Dear future host family,

I want to thank you for considering to have me live with you for 5 months. I really appreciate that a lot. Unfortunately, I do not know anything about you, but I would be very excited to have the opportunity to change that.

But first, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Milan. I am 15 years old, and I live in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.

My parents and I live in an old house in the suburbs. My parents are 55 years old and both are teachers. I also have a brother, but he moved out years ago. I still have a lot of contact with him, and our family often has little get-togethers which he always attends. I love to spend time with my family; for example, I used to go fishing with my dad or go shopping with my mom. My brother and I sometimes go on trips and do what we call “Brother Weekends,” where he and I hang out and do lots of cool activities such as climbing or shooting a movie.

I have already achieved a bit in life. I am very responsible, which helped me get a well-paid job as a Sports Trainer at my local gymnastics gym. Furthermore, I am a very open person that loves to talk to people and especially loves to get to know new people. Not only do I like it, but I also do it because I think in life you should never stop being active and open, so when I have the opportunity to make a new friend, I usually take it.

My favorite subject in school is PE class because sport is my life. I spend every minute I can playing some kind of sport. For example, I play Wide Receiver for my city’s football team, regularly go to the gym, do Parkour, and play Streetball with my friends. However, my favorite one of all is called Tricking; it’s a mix of martial arts, breakdance, and gymnastics. Few people have heard of it, but I’ve been doing it for over four years, and it has become my biggest passion yet. You can almost do it anywhere, but it’s best to practice on gymnastics/cheerleading spring floors, which we do not have many of here in Germany. And since cheerleading is a national sport, I’m very excited to try out the American spring floors.

Speaking of school sports, I’m also very excited to watch or even play in a Friday night football game. I have played Football for almost two years now and I love the sport and everything that comes with it. Sadly it is not a popular sport in Europe, and for someone like me who plays football, it is a huge blessing to be able to go to its home country.

Another huge passion of mine is music. I play the drums and like to create beats for rap songs. I started doing it around the age of 11 when I became a huge Eminem fan. Rap is not the only genre I listen to though; I also love the 80s, rock, and even a little indie. But enough of that, when I am not doing homework, playing a sport or working at my job, I am usually outside with my friends. We love to go downtown or visit each other. As I mentioned earlier, I am a very social person, and I always need people around me to hang out with. Therefore, I’m a big fan of large cities, where one can easily meet people and where there are lots of fun of activities to do. My favorite season is the summer, and summer holidays are the best. I know how to surf, so when my family and I go to the beach for a holiday, it is always a wonderful experience.

From my past experiences, I know that I can easily make friends anywhere, and I think it is the best thing on earth—meeting new people. That is also a big reason why I want to spend half a year in the US. I believe in “live every moment like it’s your last,” so when I found out that I can change my environment and live in the country of my dreams, I immediately knew that there is nothing I wanted more. This exchange means a lot to me, and it is even better because the destination is the US. I want to meet new people, meet you guys, and experience the true beauty of the US. I already know a lot about the US, and I have even been there once in the summer of 2018. It was a road trip down the West Coast starting from Seattle and ending in San Diego. My favorite part about it was our visit to L.A. It honestly made me fall in love with America. What brings me to the US, however, is not just the nice people; it is also the country’s great traditions and sporting events, such as NFL and NBA games. What also ties into that is the American teenage culture, which I’m a big fan of and we sadly do not have as much of here in Europe. I think it is fascinating how influential the USA is on every aspect of a teenager’s life anywhere in the world.

But let me finish up; I know this has been long, but in conclusion, I’m incredibly grateful to have this opportunity, and I am excited to see you guys and your beautiful country!

With kind regards,

Milan