Dear family,

I am Tomas and I am really excited about living in the US next year.

I will turn 15 next January. I have a sister, Maria, who is 20 and she studies at Barcelona University. I also have a brother, Manuel, who is 18 and studies industrial engineering also in Barcelona.

We all live together in a flat in Barcelona, a very beautiful city in Spain

We have a beautiful and special dog (Spanish waterdog). His name is Panxo. He is 3 years old and is very smart and loving.

My mother works in a Software Company and my father works in a law firm.

I am a very kind and responsible person who likes to spend time with other people. I like to be with my friends and family. At the beginning I am a little shy but then I am outgoing. I am a calmed and easy going person. I love watching and practicing sports. I enjoy travelling with my parents and knowing different cultures, enjoying gastronomy and history all around.

I have been in the States twice and I love your country: My sister Maria was an exchange student in Idaho and Manuel in Kansas. They remember their exchange year as the best of their lifes, so I am looking forward to my exchange year and can’t wait to see where I will spend it and how my host family will be. My mom was also an exchange student in Wisconsin when she was 16 and she wanted us to have this experience. Manuel and Maria keep in touch with their American families and have come back to the states to visit them.

I love my dog and like to play with him when I arrive home from school.

I like to play soccer and go to see my friend’s matches with more friends.

I practice soccer four times a week, during all the year. I love skiing with my family. I learnt when I was 3 years old and have always loved it. During winter we go to Andorra’s mountains very often to sky.

I am a Futbol Club Barcelona follower and love to go to the field to see them playing. It is always amazing.

I also like to spend time with my cousins and every Wednesday my grandma prepares a wonderful dinner for all her grandchildren (no parents allowed ??) in her house and it is a lot of fun.

During summer, we go to a small and beautiful village by the ocean: Cadaqués is a small fisher’s town. Right there, we enjoy the sea and have a small boat to sail around. We all love sailing and when I was younger we sailed in Greece a couple of summers. Last summer we went to Turkey.

I also like to cook and eat. I enjoy eating very much. Carbonara Spaghetti is my speciality. I enjoy trying different foods from all over the world. I like everything.

During my free time I like playing online video games with my friends.

I am really looking forward to my experience and feel very thankful for being able to spend next year with you. I hope we can exchange culture and traditions and that we can build special memories that last forever.

My mom says that this kind of experiences make the world a better place to be, because understanding other cultures is key to a better future.

Hope to see you soon, thanks so much for letting this experience happen.

I can’t wait.

Best regards,

Tomas