Dear host family, My name is Miguel. I am currently 15 years old, but I will be 16 years old by the time we meet, as my birthday is on March 16th. I live in a village on the outskirts of Madrid. Here I live with my parents, and my two brothers. My mother's name is Carmen; she works as a physical therapist in a hospital in Madrid. My father's name is Elías and he works as an architect and helicopter pilot. I have two brothers: one younger and one older. My older brother is named Alberto, he’s 17 years old, and my younger brother, Diego, is 10 years old. A normal week for me looks a bit like this: on weekdays, my mother usually drops me and my brother Diego at school in the mornings. We go to a school in Madrid, that is further away from home so we need to drive there. My brother Alberto, on the other hand, walks directly to his High School, because his school is near our home. At school, my day looks different every day, but I usually have six classes, except for Wednesdays, when I have seven different classes. We have a small break between classes at around 11:30 am, and I usually hang out with my friends, and play some soccer or basketball. At the end of the school day (2:30 pm or 3:00 pm), I go home for lunch on my own, catching the metro and the public bus. When I arrive home, I usually have lunch and rest for a bit and then, in the afternoon, I go to swim practice at the pool near my house. After practice, I usually just do my homework for the day, or I study a little bit for upcoming tests and exams. On the weekends, I like to sleep in a little bit and wake up a bit later than during the school week. I usually have a big breakfast, and I then use the rest of the morning to study. Afterwards we usually have family lunch together and, after lunch, I like to play some video games. In the afternoons, I usually like to go out with my friends and hang out together. With my friends, I like going to play soccer, on our local soccer field, to play friendly matches against other people there. We also like to go downtown to ride the rental e- bicycles in Madrid and go for a ride around the city. We usually ride around for hours having fun and then go together to eat hamburgers or pizza. I’m a very active person. I love working out, whether it is weight training, or cardio. Also, I like swimming, because being in the water relaxes me, and it keeps me in shape. I also love all kinds of fun adventurous activities that I can do with my family and friends, like going go-karting and racing. I am a very friendly person, and I love hanging out with my friends and my family (I have lots of cousins and aunts and uncles that I see very often, so it’s very fun). I am a (quiet) extrovert, so I love meeting new people, especially people from other countries, as I love learning about their stories and cultures. I like to help my family with household chores, especially learning to cook new recipes, and caring about the well-being of those around me. I am interested in doing a exchange year in the United States of America, because I like learning new languages, so it’ll be a great opportunity to improve my English, meet new people, and learn how to play/improve some typical American sports like football, baseball or basketball. Also, I really want to experience going to an American High School, like the ones we see all the time in the movies or shows on TV. I would love to become a part of your family and experience your daily life, customs and culture with you. You can count on me to join you in your family adventures and activities, and, of course, to help with household chores and around the house. I promise to be respectful, open-minded, and involved in your daily life. At school, I would love to become a part of the community and learn about its rules and customs, and also the school sports. I would also love to give a hand at school in any way I can. Thank you very much, Miguel