Dear Host Family,

To begin with, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Nor Rasya Qistina and you can call me Tina for short. I'll be graduating from my boarding school soon after I sit for my SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia), one of Malaysia’s National Examination. It is a pretty challenging exam for me as an 11th grade student. Homesickness was one of my biggest weaknesses but after 4 years in boarding school, I decided that it was a good choice for me as I was able to develop my maturity, improve my communication skills with people alongside teaching me how to be independent without my parents’ help! In fact, I belong in a happy family of 7 (plus 4 cats). Sadly, we rarely spend any time together due to my current circumstances. However, during school holidays, it is a must for my family having a family trip to other states in Malaysia!! That’s the only time we get the opportunity to gather and spend time together and we really enjoy it. We also spend time together at home like watching movies, talking about our daily life and sometimes playing video games with my other siblings! I don’t do much at home during my holidays but I do my responsibility by helping my mother preparing meals, do laundry and dishes!

As a teenage girl, I have tons of interests such as studying and playing sports! I’ve always been curious about how things work especially when it comes to Science! To be honest, I really enjoy learning Biology because I find it amazing how the human body functions works. And History? I extremely love it because it tells the stories of how the world came to be the way it is now especially about my own country. But when it comes to memorising for examination, I find it to be more challenging. Besides school stuff, I’m also into sports such as Tennis! It helps me clear my mind and stay active but its also teach me to be patient, strategic and not to give up easily! I like having that balance between learning and moving. I’m just trying to grow, learn and find out more about the world, whether it’s through books or a match on a tennis court.

Friends are one of my key factors of my self growth process! I love them as much as I love my own family! In school, I spend half of my time with my friends such as studying, eating, walking to school and playing sports together. I’m glad that I have a good circle of friends. But even if I have a group of close friends, it doesn’t mean I’m always in my comfort zone. As a school prefect, connections are important especially with my own batchmate. In school, everyone knows me because of my friendliness and my leadership skills. Every night before bed, it’s a must for us to finish our homeworks and study for tomorrow’s subjects. I’m sad that once we’re graduating from our current school, we’ll go with our own path either to continue our studies at different place or ect.

My house is far from my boarding school and the city I currently live in is known for its mix of modern skyscrapers and cultural landmarks blending traditions with progress. It’s a lively place full of diverse food, busy streets, and people from many different backgrounds. With shopping malls, public transport and green parks all close by, life here is always moving but never too far from comfort to be honest.

In the future, I really want to pursue my studies abroad! It’s one of my biggest dream ever and I really want to be the first person in my family that got to study abroad. I’m really into Biology, Chemistry and forensic so it would be nice if I get to continue my studies relating to it. I hope to be successful in my career so that my life can get better and more exciting for me and my family. I really want to bring them around the world and repay everything they did for me (I love my parents so much!)

I’m aware that I’ll be spending six months with my host family and I truly believe that to build a strong relationship with them, both sides must try to understand each other. One thing I hope my host my family understands about me is my religion. As a muslim, there are certain things I follow as part of my faith. When it comes to food, I can’t eat pork because it is considered haram (illegal) and about meat, it has to be “Halal” which means it must be prepared in a specific way including being slaughtered in Islamic ways. Prayer is also a big part of my daily life. I pray 5 times a day no matter where am I because it brings me peace, focus and reminds me of my purpose. All of these things from what I eat to how I pray are part of who I am and the values I carry with me everyday.

Joining this program means a lot to me because I see it as a chance to grow, learn and experience something completely new. I want to improve my communication skills and learn more about different cultures, values and how people view each other. I know that everyone has a different way of thinking and doing things. I’m excited to learn from those differences! I also hope that I’m able to share Malaysia’s unique cultures and learn more about the American life through this experience. Living with host family will help me adapt, make new friends and build meaningful connections with everyone. It’ll also push me to get out from my comfort zone and help me to be more confident, independent and open-minded. Most of all, I hope this experience will help me see the world in a better and more understanding way.

Sincerely,

Tina

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