Dear host family,

My name is Bruna. I am currently sixteen years old. I love my parents very much. I have two dogs, Shakira and Freddy, I love my dogs a lot. I don’t know yet who will read this letter, but I am already very thankful to you for receiving me at your home and letting me be part of your family, my whole heart is feeling grateful for you letting me have this amazing opportunity.

My parents are divorced, but that is not something bad for me, I am very close to both of them and already know that I will miss them a lot during the program. I am very close to my grandmothers, to my aunt and godmother and my uncles.

I’ve always wanted to do an exchange program because I love learning about different cultures. One of my favorite things to do is travelling, to see new places, meet new people, hear new languages, eat new foods and to know new ways of living. So, I decided that the best way to do this was living abroad. My parents also always wanted me to do an exchange program and when they asked me if I wanted to do it, I immediately said yes!

It is really important for me to be close to my friends and family, being able to trust those people and to create deep and meaningful connections, I really want to be like this with my host family. I am really looking forward to meeting you, my host family, to know how it feels to be inside an American family, to experience your habits and learn more about your culture and the American way of living.

I grew up watching lots of American movies and series and always listening to American music. A very specific thing that I am much excited is to celebrate special holidays that I don’t have in my country, like Thanksgiving and Halloween, and also Christmas and New Years Eve (those two we do celebrate in Brazil, but it’s very different from the USA). By that, you can see that I am a festive person.

I believe that through the program, I will develop many skills, like being more independent, confident, disciplined, self-sufficient, less shy, more open to new experiences, create new connections, and I will also improve my English.

I consider myself an extrovert person, even though I might be shy sometimes when I’m around people I don’t know, but that has always been something I could handle. I am thoughtful and loyal to my friends and family, happy, friendly, smart and studious, intense, I speak out for what I believe is right, I’m a determined and energetic person. I’ve always liked experiencing new things.

I enjoy a lot listening to music, especially from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I like listening to mostly pop, rock and MPB (that means Brazilian Popular Music). I like all kinds of movies but horror. My favorite TV show is How I Met Your Mother.

I like going to the gym (I would appreciate it if I could maintain that during the program). I enjoy coloring, drawing and painting, especially with watercolor. I like getting ready, doing make up, choosing clothes and painting my nails. I enjoy reading books, and I’m trying to be more disciplined to read more often. I really like going out and hanging out with people (family and friends). I like cooking and baking, that’s something I believe it would be a great activity to do with my host family, as I can introduce you to Brazilian cuisine and you can introduce me to American dishes.

My household chores are doing the dishes after lunch, sometimes I do my own laundry, I take care of my dogs and everything that is connected to them (like cleaning their stuff, giving them food and water) and I keep my room organized. 

It is a fact that adapting to a new country, far away from my family, won’t be easy and I am aware that there will be a lot of challenges that I will have to face, but I am sure I wil overcome all of them.  

My routine is quite busy: I study at a very good (but difficult) school, I like it very much, even though it demands a lot of time. I have English classes four times a week, and Spanish classes twice a week. I do a volunteering program once a month for my school. I had Drama classes for a long time, I don’t have it anymore, but it was something that I liked a lot, so I hope I will have this opportunity at the American school. 

 I hope I was able to tell you a little bit more about me with this letter. 

See you soon!

Hugs,

Bruna

Interested in hosting—whether 6-8 weeks or the entire school year?