Dear host family,

first of all I would like to say a huge thank you for giving me the opportunity to live with you. I know it’s not something to take for granted and I am really thankful for that!

 So, I am Berenike but almost everyone calls me Nike. I am 14 years old but I will turn 15.

I live in a village with my parents, my sister, my dog ‘Juna’ and my cat ‘Woody’. We have a garden where my sister and I liked to play when we were younger. Now we don’t use it as often anymore. Mostly when my dad grills something or in summer to enjoy the sun.

I have a mom and a dad. My mom is a teacher in primary school. My dad is a police officer.

I have a close relationship to my parents. We like to play board games in the evenings or go on small trips together. I am really thankful for having such great and caring parents.

I also have a close relationship to my grandparents. My father’s parents actually live in the same  village as we do. That’s really great! I usually see them once a week at least. They often help me when I  need a ride to practice or something like that and I can’t take the bus for any reason.

Like I have mentioned  I also live here with my sister. We get along great even though it wasn’t always like that. But now that we are older we share the same interests and we are not fighting as much anymore. We like to bake together or just sit and talk. I really enjoy that.

 Now I’ll tell you a little bit about my hobbies and interests. I play tennis once a week and I go to the gym twice a week. Sometimes with my friends, sometimes with my dad and sometimes alone. I like to play with my dog and my cat, I like to go shopping, to bake or to meet my friends. With my friends I like to make fun, to go to the mall or just to lay on the couch and watch a movie. We have a lot of fun together and when we meet up a great lough is guaranteed. 

My latest hobby is learning in instrument. I try to teach myself playing piano on a keyboard by using youtube tutorials. It makes a lot of fun!

But like every teenager I also like to lay in bed and watch Tiktok or Netflix sometimes. But there is one thing I love more than anything: To travel. I love exploring new countries or in general new places, new cultures and to get to know new people. Because of that I’m actually planning on becoming a flight attendant. I could see so many new places I’ve never been before and I love that idea.

That is also a reason why I want to do an exchange year. I’m so excited to meet you, to learn about your culture and your country! I’m also really excited to go to an actual American high school, to experience American Christmas celebrations and Halloween, to make new friends and especially make great memories. I know it won’t be easy all the time and there will be really difficult days but I think sometimes you just have to take the chance otherwise you’re just going to miss out on some of the greatest opportunities that life has in stock for you :-)

Maybe I can also tell you some things about Germany and show you some photos and videos of my life here, when I’m in the US.

Here in Germany I often help with unloading the dishwasher  or walking the dog. Of course I will also help you with chores and stuff when I’m there. Maybe I can also bake or cook some traditional German meals  for you. In general I really want to integrate myself into your family’s life. I want to help you and hopefully become a real part of your family.

To help you visualize what a usual day in my life looks like I will write you a short list:

06:30 a.m.:                      get up and get ready for school

07:30 a.m.:                      on my way to school

07:40 a.m. – 1 p.m.:         in school

1:30 p.m.:                        arrival at home

1:30  p.m. – 3 p.m.:          lunch and homework

3 p.m. – 7 p.m.:               free time: Sometimes gym or tennis, meeting friends, watching tv,

drawing, maybe studying or whatever

7 p.m.:                              dinner, but there is not a strict time for dinner

7:20 p.m. – 10 p.m.:          relaxing, maybe playing board games with my family, getting ready for bed

10.p.m.:                            Going to sleep, the time depends on how tired I am, sometimes it’s a little

bit earlier and sometimes a little bit later

That’s just a usual day, but it’s also often a little different when I’ve got specific things to do. Of course I’m open for your rules and habits!

I hope I was able to give you a little insight into my life in Germany and I’m already really excited to meet you. And again I can’t thank you enough for having me live with you for such a long time.

I’m really looking forward to it!

Best regards

Nike

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