Dear family, thank you for the opportunity you give me. It’s very generous to open your home to someone you don’t know. I introduce myself: I will be 17 in April and I’m attending the 3rd year of my high school which is a Liceo specialized in scientific subjects. I also study Italian and English literature and language, History and Philosophy. I prefer Math, Physics and History but all my grades are good. I attend school for 5 hours in the morning and I study at home in the afternoon. My evening activities are sports and music. I relax playing at PC, watching videos, staying at home with my dogs, my siblings and sometimes friends. My family is numerous (I'm the fifth of six children!) so we often don’t need to go out to have fun. Last year, two of my sisters got married but they still live next to us and we see them very often. Three months ago I became an uncle too and for me it’s a new, scary and nice experience. One sister, younger than me, still lives at home with us. The other two sisters are not always at home because of their studies, but they often come back or we go visit them. It’s a good chance for us to discover new places in Italy too. Lunch time for us is very important because the whole family is together and we can talk about the school day and other things. I like eating bread, pizza and pasta and homemade cakes especially with chocolate. I cook for myself simple things like piadina or fish and chips especially for the dinner. In the evening I usually watch a movie with my family. My father suggests a lot of movies to me and I like watching them all together. My family and I do many activities together: the everyday lunch and the evening movie, a voluntary service and some travels during the year. In summer holidays we spend a week in the Dolomites mountains where we go hike. My family spends the rest of summer vacation in our house by the sea, quite close to my town and we stay there until school restarts in September. My father reaches us every weekend and when he gets holidays too. We live almost all day in the open air and have some good time together on the beach. Last summer I tried windsurfing lessons for the first timw but I am not so good to it yet. Italy has the shape of a boot and my town is situated in the north of the heel. It’s a medium sized town and life is good. My house is located in the centre so I have the possibility to reach many places on foot. I don’t go out every day; I usually meet my friends on Saturday or Sunday, when they come visit me at home or during the evening activities as the gym or music association. I love playing with cards and board games with my friends and with my family too. Another important activity is sport. I like to try sports: I play tennis and table tennis. I ski during the winter and swim during the summer. I’ve practiced Italian football since I was very young, I keep enjoying it but I don’t play in a team anymore. My family and I are volunteers with an Association which collects food for the needy and we do it together. We like travelling and we always try to take a trip for visiting new places in Italy and abroad. Covid put a stop to this activity for a while. I visited some countries in Europe (England, Scotland, Norway) but I’ve never been so far away as the USA. I’m very curious about foreign culture and style of life, about your school system and I hope to have the opportunity to experiment new subjects and to improve my interests at school (music, sports, computer skill). I think this experience is an important opportunity for me. I think that to face new situations will make me stronger and much more open minded. At the same time I will represent my country so I will be an opportunity for you to meet the Italian culture and to know someone who comes far away from your reality. Thank you in advance for your willingness and for this amazing opportunity. M.