Dear host family,

my name is Sheena, and I am a 16-year-old student from Germany. I was born in a different city but moved to a smaller town when I was two. I grew up there, attended kindergarten, and primary school, and then met my friends in the Gymnasium, the high school, I still attend today. Currently, I am in 10th grade and excited to graduate with the completion of the 13th.

I live in a family home with my mom, my dog, and my grandparents. My mom and I live on the ground floor while my grandparents live upstairs. My grandmother, whom I call Nonna, was born in Papua New Guinea and worked as an elementary school teacher before retirement, and my grandfather, Nonno, was born in the USA. I don't call them grandmother and grandfather but Nonna and Nonno, which is the Italian meaning of it. My Nonna's cousin lives in Italy, so they got the idea from her. They are really important to me and support my mom and me a lot. My mom is currently still a stay-at-home mom since she gave birth to me at a very young age. She has always been there for me and has helped me through everything these past 16 years. We have a very close and connected relationship, and she is one of the few reasons my dream was managed to be achieved. My Dog, Linde, is a black Lab, and she has been with us for the past three years and is turning 4 this June. I love her a lot, and she has always been there for me in hard timesor just in my daily life.

My school has about 500 students, as it is a private school it has fewer students than most schools. However, this doesn't stop us from having rather big classes. Take my class, for example. There are currently 29 students. This is not a norm, though. Most classes have between 19 and 23 students.

The German school system is a bit different, as you might know. Unlike your classes, we share all of our classes with the same people, starting in the 5th grade. Only beginning of grade 12, this changes. Our classes become courses. Also, our schooldays aren't nearly as long. Normal days start at 8 am and end at 1 pm. Sometimes there will be days when one will have classes until 3:25 pm or even 5 pm, but these are not often and vary for different schools, grades, and days. My favorite subject lately is Chemistry. I have always found it very interesting, and I also love our teacher in Chemistry and Biology because she has always cared for the well-being of every student and makes sure to make her lessons interesting and interactive.

Our school is known for its individuality and creativity. From a choir to the chess club, from basketball to the school paper, our school has it all. After-school activities are a big thing at our school and are happily accepted by the students. This also counts for me. I participate in quite a few after-school activities provided by the school, even if it leaves less time for otherthings. I, for example, sing in the choir, act in drama club, and write the school paper together with some friends. All these activities happen once a week. These clubs typically bring cool events with them. A week of rehearsals just for drama club and at the end three or four performances, traveling to another country with the choir to our partner school or staying in school for a sleep-over for the school paper club, while working on the new edition. In drama club, I have always had very cool roles. Last year, we performed 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Shakespeare I played the Queen of the Elves. I really liked that role, she had many character traits that I admired about her. She will always be a reason I am able to come out of my comfort zone the way I can now.

All my after-school activities are hobbies that I pursue during the week and on weekends, though these are not all of my hobbies. While singing, acting and writing have a huge hold on me, reading, drawing/sketching, or skiing, as well as swimming (not professionally) are very important to me, but not to forget, I love being creative. Whether it is knitting or building something, I am up for it. I often get building sets from my mom, which are for building tiny houses or rooms. I make them from wood and cloth, but also electronics are a part of the deal. For example, the lights. I really love how it challenges my patience, concentration, and creativity.

One more passion I would like to acknowledge is learning new languages. In primary school, I was never a language person, it would always be math. My whole family thought I would one day study something like architecture. This changed when I entered middle school. I guess I always admired my uncle's talent for languages and as my interest in K-pop grew, so did my fascination with the language, South Korea, and its culture. I started to get a still growing interest in languages and decided to pursue languages in the future. Right now, I am learning quite a few, like French (in school), Spanish or Italian. I also started with a few Asian languages like Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Though I have to admit, that I have not come too far with these languages since I simply do not have the time, it is still my goal to master at least a few of them. I try practicing as much as possible – watching movies or series in their original language or listening to music. This often helps me improve.

Talking about my future, I have many ideas that I might want to follow. After graduation, I plan on moving and studying in Berlin, maybe living with my best friend. I chose Berlin because I have always had a special place in my heart for that city. It has always felt like asecond home for me since my uncle used to live there and when I was younger we would always visit him. I am not quite sure what I will be studying, since I have many interests. But one thing is for sure, it will be something including languages. Potentially international economy, but being a diplomat would also be a very interesting job. On the other hand, I would like to include myself in politics or work as a military physician, though, that is not my first choice.

At last, I would like to tell you the reason I want to participate in this international experience. When my uncle was my age, he participated in a year abroad to the United States as well. Since I never got to go to the United States as a child, it quickly became a dream of mine to visit not only the country but also get to know new people, and experience living in it. I want to experience the different school systems and see big cities and wide landscapes. As I want to stay in California, there is so much I want to encounter. The big beaches, the warm weather, big cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Hollywood sign, and the San Diego Zoo. Of course, I also hope to benefit from this exchange by growing personally and academically. Life in the U.S. will help me improve my English and become more independent. And not to forget, life-long friendships, new perspectives, and skills for the future.

I consider myself a very social and extroverted girl and can tolerate changes and adapt to new situations quite well. For me, this year abroad is not just to experience the new country, but also a challenge to experience the unknown and help me grow and prepare for my future, that is why it would be an incredible opportunity to take part in this experience.

Sincerely,

Sheena

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