Dear host family, My name is Lucía that means "shined" in Spanish. I am an only child. I'm 14 years old and I live with my mum and dad in Madrid. I'm very optimistic and funny, I love pets so much but I'm so scared of bites and insects. I want to do an exchange year in USA because I love their daily life, first of all, because I like the educative system in USA, they are always doing activities and they give a lot of importance to sports. I want to be part of a sport club, better if it is a basketball one, but I'm open to all types of sports or activities. I think that doing an exchange year in USA is a very good opportunity of making new friends. I also want to try Thanksgiving food, try again Crumbl cookies because I've already tried them with my cousin and they were really good, carve a pumpkin, go to a Friday night football game... And more things that I don't usually do in Spain. I hope to share my language and culture of my country, while bringing you joy, good mood and everything I am able to offer you. In my daily life I go to school walking, but sometimes my parents take me by car, then when school finishes I go home walking with my friends because most of them live near me. Then I eat lunch, my mum often prepares it because I don't know how to cook but I would like to learn. Some days I have piano lessons and others I have basketball training, but I'm always doing something after school. My favourite sports are basketball and volleyball. I train basketball 7 hours per week. I also like playing the piano and listening to music. I have piano lessons every Thursday. I have been playing the piano since I was 10 years old but at first I started playing the guitar with my best friend Emma. We used to have guitar combo classes, but now we don't because I stopped playing the guitar (that was not my cup of tea). I love going shopping with my family or friends, I really enjoy that and obviously I like visiting new places. In my free time I usually hang out with friends, we go to the cinema, or to a roller coaster park called Warner, we like to go there because we enjoy it a lot. I also go for a walk with my family and when we are at home we like to play board games. We often see American series like The Thundermans or Henry Danger, sometimes I watch anime series like Haikyuu because it's about volleyball and I enjoy watching it. Although I am an only child, I spend a lot of time with my cousin David. He was born in Brazil but now lives close to us. We met when he was just one year old, and since then we have shared our lives like siblings. David is 9 years old, and I really enjoy playing, sharing, and having fun with him. But David is not the only one—two years ago Aday, the little 'rascal' of the family, came into our lives, and I also love spending time and playing with him. I’m very curious to discover your traditional food and family recipes, and I would love to share some Spanish dishes with you too. I’m also excited to learn about your traditions and daily routines, while also sharing mine with you. One of my goals for this school year is not only to study abroad, but also to find a family in the United States who will become part of my life. Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope to spend the best time with you and live the American exchange experience with you. See you soon!