Dear host family,

I’m Luigi and thank you for taking some time to read my presentation letter.

My family consists of 5 members. Michele is my father and he is 57 years old. His passions are sports and cooking, he follows a lot of soccer and tennis and sometimes goes to the gym because he likes to swim a lot. I consider him a good father, he is very kind and caring and when my family needs him he is always there. From an early age he taught us that respect and good-manners are the main values but not only, in fact he also cares a lot about fun and leisure. He really likes the countryside and nature, after all he was born in a small village of few inhabitants that is about an hour from the city where we all live in winter, which is one of the biggest city of the island. In the summer, however, we move just outside to a large house near the sea, where my father loves to grow plants, in fact we have a little vegetable garden full typical Sicilian vegetables, and many fruit trees such as apples, lemons, oranges and pomegranate. He really likes to taste a good wine or a craft beer but his real passion is cooking (also eating!) meat, in fact our friends call him “the king of barbecue”.

My mother’s name is Francesca, she is 53 years old and she is a dentist. I consider her the sweetest woman in the world but when she gets angry it’s over, after all she’s the typical Italian mom! Jokes aside, she is a very caring woman who cares a lot about her large family made up of many uncles and many cousins. She has a very refined taste and his greatest passion is the design of houses and architecture, a passion that little by little I am also inheriting. She cares a lot about the care of our homes especially in the countryside and the care of plants, in fact our garden looks like a forest! She is the only one in the family who speaks English after me because she has traveled a lot in her life. She likes to go out with many friends and organize big parties for her birthday but also at Christmas or Easter. I’m grateful to have parents like that and I have a very special bond with both of them.

My older sister is called Michela, she has just turned 18 and is in her last year of high school, she is a very nice and strong girl. She does very well at school and her greatest passions are dancing and shopping. Like me, she may seem a bit shy at first, but when she opens up, I assure you that she becomes nice. My relationship with her can be considered a good relationship even if especially as children there was no shortage of fights, which however have always ended well. She loves animals very much and is very good with children who adore her, I am sure that when she grows up she will be a good mother. Family traditions are as important to her, such as Christmas or other holidays. She and I have a very special relationship with our cousins but especially with our maternal grandparents, the only ones we were able to get to know. Maybe she tries to hide it but I assure you that she is a very caring girl and at times very similar to our father. Last but not least, the king of the house, Bruno, our little four-legged brother, is a playful dog and is very attached to all of us, in fact it will be very difficult for me to leave him. My family has loved animals for many generations, especially dogs, which have been part of the family for many years now.

Now it’s time to introduce myself, I hope to be as sincere as possible!

I’m 16 years old and I consider myself the same as any other boy my age (or almost). I am quite tall, have brown hair and brown eyes. Maybe appearances can be deceiving, but I’m a calm guy, I have a very quiet personality and I often see the good part of things in every situation. I consider myself a mature and polite boy thanks to the teachings that my family has given me. I’m in my third year of high school and I’m doing pretty well, I really like math, history, English and Spanish.In my life I have tried many schools, both public and private, and at the moment I attend a private high school that is based on the ideals of the typical Italian school (considered one of the strictest and most difficult in Europe) and an American international school.

One of my strengths is definitely my sympathy (at least that’s what people say) but also my calmness which often helps me in difficult situations. On the other hand, one of my weaknesses is being a little reserved, which I am trying to overcome, in fact I chose to undertake this experience not only to improve my English but above all to mature as a person. Living in a totally different context from mine means getting out of my “comfort zone” and I think it’s the best way to open up more.

I love American culture and can’t wait to experience it for myself! I really like sports and my favorite is tennis that I used to practice daily until a few years ago, but at the moment I go to the gym. However, the sport that I love the most and that I also consider “therapeutic” is skiing, in fact even if I live on a island where it is always hot, full of beaches and crystal clear sea, I am lucky enough to leave once a year in northern Italy to ski in the Dolomites with my sister and my friends. I’ve been skiing since I was little and I’ve always liked it. The thing I appreciate most about this sport is the adrenaline but also the peace you feel when you get over the slope and admire a wonderful snowy landscape. In addition to the gym, tennis and skiing in my life I have always practiced many sports although, to be honest, I don’t consider myself such a sporty person but thanks to my parents I have tried many sports such as swimming, basketball, soccer, volleyball and horse riding. Once in America I would love to try one of your typical sports such as football or baseball.

My greatest passion is traveling. Discovering new places in the world makes me happy, I like to visit big cities with their museums and monuments but also leave to relax, traveling is my biggest passion! To date I have been lucky enough to have traveled to many cities in Europe and last summer for the first time I landed in the United States, it was the most beautiful trip ever.

I am a very close person to my family, especially to my grandparents in fact my biggest fear for this experience will be leaving them for a whole year, but I am sure that even if from far away they will always protect me. I like Italian traditions like Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve but I would love to experience real American traditions like Halloween or Thanksgiving. I’m a very greedy person, I like good Italian food and not only, I get good at cooking especially desserts and pasta and my favorite food is pizza (yes I know I’m obvious but it’s the truth). In my free time I like to go out with my friends, go to the cinema, go out to dinner, walk the dog, go to a party, in general I like to have fun. I also have a passion for theme parks and adrenaline attractions but not only, I like to draw and listen to good music, I am also a lover of cinema and I particularly love horror movies, thrillers but I also appreciate films with a deep meaning (sometimes also romantic/dramatic films).

From this experience, I hope to find a family with whom I can have fun and feel good, I hope to get to know new places, new people and new cultures and I hope above all that I can improve my weaknesses by strengthening myself more and more.

Thank you for considering the possibility to host me!

Best regards,

Luigi