Dear Host Family,

Before typing in the rest of the letter, I'll take the very opportunity to introduce myself. The name's Hasif and this year, I'll be graduating from boarding school. Also, just because my parents sent me to boarding school, it doesn't mean they hate me or anything. In fact, I belong to a happy family of 5 (plus 7 cats). We rarely get the opportunity to meet up since my brother and sister are currently furthering their studies (and me in boarding school). However, when we all are able to meet up, we try to make the best out of the moments. For example, our father usually would take us on trips to local tourist spots to spend time together. Though, that's only for special occasions as we usually spend time at home, playing with the cats and watching movies together. That was the fun part. As for the not-so-fun one, these furry creatures usually cause a lot of mess at home. It's my responsibility to take care of the mess, from bottom to top floor of the house.

Hobbies? Yeah, lots of them. I would say my favourite would be watching math videos on TikTok and trying to solve them myself. This got me involved in various math competitions but all of this seems a little nerdy. I also spend time on sports such as football (we don't call it soccer), badminton and tennis.

All of this was impossible without the help of my friends of course. Holidays were rare, so we spent endless nights at boarding school making memories, whether it's a sleepover, playing ball until late night or a last-minute study before our exams. It wasn't just academics, they taught me how to juggle my first football, becoming a leader, being a math nerd and of course, having a good sense of humour (please laugh). Being from Malaysia, it's no surprise my friends are all from different racial backgrounds, such as Malay, Chinese, Indian and a lot more. However, this didn't stop them from being my friends for life.

Also, I did mention holidays were rare, right? Coming back home each time is always a new experience. New highways, restaurants and alleyways were something to expect every time. It shows how much the city is constantly changing, except for the fact that every night is surely a lively one. People hang out at restaurants until late night. Sometimes, it's too lively that it keeps the neighbourhood awake.

Anyway, all the academics and curriculum in school I had gone through is surely for the sake of my future. Making sure it's bright as it can be of course. The way I visualise myself having a bright future is me sitting down at my own office as a consultant actuary from big companies such as Deloitte, Milliman and a lot more. However, it doesn't necessarily mean being an actuary. As long as my life revolves around numbers even as a teacher, that alone is enough.

All this talking and I'm not talking about myself properly...., yet. I'm always doing something new, even if I'm not good at doing them. For example, I've always played basketball, but I can't even score a proper 2-pointer. Although, this is exactly what made me the type of person I am today. I would never learn how to do proper debates or do the perfect science project.

This is exactly the type of behaviour I intend on bringing to America. Things such as ice hockey, baseball or even horse riding are the ones I dreamt of doing when coming there (depends on which state I'll be in). I promise (I hope so) I wouldn't be THAT bad. With this behaviour, I hope my host family and friends return the same energy. I really hope we all can learn on embracing each other's culture. Whether it's eating with our bare hands, drinking straight up tap water or the different outfits we have. I can't wait to show off my traditional fits. Talking about outfits, I really want to experience thrifting since I heard most teenagers there spend less while making themselves look better. And of course, if I end up with host siblings (if you're reading this), there's a lot I want to catch up with all of you.

Anyway, I would like to apologize if I made any stereotypical assumptions. But hey! That's the purpose of this program, right? Hope we get to learn about each other more and I really can't wait to meet you all.

Your exchange student,

Hasif    

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