| Dear future host family, My name is Friederike, but my friends and siblings call me Friddy. I am 15 years old and live with my family in Germany in a house near a medium-sized town. We have a big garden and are still very central in the city. We have a dog called Ole and since 2022 a couple of chickens. I have two little siblings. My brother Peter is almost 13 years old and my sister Ursula is 11 years old. They are in 6th and 7th grade. My mother works as a judge and my father is a businessman. Our paternal grandparents live in our neighborhood, but not in the same house as us. That’s great because we can visit them whenever we want. In the evenings, I often play board games with my parents and siblings or we watch crime series on TV. At the weekend and during the vacations, we often go on city trips, attend theater performances, go to one of our Artistic cycling tournaments or go to a performance. We often go swimming and try out new things together. In winter, I like to go ice skating with my siblings. My daily household chores depend on what is needed at the moment. We (the children) wash the dishes, hang up and take down the washing, tidy up and vacuum. But it varies a lot. I am an open-minded person who is very curious and always tries to understand everything. I want to discover and understand new things. I always see the good in people first and try to help everyone. But I feel very protective of my siblings and friends. My personal freedom is very important to me, even if I like to be persuaded. Furthermore, I often think about many different things and I like to question different situations. My friends describe me as: A person who creates a relaxed atmosphere with her lively nature. My group of best friends consists of four girls who have been in the same class as me since the fifth grade. Our friendship is based on trust and we often understand each other without words. My favorite subjects at school are math and french. I like math because it’s very logical. Once you understand the system, everything seems so simple. My french class consists of ten students and one teacher, so we have a really nice atmosphere in class and it’s easy to learn. I also really like France. Even though I’ve only been there once, I was fascinated by it. I’ve been learning French since the ninth grade. I’m currently in tenth grade. After school, I enjoy artistic cycling, figure skating and playing the violin. One afternoon a week I play in an orchestra and on Saturdays I have violin lessons. I also enjoy reading fantasy books and listening to all kinds of music except German pop and classical music. Movies are like music. I like all kinds of movies, except for a few special movies. My favorite movie is “Kingsman The Secret Service”. It’s an exciting agent action thriller with a healthy dose of humor. My favorite food is carrot and potato mash with mead and my favorite holiday is Christmas. I love Christmas because in the time before everybody is singing and eating Christmas cookies. Everybody is happy and there are so many wonderful traditions at Christmas. I have been interested in the USA for a long time. Many of the movies I watch, the music I listen to and the books I read come from the USA. I also learn a lot about the USA in English lessons at school and I want to see the country where all this comes from. I hope to get to know and understand a new culture during my semester in the USA. I want to check all the clichés about high school life and experience a “typical American everyday life”. I am looking forward to get a new perspective on the world and developing my personally. And of cause I’m looking forward to meet new wonderful persons. Thank you so much for making this possible and thank you for your outstanding hospitality. I am looking forward to getting to know you. Warm regards from Friederike |
LETTER FROM Friederike
