me laugh and feel good, but I also like to meet new people and create new friendships, which I really hope this experience will give me the chance to. My friends describe me as a fun girl, always trying to get everyone involved and very imaginative, with whom you can talk about anything, from laughing and joking to talking about serious topics. I have many groups of friends, but the ones I am most connected with are the ones I met at the Christian parish in the small town where my parents lived as children. In this group there are seven of us, during the week we don't see each other very often because we go to different schools, but every Saturday we hang out together, we meet for a coffee or a pizza. My family consists of me, my parents and my younger brother. We like travelling, going to the movies, spending quality time together,.. Sometimes we argue but we always find a way to solve our misunderstandings. I also spend a lot of time with my paternal grandparents: with my grandmother I love to cook or watch her favorite TV shows, while with my grandfather I always talk about sports and we often watch some of my friends' football games together. I attend an high school that focuses on the study of foreign languages and, in the future, I would like to continue studying languages as I dream to become a motorsport reporter, or even just a sports reporter. Sports is one of the things I love the most. As a child, I practiced climbing for many years, I also tried swimming and athletics. Now I have been fencing for 7 years and this year I started going to the gym with two of my friends too. Some of my other favorite sports include F1 and volleyball, but I love watching all kinds of sports in general. I hope to be able to try some new sports in the US. I am so excited to share all my passions with you and tell you about my experiences, but also to live with you and be able to learn about your culture and customs. I really hope you’ll be happy to have me there and you’ll consider me as part of the family. I’ll do my best to make you proud. I can’t wait for this experience to start! 😊 Thank you very much for reading my letter. Love, Caterina