Dear host family,

My name is Emily, I´m 15 years old and I come from a small suburb of a city in Germany. I live there together with my parents in a house with a little garden, where we also keep nine chickens. They often remind me that a new day has begun. My family and friends would describe me as open-minded, honest and smart. Even though I am sometimes a little forgetful, I listen well, approach new people openly and like to laugh.

My father is a vocational school teacher, but he works a few miles away, so he is only at home on weekends.  My mother works as a cleaner and is therefore often alone with me at home. At the weekend, we like to watch movies together or go out for dinner with my grandparents, for example, who live not too far from us. We don't see each other all the time, but I truly enjoy the moments we share especially on holidays or family gatherings. I am also very grateful to them for supporting my dream of moving to the U.S.. I also have two older sisters: My oldest sister lives in England. My second sister lives in her own apartment here in Germany. Even though we rarely see each other I love both of them very much and enjoy the little time we have together.

Next I would like to talk a bit about my everyday life. Of course, a huge part of my everyday life is school. There I´m currently attending the 9th grade of a grammar school. I always try hard and do my best and in the last few years it has paid off because I usually had one of the best grade point averages in my year. Specifically, I like the subjects politics and history, because I find it exciting to learn more about the connections in the world and to understand how our society works. I have also been learning English for seven years, but it is definitely not perfect. That´s why I´m looking forward especially to improve und maybe also getting an American accent.

To improve my English is not the only goal I have doing my exchange year, I want to become independent and more organized. I hope, that I find new friends and become a part of your family for a year. I also want to get to know new perspectives, be it in everyday life, at school or through conversations about political, cultural or personal experiences. I am looking forward to taking all these experiences with me, growing and coming back stronger. After my year abroad, I would like to do my A-levels and then study law with the aim of working for justice and social cohesion later on.

In my free time, I play volleyball once a week with teammates of all different ages. It´s always relaxed and fun. I also play flute, both in the school band “Mosen’s Brass Band” and in the church band. In addition, I do volunteer work with the children and youth work in our church. There I help to organize excursions, group lessons and other events. I spend time with my friends in many different ways for example going to a walk, going shopping or having a picnic. It´s only important for me that we always support each other, whether it’s a school project or other problems in the everyday life. I hope that I can find such good friends in America too.     

I support my family with everyday tasks like setting the table or taking out the trash. I like to cook and to bake. On weekends, I sometimes help with garden work, for example if something has to be repaired. Just like that I want to support your family in the household according to your wishes.

I´m already looking forward to have the possibility to try new school subjects, to experience American everyday life and to explore your culture. At the same time, I would be happy to bring my own culture closer to you, for example by cooking a typical German dish, telling you about other traditions or teaching you a few German words, if you´d like - perhaps with little tongue twisters or typical sayings.

In the end, I want to say thank you for taking your time to read this letter and for considering giving me the opportunity to become part of your family. It´s my biggest dream to live one year in the U.S. and go to an American high school. I would be very happy to get to know you and make many wonderful memories together.

Best regards

Emily

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