Dear future host family, First of all I would like to thank you for spending some time with reading my letter. My name is Nele and on the day of my departure I will be 16 years old. I live in a big city in Germany in a apartment with both of my parents and my older brother Luis. He is 18 years old and will start studying this summer at a university here in Germany. My mother works at a public administration and my dad works at a hospital. Here, I can't have a dog because it is a big city but I would love to have a dog. On a normal weekday, I wake up around 6:45 a.m. and get ready for school. At 7:30, I take the bus to school. Class starts at 8 a.m. and usually ends around 2 p.m. I have about seven lessons each day. After school, I take the bus home with my friends. At home, I usually eat something with my mom and my brother. Then I do my homework or study for upcoming exames. In the afternoon, I sometimes meet my friends, go to basketball practice or help at a elementry school as a volunteer. In the evening, my family and I eat dinner together. After that, we usally watch TV together or play board games to relax. I'm currently in 10th grade and my favorite subjects are English and politics. I would describe myself as more of an introverted person, so sometimes I enjoy spending some time on my own, but I also really like meeting up with my friends. In my free time, I enjoy going to the opera, theater, concerts or the cinema as a special event. I also like sewing, listening to music and playing board games with my family. I've been playing basketball for six years now and I am also the team captain, which is something I am really proud of. Apart from keeping my room clean, I don´t really have fixed responsibillities at home, but often I go shopping in the supermarket with my parents, I vacuum-clean the kitchen or empty the dishwasher, if my mother wants me to do that. I would love to spend a year abrod, because I want to learn more about your culture and improve my language knowlege. I'm also really interested in experiencing the differences between Germany and the USA. I'm very exited to meet you as my host family and to get to know your everyday life. I would love to have host siblings, but that's not something I need, I´m just happy to be part of a family. I'm also looking forward to going to a highschool and maybe even joining some school clubs. If possible, I would love to play basketball during my exchange year. In the US, women sports, especially basketball, are more supported and respected than in Germany and I think it would be a great experience to be part of that. I'm very exited to come to you and meet you in person. I'm very thankful that you would take care of me for a whole year! With best wishes, Nele.