Dear Host Family, Thank you so much for being part of the exchange program and for accepting me to live with your family. I’m really happy and excited about this opportunity! My name is Julie and I’m a 9th-grade student from Ukraine. I love learning new things and trying new experiences. I want to learn more about American culture, traditions, and daily life. I have been dancing since I was five years old, mostly contemporary dance. Before I also did taekwondo, painting, and swimming. Now I’m very interested in Japan. I study Japanese, practice calligraphy and take extra classes in math, biology and chemistry. I continue dancing and work hard on improving my English too. One of my favorite hobbies is baking. Sometimes it doesn’t turn out perfect, but my grandmother always helps me and teaches me new tricks. I also love astronomy. When I was a child, my father read me books about space and showed me educational videos and that’s how I became interested in the universe. I like being active and doing different things that help me grow. At school, I do volunteer work and I would love to do the same in America. Helping people and making them smile always makes me feel good. In the U.S. I would like to continue my hobbies and also try something new maybe join school clubs, learn new skills and make new friends. I really enjoy going to the theater especially to see ballet. I find it very beautiful and inspiring. I also love reading and watching movies. My favorite genres are classics and romance. Sometimes I watch movies first in Ukrainian and then in English to practice the language. I always try to be open to new opportunities and to people. I like helping and supporting others. I try to stay positive every day and enjoy life. I’m also very motivated to study abroad and discover new places and cultures. I am a president of school. I took this position because I want to be responsible for others and help when someone needs support or advice. Together with other students, I organize concerts and events. My favorite one is the Christmas concert everyone is in a good mood and we prepare fun performances for younger students to make them happy. My father studied and worked in China for ten years. Now he is a senior teacher of Chinese at the university and also the main consultant at the Chinese Language and Culture centre. My mother died five years ago, so my father and my two grandmothers take care of me. I live with my grandmother during the school year, and my father visits me often. On weekends and holidays, I stay with him at home. I have wonderful friends and we like spending time together walking, going to the theater or watching movies. I feel lucky to have them, and I believe I’ll also feel close to your family too. In the future, I want to study at a medical university and become a doctor. I know it’s a difficult and responsible job, but I want to help people and make their lives better. Thank you very much for reading my letter. I’m really happy to share a part of my life with you, and I hope to become a part of your family soon. With warm wishes, Julie