I'm Dante, a 15-year-old boy from Brazil. I hope this letter gives you a little deeper idea of who I am, my dreams, and my thoughts about joining this exchange program in the US. My real fascination with the US—beyond the obvious stuff everyone knows—started when I read Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan at age 8. It wasn't only the story that hooked me; it was the place: Boston. My childhood curiosity kicked in, so I searched if the city was real, and it was! I continued searching and found out that it hosts the world’s most famous Universities: Harvard and MIT. Since then, I have dreamed of getting into one of them. It is funny – even now, most of my decisions are based in what can strengthen my application. Now about some things I like. I've never been into sports that involve tons of running, like football (soccer) or basketball—probably because I'm not great at them. But I don't mind; I'd love to give them a real shot. My experiences so far haven't been amazing, though. It might sound wild: a Brazilian boy who doesn't love soccer! In my free time, I adore listening to music. My all-time favorite singer is Adele, but I'm very eclectic, especially with English songs—they've helped me a lot to learn the language. School's always been smooth for me—no major exam struggles, and my grades stay high. Here in Brazil we have a lot of knowledge Olympiads, and I've scored solid results. I bet the US has something similar and I’d like to try it, but no worries if not. Another fact: I am a Japanese descendant and love Japan! I've visited twice—once with family, and once on an exchange where I made my best friends ever. We have weekly chats about everything, with a connection I've never felt with any other group. I'm the type with lots of "friends" but only a few true "best friends"—and luckily, I've collected quite a few of those in life. Now I look forward to making life long friends in the US, too! About food, I really like basically everything, and love trying new foods and especially cooking different things! During my holiday times in Brazil I always try to cook something different like Greek yogurt, macarons, esfihas, risotto, sour cream and even cream cheese! I love to cook this things with my hands, buying just the ingredients, makes it taste healthier and better than if you buy it already made. Brazil’s culture is so diverse and unique! I can share our fascinating history, social vibes—like the hugging culture, gambiarra (those clever, optimized improvised fixes for anything), being super excited, and tons more you've probably seen in those Aesthetic Brazil videos online.