Dear host family, My name is Jonathan. My parents are Martin and Marianne, and I have three brothers. My older brothers are Theodor and Simon, who are 22 and 19 years old. My youngest brother is Paul, and he is 10. We also have a dog named Cara. She is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and is 5 years old. My oldest brother, Theodor, studies geology, and my second oldest brother joined the German military a few months ago. Since both of them moved out, you might think our house feels a bit empty, but this school year we actually have a French speaking exchange student living with us. His name is Jalis, and he is from Geneva. Life at home is usually calm and well organized. We have schedules for who takes the dog out and when we eat. Sometimes it annoys me when I want to meet my friends but it’s my turn to walk the dog, but most of the time it works well. I go to school in nearby and I am in the tenth grade. My favorite subject is math because you are either right or wrong. I really dislike it when, for example in German class, my teacher has a different interpretation of a poem than I do and I get a worse grade because of it. In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym and jogging. I also like gaming with my friends, and I’m especially proud that I built my own PC. When it comes to sports, I regularly watch Formula 1. I don’t know if you watch F1, but there are three Grand Prix races in the United States: Miami, Las Vegas, and Austin. In the summer, I like going outside with my friends to play soccer (or football, as we call it in Germany) or table tennis, and just enjoy the warm weather. In winter, we usually go skiing once or twice a year, although I only really enjoy it when the weather is good and the slopes are freshly prepared. I have been playing the violin for over eight years, and I really enjoy it, especially when I get to play pieces I like. I want to do an exchange year mainly because I want to improve my English. I think my English is already pretty good for a German tenth grader, but there is always room to grow. I also really want to experience life in America. Many European teenagers dream of going there. You always see Christmas decorations, American houses, and traditions in movies or on social media, and I want to know what it’s actually like. I also watch a lot of American tech and gym influencers and see all the big fast food chains. I want to find out whether America—or certain parts of it—really looks and feels the way it does online or in the movies. I am really curious about getting to know the US more and in real life. After I finish school, I have a few ideas for my future. One of my biggest inspirations is to start my own PC building company. I follow a guy called ZTT who has his own PC building business in Pittsburgh, and that motivates me a lot. If that doesn’t work out, I would probably like to go to university and study something in science, although I’m not sure yet whether I prefer biology or mathematics. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I’m really looking forward to becoming part of your family and getting to know you in person. Best wishes Jonathan