Dear Host Family, I’m so glad I’m writing these words to you. First, I want to thank you for welcoming me in your family for ten months. I feel grateful for being able to experience such a beautiful journey in your country. I look forward to learning new things, creating long-lasting bonds with you and making new friends. It’s not my first time visiting the US, but this time will be very different from the family vacation’s perspective. Thanks to this incredible journey, I’ll learn how to relate myself to completely different living circumstances and to people who have various habits that I’m curious to discover. I hope to be able to share something personal and special about myself with every person that I’ll meet during my experience so that they will remember the true Martina. I consider myself to be extroverted, friendly and sociable, but I also try to make everyone feel at included. My friends, who I consider as a second family, describe me as a kind-hearted, outgoing and caring person, but sometimes I can get a bit stubborn and clumsy. We’re 4 in our house: my mum, Alessia, who is a shop assistant, my dad, Giacomo, project manager and ex-professional basketball player, my little brother, Enrico, who’s 13 years old and with whom I have a strong bond, and me. Enrico is growing up fast and I would like to dedicate more time to our bonding before my departure for the Exchange Year, so that we can create more and more memories together. I love spending time with my family, we have very different and strong personalities, and we happen to have different opinions or ideas. But surely, the thing which ties us close is the passion for traveling. What about your family? What are your special moments? Do you like the idea of doing a sport activity that can reunite the family and make the family members feel closer, or maybe do you have other activities that include family traditions or habits? I appreciate little things and gestures that often make my day. For example, a beautiful sunrise or sunset is something that can enchant me and which I feel grateful for and fortunate to experience. I think that being a girl scout has contributed to this particular feature of mine. The path that you take with the other scout members has always represented a great life teaching experience to me. I had to see beautiful landscapes while building relationships that are still today points of reference for me. I consider myself to be a sporty person. I’ve been practicing dance for 10 years. Dancing Hip-Hop It’s my whole life. I love the feeling that invades my body when I enter the dance class because there I feel at home. Going to practice, having fun with my crew, and participating to competitions makes me feel good. My future plan is to continue with my dance studies and join a dance Academy in Italy or abroad, so that I can transform one of my greatest passions into a real job that I’m sure it would make me rewarded of. Despite this, I’m open to attend something new during my Exchange Student’s Journey, for example the cheerleading school team, or the volleyball team, which is another sport which I’m very passionate about. I love skiing too. Almost every year, my family and I have our personal winter holiday, which we spend on the mountains, in the northern part of Italy. I really enjoy the winter season because of the snow, and when I happen to see it, I feel like I’m a little girl again. I want to learn as much as possible of your culture, living a daily life where the exchange of traditions, habits and ideas will help me grow personally, so that my experience abroad will continue even after my experience in the USA. Thank you for hosting me in your family. I can’t wait to hear from you and to start my Exchange Student’s Journey! Love, Martina