Dear host family, My name is Sofia, and I am very glad that I have the opportunity to meet you and spend one year of my life in your family. I believe that this experience will bring us many interesting moments in which we will learn about each other, mutual learning and new discoveries. I am the only child in the family, my mother lives with me. My father lives separately, but I maintain a telephone connection with him. I have a good relationship with my mother, we understand each other with a half-word or a look, we constantly give each other some gifts and we resolve all disputes through dialogue. My mother taught me to have my own opinion and defend it, even if it is completely different in my circle of friends, and also to go towards my goal, despite all the obstacles that arise on the way, and not to be lazy, even if you don’t feel like getting up for school at all. My mother and I also travel a lot, I have been to many countries and have received a lot of impressions from each of them. I am proud of my mother because she does everything in her power for me and my future, and I will not let her down! Throughout my life, I had the opportunity to study in different schools and gained experience in communicating and adapting to new people and circumstances. Each school is something special for me, where I learn from my own mistakes. I think that in the USA I will start life as if from a new leaf, I will have new friends, hobbies and I will know English perfectly, which will help me in the future. I try very hard for the future and do everything to make it even better for me than in my dreams, and coming to the United States is one of my life goals, which I will soon achieve. What inspires me the most is learning new things: different cultures, traditions and languages. I really appreciate communication and am always ready to share my experience, as well as learn from you. I am interested in learning about your family customs, cuisine, holidays, and also sharing a piece of my culture. Our family has many interesting traditions, such as: celebrating Christmas with 12 obligatory dishes, carols, nativity scenes, and we also celebrate Easter - we go to church, bless Easter eggs, and then go for a family breakfast. On these holidays, we gather as a whole family, it is very valuable for us in life. I am active, I love sports, I often participate in team competitions. I have been cheerleading for many years, and this has taught me to appreciate teamwork, support and mutual understanding. I am sure that we will find common hobbies or try something new together! In addition, I am fond of psychology and love helping people. I believe that in any family it is very important to be able to listen, support and be open. I love meeting new people and learning about their lives, so I go to camps every summer and because of that I have many friends and acquaintances who support me every day in new endeavors. I am also interested in creative projects, such as writing poetry and finding new ideas. I have a “personal project” assignment at school, in which I need to make some kind of product that will benefit people or teach them something new, and I decided to make an online book with my works about the full-scale invasion of my Ukraine. I will finish it soon, and everyone will be able to read it, because it is in both Ukrainian and English. Unfortunately, there is a war going on in my country, and the only way to calm down from the constant explosions and air raids is to write. I am looking forward to becoming a part of your family, learning more about your life, and creating warm memories that will stay with us forever. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you. I look forward to meeting you! Sincerely, Sofia