Dear hosting family, my name is L., I am a 16 year old guy from a small town in northern Italy. I am really looking forward to being an exchange student in the USA. I am a quite open-minded and flexible person, and I am very curious: I really enjoy discovering new things and knowing how they work. At a first sight I might look a little shy, but as soon as I get a conversation started I can be pretty outgoing. My family is made up of me, my mum M. and my dad A., I live near my grandparents so I spend a remarkable amount of time at their's, especially at my grandma's M. (who's a great cook). I have a really good relationship with my parents, as they are loving and always support me with my dreams, ambitions and passions. In return, they require me to have solid grades at school. Since I enjoy learning, I always try to do my best and eventually manage to get some good results. Also, they've always taught me to behave and act as common sense requires to, and they've been quite strict on that when I was younger. Now they let me take my own responsibilities and I'm proud of it. I decided to become an exchange student because I want to learn speaking English proficiently since nowadays it's crucial. Also, I want to broaden my life experiences and learn to see the world in different ways. My parents took me on a holiday in Sweden when I was 4 and since then I've been interested in travelling, discovering new places and meeting new, different people. Last summer I have been on a two-week exchange holiday in Ireland, where I had a lot of fun and built a solid relationship with my host family, and I am still in touch with them. But of course I know a whole year is very different from two weeks. I attend a "Liceo Scientifico", which is a high school based on scientific subjects such as Math, Physics, Chemistry and IT. These are my favourite subjects, but I also like Philosophy and History (which I also study). My biggest passion though, is aviation. I've always liked things that has to do with motors: as a little kid I loved trains, then cars and for a few years now, planes. My passion for aviation is greater than any other passion I have had, and I am trying to get something out of it, so I'm now training to become a private pilot: a pilot that can fly without getting a profit out of it. For the moment I am only going through ground classes, and many consider them the "boring part", but it is not the case for me: I am genuinely appreciating them, as I can learn life saving tips from experienced pilots that have already been through experiences I will probably bump into. Soon I will start flying and I really can't wait. I have already had a couple of discovery flights and I think I got that thing that pilots call "the aviation bug", and once you have it, there is no going back. My dream, though, is getting all the required licenses and become an airline pilot. Knowing English well, and speaking it proficiently is crucial in the aviation industry, so this is an added reason why I decided to apply to an exchange program. On my free-time I hang out with my friends in the town centre, where there is not much to do but it gives really good sights: there is a Medieval city wall with a ditch that goes all the way around it. Also, I have a dog and I usually take her for walks in the fields around my area. I have never been a great sports' enjoyer: I have never had the consistency needed to carry on one, but for a few months now, I have been into fitness so I to go training at the town's sports' facilities. I like bodyweight training with my friends as I like setting myself goals and see progress as I stay consistent. Also I like running to get better at endurance, but sometimes it can be boring. During winter season I like snowboarding. Thanks for reading this letter it was an overview of me, my passions and my personality, I hope you liked it and you will consider hosting me in your family. I really can't wait to learn more about you. L.