Dear Host family, First of all I would like to thank you with all my heart for making my biggest dream come true: becoming an exchange student in America. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity and I hope to establish a strong bond with you. I love spending quality time with my family. My mother, Francesca, is sweet and affectionate, while my father, Fabio, is fun and energetic (we’re pretty much alike). I also have a brother, Carlo Alberto, who is older than me and he's now attending medical school. I have two grandmothers, Grandma Piera, a very energetic and exuberant woman, and Grandma Maria, calm and generous. Eight years ago a new member entered the family: a dog called Leo! Leo is a very sweet Labrador, together we play and have lot of fun. In Italy, Sunday is traditionally the day to spend with the family. In the morning, after church, I have lunch with my family. My dad cooks traditional Italian food and I cook some good desserts. I really like baking, especially cakes and sweets. I can’t wait to cook delicious meals for you and taste your traditional dishes. I'm so curious!! This school year is a bit of a challenge as I enter the final year before starting University and my teachers are very demanding. I am working hard to achieve my academic goals. I am curious to know what school will be like in America. I live in a city in northern Italy, and I go to school by bus every morning. I stay at school five or six hours a day, then I take the bus to go back home. In the afternoon I study and play tennis twice a week. How is your routine in the US? My favorite hobby is travelling. I love exploring and meeting new people from different countries. I’m also passionate about tennis. I have been playing it for 10 years now, it makes me feel happy and takes out the best of me. I have also tried other sports such as volleyball, swimming, dance, artistic gymnastics, and horse riding. However, I finally dedicated myself to tennis, even though sometimes it’s not easy to reconcile passions with duties. I hope to be able to play new sports and discover new passions in the US. What are your hobbies? I can’t wait to make new experiences with you! I consider myself to be sociable and reliable. I have many friends who describe me as cheerful, outgoing, and dreamy. I love my friends, I do many things with them, such as hanging out, studying, and playing sports together. Overall, I am aware that leaving my family and friends behind could be challenging, but starting this Journey has been a dream of mine for a long time and now I am ready to make the best out of it and make you proud of having me in your family. I am sure that my friends and family will always be there to support me and my choices, despite the distance that will separate us; but most of all I am confident that with your love and support I’ll be able to overcome all the possible challenges I might encounter. Thank you again for making this possible. Love, Ludovica.