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Dear host family

My name is Thea, and I'm a positive and outgoing, sixteen year old girl. Im a curious and adventurous person, which is one of the reasons why I want to go on an exchange. I also love to try new things and challenge myself. I live with my family in the beautiful country Norway. I really love my home country and the Norwegian people, but after 16 years of same old, same old, Im up for a change. First of all, I want to thank you for giving me this extraordinary chance to live and study in Nova Scotia, for a year. I really appreciate the generosity you are showing, by letting me into your home and family. If it wasn't for you, I would never get this once in a life time experience. I was adopted from China when I was about one year old. Despite the fact that I dont have a Norwegian look, I feel as Norwegian as my friends do. Ive always been proud of my second nationality. My parents are divorced. I live with my mom, Astrid (54 years), little sister, Pia (13 years) and our dog Fiffi (Bichon Havanais, 6 years). I stay at my dads every second weekend. My dads name is Dick (55 years). I also try to spend as much time as possible with my dad during the weekdays (which is not always easy, because we both have a pretty tight schedule). My mum works as a High School secretary. My dad worked with insurance for many years, until he got unfit for work (which he unfortunately still is). In my spare time I like to do a lot of different things. Such as listen to music, watch movies (go to the cinema), take walks (be outdoor), draw, be creative (I take photos and make cards for special occasions, like birthdays) sing, and bake. As other teenagers my age, I spend a lot of time doing homework, but what I really love to do, is to hang with friends and family. I also like to work out. I usually work out at the gym nearby my school, three times a week. When I have time off, I play my guitar and piano. During the summer, my friends and I like to hang out at the beaches, play different outdoor sports (volleyball), make and go on boat trips. Otherwise we like to be home and relax, just enjoy each others company. Every summer my sister and I spend two weeks at my dads summerhouse, by the sea. We like to do all kinds of summer activities, including fishing, tanning, making bonfires, boat and paddle trips and so on. My family and I love travelling. We usually travel to the Mediterranean countries, mostly Spain and Greece. I have also been a couple of times in Sweden, Denmark and England (London, shopping and concert trips). In the winter we go skiing or ice skating. A typical weekday in Norway: I get up 6:00 am, turn on some music, make my own lunch box, eat breakfast, and take the bus 7:11 am. The bus ride usually takes a half hour. School starts 8:00 am. Most days end 3:00 pm. After school I either work out or go to work (I work in a store, at the mall, called An easier life). When I come home I do homework, eat dinner
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with my family, and hang with friends. I also have a lot of household chores I have to do, like walking and feeding our dog, clean, dust and vacuum, take out trash, change my own bedding etc. I get pocket money for cleaning my mums flat, and my dads house every second week. Im in 11th grade, and have chosen to take general studies. By taking general studies, Ill get more options when I graduate high school. My favorite subjects are defiantly languages related courses, such as Norwegian, English and Spanish 1 (I had French, for three years in secondary school). I think the understanding of languages is the key to global communication. Its also what people use to express themselves. Social studies is my second favorite subject. Its interesting to learn about different cultures, politics and system of governments. I think we all should know how the society works. Not only the one we live in, but different kinds of communities as well. Being an exchange student, has been one of my biggest dreams since 8th grade. At the beginning I thought of exchange as just an exciting experience, but as I grew older I realized what exchange is really about. As an exchange student I will have/get the opportunity to learn about a new culture, teach other people about my home country, meet new people, learn to speak a new language fluently and grow as a person. I think Nova Scotia would be the perfect destination for me. From what Ive heard, Nova Scotia is the edu cation province of Canada. The province also has beautiful nature, beaches and cities (like Halifax). In addition Ive read that people in Nova Scotia are genuinely nice and obliging. What I hope to achieve during the year is to improve my language skills, learn more about tolerance and last but not least, develop long-lasting friendships. As the quote says exchange isnt a year in a life, its a life in a year. I look forward to get to know you and your country, and to be a part of your family. Once again, thank you so much for making this dream come true. I truly love the one family Ive got in Norway, but when I leave Nova Scotia, I hope Ill have two. Thea

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