Dear American Family,

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Kaja and I'm 15 years old, I have two of the most loving parents, a little brother, and a dog that I adore more than anything else in the world. My whole family are movie buffs. Every Friday we pick a movie to watch together. We also enjoy going hiking together with my dog, which we do often since we live close to a mountain in my city.

As far as responsibilities go, I'm always responsible for keeping my room clean and tidy and taking my dog out for a walk. Other responsibilities are divided evenly in my house, some days I make dinner, others I clean the dishes after.

I have always loved watching Formula One and my favorite team is Ferrari. Every Sunday without fail I watch the Grand prix either with friends or with my father who is also a big F1 fan. I love reading, specifically fantasy books but from time to time I do enjoy a good mystery book. Now I'm in my second year of high school and my favorite school subject is either Biology or Chemistry. After high school I want to study medicine and hopefully become a doctor one day. Outside of school I go to debate, in our weekly class I get to see all my friends, since most of us go to different schools it's good to catch up. Over the last 7 years that we have been taking classes together they have grown into some of my best friends, and I eagerly await the next debate class just so I can see then again.

Aside from my native language I also speak German and Turkish, while German is more commonly spoken, people aren't that surprised that I know it. But in my country not a lot of people speak Turkish so when I tell them that I speak it they are always surprised. Another thing that I do that a lot of people are surprised by, is that I train in fencing. Where I'm from fencing is not a widespread sport, there is only a single group of 20 people in my city that train it.

Most of the free time that I have I spend with my friends, either volunteering together or hanging out and about in the city. We go to cafes, the movies and one of our favorite activities to do is to ride our bikes along the river that flows through our city as the sun is setting. I live in the central area of my country, and though it's small compared to most capital cities it's full of life. My city is also known as the city of statues, there are hundreds of them, one on every city street.

I see this exchange as an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, to challenge my perspective and help me grow as a more adaptable and open-minded person. I also hope to build long lasting connections and make friends with people from all different backgrounds, and to help expand my worldview. If I do get the chance to go on this exchange, I can't wait to meet you and hopefully spend the next year living with you and creating life long memories.

-Kaja

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