Dear Host Family,

Hello! My name is Hussin and I'm a boarding school senior in Malaysia. I'll try my best to convey my feelings through this short essay! I've been studying in my current boarding school for 5 years and I believe that I've changed a lot. At first, it was difficult to stay at a place far away from my family, but I eventually learned how to adapt to new situations. It's safe to say that I feel confident and independent without them now. Though.. I of course miss them every day.

My family consists of 6 wonderful people. My father, mother and 3 amazing sisters... and me, the only male sibling. My father is like any other father. He can be strict at some times, but I know it's because he loves us and wants the best for us. He is also a self-employed man who sometimes asks help from me whenever he is building a piece of furniture for our house. The advice he gives is amazing and the never-ending support from him is what earns my respect. Onto my mother now, she is a lecturer but as her children, I've never felt like she has been distant from us. What I mean is she is very busy but she somehow is able to make time for her family. As I grew up, she never ceases to amaze with her amazing time management and I always want to learn that skill from her! That way it would help me with my procrastination problem. Lastly, my sisters are all my best friends and the closest people to me. Even though we are years apart, I have never felt distant or awkward because of it. We enjoy hanging out together, watch movies and talk about how our life had been. These moments definitely make me feel really close to my family. Oh, and there's me who is responsible for doing laundry, dishes and cleaning the porch. You'll learn more about me as you read, I'm sure.

About me, I'm very interested in always trying something new. Experiencing different things here and there is just so fulfilling to me. That means, I'm very open to all possibilities and situations, plus, I'm confident that I can adapt to your family in the future as I did every time I enter a new place. Besides that, I love involving myself with singing. It just gives me so much freedom and I can convey myself through lyrics. I also love how I can improve myself in a field that I love doing as a hobby. I prefer movies over series because I feel more productive with my time and I'm not really the type to remember which episode I was on. Movies such as horror, action and musical are my personal favourites. Lastly, I really love being around people. I would always go to a mall that has lots of people here because I get to see different faces, fashion styles and sometimes foreigners. This is because I get to meet many new people and just being around them recharges my energy. 

Moving on, I have many friends in my school. In fact, I'm almost friends with everyone. Being in many friend groups is really fun as you can be yourself in every group and they still accept me for who I am. Basically, we do everything together. That is the key factor as to why I'm friends with almost everyone. As a boarding school student, who else is going to be your sibling while you're away from home? We learn together, play sports together and support each other as brothers and sisters of the same school.

My town is next to a river and its history is deep rooted. The buildings here maintain the style of the 90s structure in Malaysia, so there are no skyscrapers, big malls, and most shockingly for some people, there isn't even a cinema anywhere in town! Nevertheless, I believe that my town has mostly everything available and the people here are friendly too, even though they come from many different backgrounds and ethnics.

I plan to pursue an Accounting course in university because I aspire to live a 'work from home' lifestyle. With that being said, I want to become an Actuarist or Auditor to finally have a stable income for my future family. Ultimately, I'm going to look for scholarships to aid me in continuing my studies in the U.K. to graduate with a degree that would make my parents proud. 

I would like to say that I'm happy to be placed in any family that is willing to accept me as someone who will be living together for 6 months. I would try my best to fit into your family by joining movie nights together, maybe taking care of a pet and having heart to heart talks around the table. I am looking forward to making the 6 months memorable and hopefully successful in sharing my culture with the family. I am excited to learn about American culture that I've only seen online through TV shows. I'm sure those are very stereotypical but I'm hoping to experience a few exclusive experiences that are not widely known in Malaysia especially Easter, Thanksgiving and prom.

Finally, what I wish to gain from this program is personal improvement. I hope that I can be more courageous and helpful towards society. I also wish to become a great example here in Malaysia to prove that there is no need to feel awkward or distant with people from different backgrounds. Besides that, I wish to broaden my insight so that I can be more mature and ready to embrace the future and pursue my dreams. Last but also the most important, I wish to gain life-long friends and of course, an unbreakable bond with you, my entire future host family, who will become an unforgettable part of my life.  

Sincerely, 
Hussin  

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