Dear Host Family, Thank you for hosting me for an entire year! I have been dreaming about this experience for a long time. To me, this experience is not just a year of my life, it’s a whole life in a year. I hope we will share our cultures and experiences and have a good time together. My name is Chiara and I come from Italy. I attend a high school that focuses on foreign languages: I study English, Spanish and French. I’ve always loved languages, and maybe this is why I’m so talkative. I would like to study other languages in the future too, when I go to university. My friends describe me as a sociable, extrovert and friendly person. They say that my laughter is contagious. I always try to make people feel at ease so that they feel comfortable with me. I love listening to music, reading, traveling and playing the piano. School has always been important to me. Throughout the years, it helped me discover who I am and I met a lot of people. I love learning new things. My favorite subjects are English and Spanish. I’m not really good at scientific subjects, especially Maths, which is a challenging subject for me! The Italian school system is indeed challenging, but I believe it teaches you how to take responsibility and prepares you for your future life. Another important thing to me is sport. In my life I’ve tried a lot of different sports: gymnastics, judo, volleyball, swimming, and I’m currently doing track & field. I love it! I met a lot of people, plus it helps me stay fit. I think I am flexible with every kind of sports and I’m open to try new ones, for example cheerleading, which is not so common in Italy. My family consists of four people: my mom Angela, my dad Fabio, my brother Mattia, and of course me. We also have a dog, his name is Aron and he’s 4 years old. I love animals, especially dogs. In my family, we all have a strong bond with each other, and we talk about everything. They never make me feel judged and I take every discussion as an opportunity to confront and share our opinions. My brother Mattia is 21. We are completely different people, but we always help each other when we need and we do love each other. I also have three grandparents: Romano, Anna and Annamaria. I love them, they live close to me and they have always spent time with me and my brother since we were young. My friends are really important to me. I love spending time with them! They are always there if I need their help and I love our Saturday nights, when we talk about our week and have fun together, no matter what we do. In the USA, I hope to grow as a person and build strong relationships. I’m looking forward to sharing my Italian culture with you, especially the food part. I can’t wait to tell you more about me and share my Exchange Student’s Journey with you! I hope you will consider me as part of the family and always count on me. See you soon! Love, Chiara