Dear Family, My name is L., I’m 16 years old and I live in a fairly well‑known city in northern Italy with my family: my mom, my dad, and my sister. In general, I’m an outgoing person; I’m ironic, I love being funny, and I enjoy making people laugh. This is how I am most of the time, although there are moments when I prefer to be more reserved. When I meet someone new, I might seem a bit shy at first, but that’s only because I need some time to understand what the person I’m meeting is like. After a short while, I become very talkative. One of my most special traits is empathy: I can easily understand how people feel and how to help them. My friends often come to me to talk about their problems. I’m also kind, inclusive, understanding, and I always try to be careful with my words so as not to hurt anyone. I’m reasonable and rational, and I always think carefully about the pros and cons before doing something. I’m very loyal to the people I care about—I would never hurt someone I love. There are four people in my family. My mom, S., is 52 years old and she’s a teacher. My dad, Z., is 53 and works in a bank. I also have a sister, A., who is 13. I have a very good relationship with all of them. They would do anything for me and they always want me to be happy. I often joke around with my sister; we love spending time playing together. We always have dinner as a family, talking about our day, laughing, and having fun. I consider myself very lucky to have them. I study in a linguistic high school, so my main subjects are languages: English, Spanish, German, and of course Italian. I do well in school, even though I don’t always enjoy studying; it depends on the subject. My favorite subjects are English and Italian, but the ones in which I get the highest grades are History and Spanish. I’m not very good at scientific subjects; in fact, the ones I struggle with the most are Math and Science. I like my school, but I’m not a big fan of the Italian school system because we have to study a lot. My hobbies include going out with friends, listening to music, and shopping. I love my friends; when I’m with them I’m happy, I don’t think about problems, and I just have fun. We do many activities together, and those moments will always be some of my best memories. As I said, I love music; my favorite genre is pop, and I could listen to it all day long. I also really enjoy TV series and movies, and in general I love watching TV. I know it’s not really a hobby, but I love traveling. I have visited many places and I want to see many more. My family has a caravan, so we often go camping together. I’m usually an active person, so I love trying new things and living new experiences. My favorite sport is cheerleading. I practiced it for eight years, and I consider my team like a second family. In Italy, cheerleading is very different from how it is in the USA: we don’t perform for football teams, we only compete, and the routines are more acrobatic. On a typical school day, I wake up at 7 AM. I have breakfast, get ready, and go to school. Classes begin at 8 AM and end at either 12 PM, 1 PM, or 2 PM, depending on the day. After school, I go home, have lunch, and relax for one or two hours. Then I do my homework, have a snack, and on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays I go to cheerleading practice. When I get back home, I take a shower and then have dinner. After dinner, I usually watch TV or listen to music. Then I get ready for bed, and I go to sleep around 10:30 PM. These are the activities I do during the week. This is me. I can’t wait to find out who my host family will be. See you soon, L. M.