Dear host family, I want to thank you endlessly for opening your home and arms and helping me to live out one of my dreams. I'm a Mexican girl who has just finished my sophomore year and has had the goal of studying abroad for a long time. This experience is a great opportunity for me to discover new things and learn about places beyond my own country. I'm a hardworking, straightforward, and outgoing person who can adapt to change and is also deeply involved in things that make me passionate, such as traveling, meeting new people, watching movies, and exercising. I would say that a highlight of my day is when I go to pilates, spinning, or the gym since it's one of my passions and something I'm really good at. It has also shown me how discipline and hard work pay off and really get you to your goals. Traveling is also a big part of my passions and something I love doing. I'm really proud of my country, as in Mexico, and would love to share some of it with anyone I can. I’ve always been interested in American culture and lifestyle since it’s fascinating how many differences there are compared to my home country, and I want to get to know its traditions, culture, and lifestyle. I love exploring and getting new experiences every time I can, so I would love to get to know a different place, school, and lifestyle with no better way than with a host family. Having fun every day is something I strive for and assure myself to make the best out of it. The school has turned out to be a place where I laugh the most and genuinely enjoy being at. There are subjects that I do struggle in, like math or science, but I overcome them with hard work. On the other hand, subjects like English, history, or anything artistic, I stand out in and really show potential. A big part of me is my friendships and my family, with my friends, I love going out, having sleepovers, or going to the beach. I have always been a person who has many friends and is a social butterfly, so I don’t find it hard to meet new people or step out of my comfort zone. I also adore being with my family, sometimes with my dad and some other with my mom since they don't live together but I live with both of them. We mostly go to the movies since it’s something that I enjoy a lot, and cook or bake any chance we get. Being in a totally new place is still intimidating, but knowing myself and my qualities, I know I can make the best out of it. I still have a hard time deciding what career I want to study or where I want to go. A business career has always caught my attention, but being a lawyer is also something that people have always said I’d be good at. A dream of mine would be to study college outside my home country, ideally in the USA or Europe, but I know that to make it happen, I have to put in 100% in school and work hard in my academics. At the moment, studying abroad is my top dream and something I would love to accomplish and get to experience now more than ever. With much love, Mariafernanda.