Dear Host Family, Thank you so much for giving me a chance to live in America and make my dreams come true. I am really looking forward to meeting you and living with your family. In this letter, I would like to tell you something about myself so you can get to know me better. My name is Anne, I am from the Netherlands, and I am in 10th grade. I love spending time with family and friends, and I really like to experience new things. I enjoy learning and getting to know new people and places. I am friendly, easy to get along with, very spontaneous, and trustworthy. In new situations, I like it when people tell me what they expect from me because I can find it difficult to take the first step. I believe going to America and experiencing daily life and the American culture will help me become more independent and self-confident. Going to high school in America is my dream because I hope to learn all about American family life and culture and find out what it’s like to be an American girl. At high school, I will improve my English and hope to take interesting subjects and participate in activities with friends from school. I wonder what the differences are compared to my life in a small country like the Netherlands. Together with my parents and sisters, I live in a rather big city, which is also close to the sea. In summer, I like going to the beach and relaxing in the sun. In winter, we sometimes go for a walk on the beach. I enjoy going into the city for shopping or to see a movie in the cinema with friends. At home, I like watching movies or something like that. I enjoy reading books in my room and playing board games with my sisters and parents. We always have good fun together. My dad was a nurse for many years, but not anymore. Now he’s a stay-at-home dad, and he does almost all the chores around the house like laundry, cooking, and cleaning. My mom is a child psychologist for disabled children. I have two older sisters; one is 21 and the other is 18. They are both going to college and want to become a nurse and an occupational therapist. I really enjoy playing field hockey. I’ve been playing since I was six years old. My dad and my sisters play it too. On my dad’s side of the family, everybody likes to play field hockey. I would also like to play field hockey in America, but if it’s not possible, I understand. I would love to join other sports and activities organized by the school. I enjoy many sports like tennis, soccer, swimming, cycling, and hiking, and I love cooking, baking, and crafting. I really like all kinds of animals and hope I can live in a home with animals. I would love to do something in my future career that involves animals. I want to become a veterinary assistant. I’ve done a school internship at a veterinary clinic and really enjoyed it. At that point in my life, I decided that’s the work I want to do in my future. But I’m open-minded; if there is something in America that I enjoy doing in the future, my plans can change. I’m really looking forward to going to America and being an exchange student, but I’m also a little bit scared that I won’t fit in at first. I know it will be fine later on. I have dyslexia, which sometimes makes it difficult for me to read or write quickly. I’m a fast learner, but sometimes I get overwhelmed or frustrated if something doesn’t go as I want due to my dyslexia. I’ve learned to get through my difficulties and I’m still learning every day. In this regard, I hope the teachers at the high school understand that I’m not as fast with reading and will help me with this issue. I hope I fit in with the family and have a new experience and I can learn from. Either way, I’m really grateful that I have the chance to go to America and join your family, and I know for sure that we will have a wonderful time together. Yours sincerely, Anne