Dear American Family,

Hope this letter finds you well. I am getting excited when I think that soon I will meet you and we will share unforgettable experiences and memories together. My name is Arina. I am a 16 years old teenager who is looking for new adventures, maybe I got this from my parents. They are so optimistic, they have many friends and they cannot live without journeys. But my family is beautiful not only because of this, what makes us actually happy every day is my sister's smile. She is 13 and has a disability but I have never met in my life a person who can be more positive or determined than her. We love so much to sing together. Always when I learn some new songs she learns them with me, I am so proud of her. Often we are so busy, we all have an active life, but we try to spend our free time together. We can go for a walk or just sit at home and share stories, my dad is the best storyteller. I hope we will do the same! We also have some responsibilities, as we live in a house on the ground. My dad does all the work outside, my mom cooks and does the laundry, my sister and I are responsible to keep our house clean.

In my life I am lucky not only with my family, I also have many friends, only few of them are really close, but our friendship is a treasure. We share many experiences, they are volunteers like me so we have spent so much time together helping people and developing ourselves. Unfortunately now with many of them we are separated by distance, but nothing can stop us. I understand our friendship won't last forever, people come and go, but I enjoy every moment of my life.

Huh, I have so much to tell you. I have many interests and hobbies. I adore music, I always say "Music is my life", hope you love music too. As much as I remember myself, I sing, for approximately 9 years I have played violin. I am not a second Paganini, but I love this instrument because it gets life in my hands. I love to play piano. I didn't get the opportunity to learn how to play it, just one year at the musical school as the second instrument. I got the opportunity to learn to sing. I was a part of a folklore ensemble where I learned about my culture. I was a part of a choir and most importantly I took vocal lessons where I learned about American music. I hope in your family I'll learn new things about American music and culture. I love arts, but I have never been to a theater. This is my little dream. Besides I love science, I love neurobiology. I am just so curious and want to find out how the world works. I love the educational field and I volunteer in this field often. I want to contribute to the development of my community. My town is so small, but it is beautiful. Even here we can find many opportunities. The peripheries of the town are the best, here are the best sunrises and sunsets.

In this experience I want to take the best things that I can take from you and your community. We can try many things, new activities or just share our traditions. I would like to know about your life and even more to be a part of it. I already know that you are wonderful people and can't wait to meet you.

With sincere respect,
Arina

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