My name is Berta, I’m 14 years old. I am thrilled to spend a year in the United States as an exchange student. This experience will allow me to discover a new country, share my culture, improve my English, and learn about American traditions. I can’t wait to live with you, exchange our customs, and create unforgettable memories.

I live in a small town in the North East. Although it's not as big as the closest capital itself, its proximity allows me to enjoy all the city has to offer, including its famous architecture and beaches. I’ve always loved animals, especially dogs, but due to family circumstances, we’ve never had one. Instead, my grandmother gave my sister and me two fish, "Orange" and "Golden." Later, we had a hamster named "Snow." They’ve all passed away, but I’ll always cherish the time we had with them.

My family consists of my father, my mother, my 12-year-old sister and me. My father works as a regional director for a transport company, and my mother is an export manager. They have always supported me in my studies and personal growth. Sofia and I get along well, although, like any siblings, we sometimes argue. We love spending time together baking, playing games, or just chatting. We are a close family, and on weekends, we enjoy activities like cooking, watching movies, or going to the countryside.

In my free time, I love baking with my sister, especially on Saturdays. I also have a strong interest in biology and anatomy, as I’ve always been fascinated by medicine. I hope to study medicine in the future, possibly specializing in surgery. I also practice athletics three times a week, which keeps me active and social. I enjoy spending time with my friends, whether it’s at the beach, ice skating, or just hanging out in the city.

In Spain, we celebrate many important holidays, and Christmas is one of the most special. We start the season by opening an Advent calendar, decorating the house with lights, and setting up a Nativity scene. On Christmas Eve, we gather for a festive dinner with traditional dishes, and after the meal, we eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus, or "Father Christmas." Christmas Day is spent with extended family, sharing a big meal and celebrating together. Another special holiday is the Three Kings Parade on January 5, when the Kings travel through the streets, throwing gifts and sweets to children. We also celebrate Holy Week in the city where my aunt and father live. The emotional atmosphere of these celebrations is very important to us.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to spend this year with you. I’m excited to share my culture, language, and traditions with you, and I look forward to learning about yours. I’m committed to making our time together enjoyable and respectful, and I’m sure this will be an unforgettable experience for both of us.

With love and gratitude, Berta.

Dear host family,

My name is Lisa, I am 16 years old, and I am still in school. I would like to spend a school year in the US. It has been my desire to go abroad for a long time. The experiences of my friends who recently had an exchange year in the USA and Canada really impressed me and strengthened my wish to have this experience myself. A year in the US would not only improve my English skills but also promote my independence which is very important to me. I am aware that a year abroad comes with challenges, but I am excited for the experiences and the opportunity to grow as a person.

I've been playing tennis once a week for 4 years in a tennis club. I do and enjoy fitness. I also did a 3 week internship on a horse farm and I like horses. At school, I'm in the drama club.

Now is the perfect time for me, as I will be changing schools after this school year. A year in the US would help me make this transition meaningful and allow me to gather many new impressions before I complete my Abitur in Germany.

I am an open and curious person who enjoys getting to know new people and cultures. I am particularly fascinated by the US because it offers many opportunities to gain everyday experiences outside of my own family. I look forward to living with a host family, experiencing American school life, and participating in various extracurricular activities.

Kind regards

Lisa

Dear host family,  

My name is Emily. I’m fifteen years old and I live in Germany. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about you yet, so I’ll introduce myself and my interests first. I live in an apartment close to downtown. I live there with my mum, Melanie, my father, Achim and my two birds. I also meet my grandparents at least once a week. My family is a very important part of my life, and we like to do trips together or just sit together and play games or talk. At home I also have a few obligations, for example I usually do the dishes and cook sometimes. Of course, I love to spend time with my friends in my free time. I often meet them on the weekends, and we do something fun togetherJ. For example, meeting at someone’s home or playing tennis together, that’s also very great! My hobbies are playing tennis and go swimming, but I also love watching basketball or soccer. I would definitely like to try something new in America and if you have any special hobbies I would like to try them too! I have always loved to travel, and the United States have always fascinated me. I am currently in the tenth grade, but I will be entering eleventh grade this summer.  Unfortunately, in Germany there are not so many different subjects to choose from compared to american highschools. That’s why I am very curious what it is like to go on an American school and experience daily life in the US. My favorite subjects are PE and history. After school I walk home with a friend and do my homework. I also go to a gym or sports club twice a week. Besides I’d like to improve my English and learn to speak fluently. I think that America will be an awesome experience for me and that it will have a big influence on my life and personality! I love to try new things, find out more about different cultures, people and languages. I really hope that I’ll be able to become a part of your family :) When I’m in America I can also show you something of the german culture for example I could cook a german dish for you! I’ll do my best to be integrated in your family. I am glad to see you soon in America and I’m so excited. Thank you very much for letting me live with you for the half year. 

