Dear host family, Hi! My name is Joana. I’m seventeen years old and I come from Belgium. At home, I live with my parents and my sister, she is twenty years old. I don't have any pets because my mom and I are allergic to dogs, even if I would like to have a cat. They are sooo cute! This year, I’m in 12th grade and I took economics, languages and computer as options. Then my favorite subjects are English, physical education, mathematics and geography but I’m not very good at Dutch. I go to school by steps and sometimes by car if it rains. I start school every day at 8:20 a.m. and I finish at 4:10 p.m. except Monday when I start at 10 a.m. and Wednesday when I finish at noon. When I go back home, I eat something and then I do my homework and study. Sometimes after the dinner I still have homework to do. When I was a child, I did swimming, dance and gymnastic, and 2 years ago, I started dancing again for one year. Since I stopped, I’ve been going to the gym. I try to go three times a week but with all the things I have to do for school it's not that simple. I love reading too. I'd like to buy more books in English because it's a good exercise to improve it like watching English movies or series too. I love decorating for birthdays, Halloween and Christmas. It's a reason too why I chose to come in the United States because you decorate so much! During these periods I always decorate my bedroom with a lot of them. It's so beautifulll and it gives an incredible atmosphere!! And I'm always super excited to get into this period because I like cooking cinnamon rolls, drinking a hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice latte with a Christmas movie or Christmas songs. I would love to experience these celebrations in the USA. Every year, when I decorate my bedroom, I watch my favorite Christmas movie, Home alone. If I had to describe myself, I would like to say that I’m an honest, respectful and sociable girl. I am curious, I love learning and experiencing new things! I know what I want in life, and I always do my best to achieve my goals. But I stay open to new experiences and unexpected opportunities and I’m ready to make the effort it takes to reach it. Doing an exchange year in the USA has always been my biggest dream. It's a huge privilege that I'm very lucky to have, because thanks to my parents and you, my future host family, I'll be able to realize it. It's going to be an incredible year. I'll get to meet lots of people, discover a new culture, make lots of memories, become more independent, and of course become bilingual. It will be such an enriching year for both you and me. I’ve chosen The United States because I always wanted to visit this country and to live all the experiences of an American student from the beginning to the end of the school year. I chose to live with a host family in order to learn about their traditions, a new culture and create bonds for life. I would love to become not just a guest in your home, but a true member of your family. I can't wait to come to the USA to try all the fast food that we don't have here in Belgium, like Crumble Cookies, Raising Cane's, Cinnabon, and Taco Bell. I am very much looking forward to meeting you, getting to know your family and your lifestyle, and sharing wonderful moments with you! Joana, your future exchange student