My name is Konstantin, and I am very grateful and excited about the possibility of joining your family as an exchange student in the United States. I am 15 years old and live in the south of Germany with my parents, Felix and Carola, and my 16-year-old sister, Annalena. My grandmother and her sister also live nearby, and my autistic uncle often visits us for family events like Christmas and the famous Oktoberfest, where we all come together to celebrate. I come from a family where independence and individual growth as well as family support are highly valued. This comes from the family lifestyle we are living: Even though my parents are working in different cities and are away from home for about 2 days per week, we try to spend the weekends and holidays together with activities like skiing or visiting foreign countries.

Growing up, my family and I moved cities and countries several times: When I was 8 years old, we moved from Bonn in Germany to Zurich in Switzerland and stayed there for 4 years before moving back to Germany 3 years ago. In this period I developed a close relationship with my big sister. We spend a lot of time together and always communicate and help each other, when for example adjusting to new surroundings or managing the household when our parents are away. At home, we share responsibilities; one of us cooks dinner while the other cleans up.

Annalena recently spent two semesters in London as an exchange student, which inspired and encouraged me to pursue this opportunity as her experiences were really positive. Although we have a cleaning lady, I still take on chores like gardening, doing the laundry, doing the dishes and other things. While my family situation is a bit different from the typical, I value connection and community and I am looking forward to becoming part of your family and its traditions and routines.

I would describe myself as open minded, creative and adaptable. I like to explore new ideas and perspectives which sometimes leads me to overthink or have trouble supporting norms that don’t make sense to me. Moving cities several times as a child, I have learned how to adapt quickly to new surroundings, embrace change and make friends in unfamiliar places. I think this ability will help me settle in well with your family and school. I always strive to view things from multiple perspectives and form my own ideas and ways of thinking about them. I also have a desire to learn new things that interest me.

My Hobbies reflect my interests and my intellectual curiosity. I am interested in psychology, art, politics, philosophy, cinema, literature, fashion and much more. In my free time I like to watch movies or series, sometimes go to art museums and learn new things and perspectives by reading books about philosophy, psychology or politics from time to time. I am interested in the humanities. My favorite subjects at school are ethics, art and sport. I also like to dress in different ways and explore new styles. I hope to study philosophy, art or psychology later.

Additionally, I have soccer training 3 times per week and a game almost every weekend. As a goalkeeper, I have learnt how to perform under pressure and show presence on the field. Also, being rather short, compared to other goalkeepers, I have learnt how to deal with that disadvantage and even use it for good. I also enjoy spending time in nature and hiking and sleeping outside and wildcamping. When it comes to food, I often like and cook things with meat. Currently, my favourite dish is steak with eggs and salad. When it comes to English, I understand almost everything but sometimes have problems with speaking freely and express myself correctly.

One of the main reasons why I am applying to an exchange program is because I want to explore more of the world and to gain more knowledge of different perspectives of social thinking and cultures which are less visible in Europe. I previously participated in a short exchange program in China where I found it fascinating to experience a completely different world in many aspects, in contrast to Europe. I am eager to learn about your values, viewpoints and traditions, and I believe that being in a new environment will help broaden my world view and horizon and deepen my understanding of the world around me. This is also why I chose the classic program, where the destination is unknown—I believe that adapting to any situation is a key part of the exchange experience. Each state and city is unique, and I am open to embracing whatever comes my way.

What I find interesting about the United States is their diversity in both the people as well as the landscapes. I also find the sports culture very interesting and different to Europe.

During my time in America, I hope to improve my English, to experience an American lifestyle and to get to know a lot of new interesting people and perspectives. Furthermore, I would hope to learn new things with different classes that aren’t taught in Germany and to be able to continue with soccer.

Thank you very much for considering me as an exchange student.. I am looking forward to meeting you and becoming part of your family.