Dear host family,

I can’t believe I am writing this letter! Up until a month ago it seemed like just a dream and now everything is finally becoming real!

I could stand here for hours and hours talking about how excited I am, so, I will avoid saying much and try to introduce myself in the best possible way.

My name is Benedetta, I am 16 years old and I live in a city where there are roughly 60,000 inhabitants and lots of things to do, in short I am hardly bored.

My family consists of my mother Roberta who is an employee, my father Marco also an employee but at a different office, and my older brother Matteo with whom I have a good relationship.

Matteo is not much older than me, he is 18 years old and we go to the same school, sometimes we even go out together, but as is normal between siblings, we also get into arguments.

I also have two water turtles and a cat, his name is Matteo, just like my brother!

I’ve been trying to convince my parents to get a dog for a while now, but they really don’t want to know, it would be so nice to have one!

I’m not a fan of insects especially spiders hahaha.

With my family I have a good relationship, we enjoy spending time together especially during the summer and Easter vacations. During Easter time we are used now since I am only three years old to take a trip to cities outside Italy; for now I have visited London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Nyc (of which I really remember very little since I was very little), Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Malta.

These are mostly European cities, and by going to America, I will get the chance to get to know your culture as well!

However, in the summer we are used to going to the beach, where we have a house in which we spend the whole summer.

I love the beach, tanning, sunbathing, swimming, these are all things I do in the summer now routinely.

My school is not very far from home, my brother and I drive every morning and roughly it takes us 10 to 15 minutes to get there, depending on traffic.

I attend scientific high school, the main subjects are chemistry, physics, and math, but there are also humanities subjects, such as Italian literature, history, philosophy, Latin literature and grammar, and of course English, my favorite subject.

I’ve never had any problems with studying, I’ve always done well in school and I’ve always been committed.

Now, the hardest part: talking about myself!

I am a very simple girl, I really like to do a lot of things and have busy days.

(Sometimes I also allow myself some rest which is very important).

I consider myself very responsible, determined and polite, at home I help my parents, especially in cleaning and tidying up my little room. I have never given my parents a way to lose confidence in me and same with my friends, everyone can count on me!

I am very helpful and generous, I enjoy helping others without wanting anything in return.

I often participate in food collections for underprivileged families, and each time it is always a different thrill!

I am also very ambitious, rarely giving up and always trying to give my best in whatever I do.

I am very sunny and friendly, I don’t have much difficulty making friends right away, even though I might appear a little shy at times.

I am also serious and calm, in short, I adapt my attitude to the situation I am in so that I do not appear inappropriate and out of place.

Of course, as is normal, I also have defects.

Sometimes I might appear impatient, I’m not into people who are late and don’t keep their schedules, I also don’t appreciate disrespectful people and those who take advantage of people’s kindness.

I am very determined, if I put in mind to do something, I usually complete it.

Many of my friends think that I am affectionate girl.

I’ve always been a very sporty girl, since childhood I’ve played many sports, tried artistic and rhythmic gymnastics (I was completely in denial), rock climbing (now I’m a little afraid of heights), swimming and track and field.

I currently practice triathlon, a fairly challenging sport that includes three disciplines: swimming, biking, running. I think it is very suitable for me, perseverance and hard work are the basis of this sport and I certainly don’t lack them at all!

I train every day, my favorite discipline is running, then swimming and finally biking (I still have to get the hang of it).

Sometimes I also have competitions, but very often I have athletics-only competitions that are much more frequent. My favorite are cross-country races, I really enjoy them and every time is an adventure!

In America I would love to continue with sports, perhaps with swimming and track and field, I have seen that some schools have a cross-country team, it would be really nice to be able to join! Despite my current passions I would really love to try other typical American High School sports as well, I can’t wait to try my hand at it!

Being a sportswoman, I am also very careful about nutrition, I care about eating well, I rarely go to fast food and on weekends I go out to dinner with my friends.

As a typical Italian, I like to cook and taste different foods, I hope I can teach you some typical Italian recipes and bring some of my culture into your life.

In my spare time I like to spend time with my family or friends.

On weekends we go out for a walk around my city, eat out or meet at someone’s house. Very often we also go to the cinema, especially when it rains and we don’t feel like going out in the rain.

I like to go to the stadium to watch my town’s team play soccer; I am not very fond of soccer, but I love the atmosphere among the fans. I know Friday night football games are very popular there, I think I would have a great time!

One thing I really love is shopping. I love buying clothes and going shopping with my mother or my friends.

Last but not least, I love to travel. As I mentioned, I am used to traveling together with my family, but this summer I had my first experience abroad without my parents. I went on a study vacation to Manchester for fourteen days, and it was great days and I had a great time.

What more can I say?

I hope I have described myself as clearly as possible and to be able to meet you as soon as possible.

See you soon,

Benedetta