Yours sincerely! 

Emily

Hi future host familly.

Today I want to speak about me, my life, my familly my friends, so you can get to know me better.

I can start talking about the first years of life, I was born in a relative small city that is in the north of the country. For me, it is the pretiest city that I know ( at the moment, my host city could be the first of the list😉) and that is because is the best city to grow when you are a child, the city is really safe and you can move around easily with your friends.

Right now, we are around 40 people in my friends group, and that is soo cool, because we are too many and we can spend plenty of time together doing different plans.

When I was 11 we moved to a bigger city in Spain, at the start I was bit stressed about the new city and friends but when I entered at the school all changed because I met a lot of new people, and they are marvelous.

Nowadays I mantein all those friends and more of them. If I have to mention 2 they shuld be Matias and Marcos. We enjoy spending time together, talking and playing.

Now we talk about my familly. My Mum is the person that I love the most I think and i know that we can argue sometimes but I think that is normal. With my father I spend plenty of quality time watching soccer and the NBA. My 2 sisters that are June and Aitana, we have a good relationship, we can have arguments sometimes though, but it is normal, I love them a lot.

About what are my hobies, the first one it could be play sports. The first one is soccer, I love play it but I am not to good but doesn't matter because I am really happy playing and I have so much fun.

The second is the music and this is because I spend a lot of time listening to music of a lot of kinds for example American rap or reggaeton, I only say two becouse if I start I don't end.

Other hobbie are the animals and the nature and if I have to be sencerely I don't know what is but it should be thanks to my mother becouse she also love the nature, we have a litle village in the mountains and it is her favourite place.

Now talking about me I love going to have a walk to the mountains why my dog Kala that I also show in the video.

Finally but not less important spend time with my friends doing what ever, playing video games, practicing sports or at school, for me spending time with my friends is really importat, I appreciate friendship very much.

One thing that I should have said before is that I am very active but in other hand I also like stay at home watching a movie or a serie or playing boards games. So I can be active but also relaxing.

At the end I have to talk about what motivate me to do this and study abroad a whole year is becouse I like changes and new things. Another reason is that I like the idea of live in a new culture and country and love it, at a sumary I want to have a change and know a new culture and country.

I am excited about meeting my future host family and I am sure we will have a great time together.

Thank you for this amazing opportunity

Adrian

My dear American family:

Hello, I'm Jimena and I'm 14 years old. I love helping others and discovering new experiences. I'm a sporty girl. I play basketball and also enjoy learning about new sports. I like to cook and paint. I consider myself a responsible and adaptable person. My country is beautiful and the city where I live is rich in culture and history that I would like to show you.

I'm a family girl, in my family we do activities together like eating on special days or watching movies. My father works in a bank and my mother is a psychologist. I have a 19-year-old brother with whom I have a great time because of all our things in common. I also spend time with my grandmother and we had a great time together. Over the years I have had several pets which shows my love for animals. I also enjoy a lot with small children since I connect very well with them. I'm in a Catholic school taking 9º grade. My favorite subjects are biology, English and math. I consider myself a good student and when I grow up I aspire to be a doctor, a dream I have had since I was three years old. I think it's a fascinating race. In addition, this involves helping people, which is one of the things I like to do.

Currently in my group of friends we are four girls but I also usually meet with my teammates from the basketball team. During the week I organize myself and go to school, do sports, stay with friends and spend time with family. I am part of the young group of my Easter brotherhood where we prepare the processions, attend mass and have a great time. Some of the reasons why I would like to live in the USA is because of my interest in its culture. Since my brother organized his exchange to the USA which he could not do due to the pandemic, I have been very interested in this one. I want to try with you a new experience in an environment where I share my hobbies and culture. I want to grow as a person by becoming more responsible and independent.

I have previously traveled to the USA with my family to New England, New York and Florida. And from those trips I fell in love with the country. These will always be remembered as unforgettable experiences just like the one I hope to live with you in my year of exchange. In my house we all help and cook since we are very good at it. I perform tasks such as putting the dishwasher, tidying up the table, cleaning my room, taking out the trash, making the bed and laundry... We eat healthy food of all kinds. My strong point is the pastry but I can make any other type of food without problem since it is something I enjoy. I want to be able to share the gastronomy of my country with you and that you can enjoy it as much as I do.

I hope this experience is unforgettable to learn with you. Thank you very much for your hospitality. I can't wait to meet you.

Regards, Jimena