Dear future host family,

Let me introduce myself to you: my name is Matthis and I’m a (currently) 15-year-old boy who lives in the outskirts of one of Germanys largest cities. How would I describe myself?

I am an open-minded, confident, extroverted, happy and active person with a lot of interests. I love doing sports, such as playing American Football twice a week and sometimes I have games on the weekend. Furthermore, I go to the gym four times a week. Sometimes alone but most of the times I go with my friends from the Football club. Hanging out with my childhood friends is fun. We are a group of 15, usually meeting in the garage of a friend, that we converted in our own little chill out area. It has a billiard table and a mini fridge so that our drinks are still cold when it is warm outside. We love to play cards there, soccer outside, go to the cinema and sometimes we go to McDonald’s. In every spare minute I take the chance to listen to some good music, like American Rap, German Rap etc. I have a deeper connection to music since I was little because I grew up listening a lot of it especially Michael Jackson and other famous artists. Moreover, when I was five years old, I remember that my father always played the guitar before we went to sleep. When I was nine years old, I started playing the drums and had lessons together with my bigger sister who plays the guitar like my father.

So, as you can see my family is a big part of my life and there are the most important people to me. My mother is 47 years and works as a manager for a big toy company here in Germany. My father is 51 years old and works as a chief inspector for the police. I have two siblings: my bigger sister is 18 years old and graduated high school some weeks ago. She played soccer for a long time, likes to paint and to travel with her friends. My little brother is 7 years old goes to the first class in primary school and plays soccer in a Club, goes to Judo practice and plays melodica. I really love to spend time with them. We often throw the ball, play in the garden, or play video Games like Minecraft or FIFA on the PlayStation. This summer my sister and I are going together on a trip to hike in Bavaria. In general, our family is very active and sporty, and we love to spend time together. In the evening we usually eat dinner together and like to watch movies or play games. On the weekends we enjoy activities like hiking, bicycling and in the holidays, we love to travel together to see new countries and get to know their cultures. Besides that, we visit our grandparents, who live close by or meet other family members and friends.

We live in a house with a nice garden, containing a pool, which is practical for the hot German summer. I have my own room and take care of it as well as I help in the household.

A normal day in my life starts when I wake up at 6 a.m. and go to school by train and bus. I visit the ninth grade of the local high school. I have school lessons that start at 8 a.m. and end at 3p.m. My favorite subjects are sport, math and civic education. After school I come home and eat something before, I head to the gym or go to football training.

In my future I will accomplish my high school degree after the year in the USA, then I’m going to study business with the wish to work as a Real Estate Agent.

I always wanted to do an exchange year because it is a great experience. This wish grew after we traveled through California in 2017 and I fell in love with the US. Besides that, my sister did an exchange year in Costa Rica. When I started to play American Football my motivation to do an exchange year again was even higher because I would love to play Football for my high school in the USA.

I wish to have a great time meeting new people, making friends, spending time with my future host family and getting to know them and maybe even visit an NFL Football game.

I thank you for your interest in me and looking forward to meeting you soon I would be happy to be a part of your family and get to know your American lifestyle!

Your Matthis