Dear host family,

My name is Ricardo, I'm 16 years old and I live in Spain. First of all I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself. I would say I am someone who has a lot of ambitions and who is very capable of doing anything he wants. I am also very independent, I love spending time by myself doing things like listen to music or watch shows. However, I also love spending time with my family and hanging out with my friends. My life here in Spain is very busy, I live in a very big city so there is always something to do.

I have always wanted to study abroad but was a little bit scared to go alone to another country and start a life there. A couple of years ago, my sister went to the US for a year and had an amazing time, seeing her accomplish that, made me feel like I could do it too. Ever since she got back, we did not talk about anything else other than how amazing having that opportunity was so I decided it was time to take that step and go for it.

I am the second of three siblings, I have two sisters with whom I am very close with. I live with my parents, my two sisters and my great aunt. We also have a dog, she is very little and loves to play with us. My relationship with my parents is very good. I love talking to my dad, I do not know how he does it but he always has a dad joke for everything, it is hilarious. We enjoy watching Fomula 1 races together, we are always tuned in and ready to support Fernando Alonso, he is our favorite driver. Me and my mom have always been closer, we have always understood each other very good and I really enjoy watching horror films with her, it is so funny when she gets scared. She is a great cook, she has always made all sorts of recipes. When we were little, we used to ¨help¨ her make desserts, it was very fun. My little sister is the only one out of us three that is actually good at cooking, it has always been her hobby.

My older sister and I get along better because we are into the same things, for example music. We have a lot of friends in common so we spend a lot of time together. Even though we're not the same age, we are very close and get along very good. My great aunt has lived with us for several years now, she is one of the funniest people I know. I really enjoy spending time with her and listening to her stories, they are unbelievably funny. I also spend a lot of time with my grandparents, they are very generous people and love to have the entire family around. We are a very big family so getting together is very difficult but when we do, we always have an amazing time together.

I have a lot of hobbies but the one that stands out are amusement parks. I have always been very interested in how roller coasters work and how they are built, because of that interest, I literally looked up every single roller coaster element, I loved it. Years ago, me and my family got the season pass for the amusement parks in my city and a few months later, I met a group of people there who had the same interest in roller coasters than I did, ever since then we have been very close friends. The interest I had in how things were built, specially roller coasters, led me to want to be an engineer and design them when I got older.

Another hobby I have is listening to music, it is something that even though I do every day, I never get tired of it. My favorite music genre is hip hop, both in spanish and english. I really enjoy going to concerts with my friends and getting to see my favorite artists perform live, like Travis Scott. Soccer has always been my favorite sport, to watch and to play. I have been playing it since I was five, I have played every position, but the one I would say I am better at is defense. Real Madrid is my all time favorite soccer team. Me, my dad and my great aunt never miss a game, we always have a good time watching them play, they are the best.

Every year, me and my family go skiing, it is a tradition we have. I have been skiing since I was little, my dad and granpa taught me how to ski. It makes me feel free and throughout the years I have improved my technique, I am able to go down all kinds of slopes.

My goal in life is to be happy and content with what I have achieved. I want to have a job that fulfills me and makes me feel motivated while also making good money. I want to be able to take care of my family and keep doing our traditions.

While I am in the US, I hope to improve my english level and have a better accent.

On top of that, I am really looking forward to spending time with you and have you show me your traditions and your¨american¨ life. I am very excited to experience the american version of halloween, thanksgiving, christmas and other important holidays. Like I said before, I have always played soccer in Spain and I would really like to be part of my high school's soccer team. However, I would also really like to play baseball, it is a sport that I have never actually played but that I find very interesting. I would really like to try out for the team. 

Thank you for your attention, I am looking forward to meeting you and spending next year with you.

Sincerely,

Ricardo.

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