Dear future host parents,
My name is Selma and I am a 15-year-old girl. I’m living with my family in Germany. With my parents, my older brother (19) and my older sister (17) we are 5 people.
In school I’m together with my friends in 10th grade. Outside from school I’m doing Taekwondo as my hobby but I also love to read, draw, bake or cook. I like to read thrillers and romance books. I also love going to the cinema or just watching a movie at home. It would be films for example from the Marvel Universe and action or thriller movies.
My parents are living separated for almost two and a half years now. Because of that I’m spending one week at my dad’s and one week at my mom’s. At my father’s house I’m having two Maine-Coons with the names Hector and Caruso. They are both 10 years old. Actually, I love animals, except for bugs and spiders. At my mother’s house we’re often having a movie night with my sister.
When I was younger, I often was in the summer holidays in an English camp for one or two weeks. In that time, I was able to make a few friends. This is also something where I would say I’m good at. I’ve changed school once from a school in Munich to a school nearby which is great because now, I can drive to school with my bike in every season. Last year I’ve been to Calais, France, which is in the north of France, with my school for one weak. A few weeks later our exchange students came to my town also for one week. I’m doing my homework always in school till 15 o’clock. I don’t mind being that long in school, because primary school was till the late afternoon and my first high school too so I’m used to staying long in school.
The reasons why I want to make an exchange year are to become more mature and to be one year older when I’m doing my A levels. But also, to get to know another Country and culture and to become more fluent in English. I also want to have more responsibility in the things I do and to become more self-independent. In the end I want to have great memories with the friends I’ve made there. I also think that it’s a great opportunity to be a guest and a part of a new family. My contribution is to organize my daily life and to travel alone. The advantages for myself would be to gain more self-confidence and, like I already said, to organize my day better. It will also help me to have more trust in the people from other cultures, because often you just see the sides that social media shows you, or what prejudices
you hear from other people. I will also have an insight into foreign cultures and countries, into the daily life there, and not just the most beautiful sights and aspects, because I’m not just there as a guest nor a tourist, but I’m living there in a Family for 10 months. The exchange year will also help me to understand and accept other lifestyles. I think I will only have one doubt, which would be homesickness but the challenges of the new and different life, such as school, family and speaking another language will distract me from feeling that way. And if I’m being homesick, I’ll still be able to call my family and friends. Or I’ll just come to you, if it happens.
I had the thought, that when I’m in the USA I could also be cooking or baking something typical German for you and I actually would love to do that. In the end I would like to say that I’m really excited to make that year with a completely new family, especially when they´re having a dog or pets. But I am also ready to face the challenges that will come over me.
