Hi, dear Host Family! I’m glad to have the opportunity to spend 10 months of my life with you, and because of that I would like to thank you for hosting me and taking care of me, and I believe we’ll be having a good time together! My name is Filippo, and I’ve decided to take this big chance to live what has always been my dream; going to the USA. I’m really excited to start this journey with you! I cannot wait to meet you, to become part of the school and sport environment, to meet many people and to hopefully build new long-lasting relationships with them. I’m really thrilled to have the opportunity to share my culture with all of you! I’m sure we are gonna have fun mixing Italian and American cultures, traditions, foods, and many other things together! I often define myself as a flexible and responsible person, even though during this journey I’m going to try to improve many parts of my inner self and my character. I’m also kind and extroverted, and sometimes friends define me as funny and very energetic. I consider myself empathic, even if sometimes I tend not to show that part of me. I have a lot of hobbies, many of them are related to sports; as a matter of fact, I’ve been playing basketball since I was 7 years old and I’m still doing that; sometimes I like playing soccer or tennis or just watching sports on TV (I’m a big soccer fan). I recently started running in my free time, and I’m enjoying it. I also like playing the piano, the instrument that I’ve been playing since I was a little child and reading books that helps me in my personal growth and to accomplish my goals (as an example, right now I’m reading Atomic Habits by James Clear). And you? Do you have any hobbies or something that you really love doing? Maybe we could try that together! Another thing that I’ve been doing regularly for the last 8 years has been going to the Scout group in my city, and I’ve learned many lessons from this group, such as getting along with most people and alone, or learning how to cook different things (I would really like to share some Italian recipes with you!). I could explain to you the main differences between American and Italian Scout groups, if you’d like. My family is composed of 6 people, including me, and my dog, who is called Ciak. My mother is Francesca and she is 53, she’s an area manager, my father is Nicola and he is 55 and he is a sales representative. My 3 siblings are all sister who are older than me; the oldest one is Sofia who is 26 and has just started working nearly the same job as my mother, the middle one is Serena who is 24 and is an Occupational Therapist. The youngest, Matilde, has just started University and is 19. I get along well with all of them and we sometimes like to reunite all 6 for a simple dinner, or a little vacation or anything that makes us spend time together. I have a lot of relatives, but I’m close to my 2 cousins, Tommaso and Emanuele. We are like brothers, since we’ve known each other since we were born and we’ve done a lot of things together, such as playing soccer in the backyard. As an exchange student I really hope to improve my language, be even more responsible than I already am and be more open minded. I’m sure these 10 months will help! I have no doubt there will be plenty of time to spend with you there, even at school and playing sport, and i think we’ll be able to build a strong relationship! And before concluding, I would like to let you know that I’m available for any questions or curiosity that this letter may have raised to you! Thank you again, I’m looking forward to meeting you for the first time! Filippo