Dear future host family, First of all, I would like to thank you for considering letting me be a part of your family and giving me the opportunity to attend school in your country. This is not something that can be taken for granted, and I am very grateful for this chance. In this letter, I would like to give you a brief overview of myself, my family, my hobbies, and my interests. My name is Maya, I am 15 years old and I live with my parents and my two cats in a house. My parents got married in May this year after being together for seventeen and a half years. My mother is from Berlin, and we go there twice a year to visit my grandparents and my uncle and his children. My cats are called Nala and Elvis and are five years old. I also have an older sister who is 26 and lives in South Africa. She teaches special education at a German school in Johannesburg. I love traveling in general and with my parents, especially to the sea, where it is really warm. We have often been to Croatia in the past, but we also enjoy city breaks. In September, I will be starting 10th grade and I am really looking forward to it. My favorite subjects are biology and English, but I actually like all subjects as long as I can learn something new and interesting. I have been in my school's theater club for four years and definitely want to continue. I really love acting, playing different roles, and being on stage. I dream of becoming an actress one day, but I'm not quite sure yet, because I would also like to study medicine. Since seventh grade, I have also been a member of my school's dance groups. I danced rock ‘n’ roll for a year, but in the older group we have been dancing contemporary dances for two years now. We have participated in many competitions, which has really brought us together as a team. This year we even made it to the national school finals, which I am very proud of. I am an altar server in the Catholic Church and one of the head altar servers in our parish community, which means that I help during church services when I am assigned to do so, but I also organize group sessions for the young altar servers and am always there for them. Every Wednesday, I do three hours of gymnastics and also look after some of the younger children. Once a week, I have dance lessons where we train for the carnival season. During this time, there are often parades and performances. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music and musicals, such as “Alexander Hamilton,” “Six,” and “Wicked.” I have loved reading since I read Harry Potter in fourth grade, and currently my favorite book series are Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games. When I'm bored, I like to be creative, craft and decorate things, or just working on my photo book for this year. On weekends, I like to cook and bake for my family. My family's favorite baked goods are my various cinnamon rolls and cookies, but I also like to try new recipes and dishes from all around the world. I try to hang out with my friends as often as possible. We often go on bike rides with picnics, visit the city, or have sleepovers. I love to dance, whether with friends, at school, as a hobby, or at home, where I just spin and move to the music. My latest project is learing the choreography for “Thunderstruck” by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. I would be very happy if I could continue my passion for dancing in America, and I would especially like to try cheerleading. But I am open to anything because I want to try as many things as possible, even if time is limited. You may be wondering why I want to spend my exchange year in the US. I don't know why, but I've always been fascinated by the United States and everything related to it. Apart from the obvious reason of improving and perhaps even perfecting my English, I hope to make many new friends and build a second home that will last longer than my stay. I want to try new things, meet new people, and step outside my comfort zone to explore this new environment. In summary, I would describe myself as very empathetic, friendly, and helpful. I am always open to new things, new people, and new opinions, but I remain true to my own values. Communication is very important to me, and overall I am a sociable and outgoing person who enjoys making new friends everywhere I go, but I also appreciate having time to myself. This was just a little insight for you and I hope you learned a few things about me. I would be very happy to become part of your family and get to know you and the American lifestyle for ten months. Best wishes, Yours Maya