- Thread starter
- #11
This is long, but all students must write a letter to their family, this is often one of the factors when the family chooses their student. This young lady loves horses and wants to be in Massachusetts.
Dear Host Family,
my name is Isabel. I was born in Munich, but when I was 4 month old, my family and me moved to Hamburg. Now we are living in Ochsenwerder, a small village in the south-east of Hamburg.
We, that are my mother, my father and my twelve year old brother. My mother is a computer engineer and my father a journalist and editor.
My brother is one and a half years younger than me and our relation is normal for siblings, I think. Sometimes we argue and sometimes we get along well, but I will miss him and my parents for sure during my exchange year.
To primary school I went in Ochsenwerder, but here is no secondary school. Now, I attend the Gymnasium Bornbrook in Bergedorf, a district of Hamburg which is about 14 kilometres away from my home.
I am in a bilingual class, which means that I took extra English lessons in 5th and 6th grade and that my Geography, Biology and Sports lessons are in English. After the summer holidays, in 9th grade, my class will take another subject in English, probably History.
I am very happy with my deciding to visit a bilingual class. I like learning English and I am sure that it will help me later to speak English well.
I am very sporty and in my free time I go riding two or three times a week. Its always fun because there I care about my foster pony or just have fun with friends. I already ride for six years, but I am not bored of.
I thing riding was very important for my personal development, because of the animals I learned to handle with responsibility.
Furthermore I have got confirmation lessons and since a half year I give maths help to two children.
And I like meeting my friends, of course. They are very important for me and I am not happy to leave them for one year. But there is Internet and telephone, so I could stay in contact with them.
Together with school, I have got two days afternoon lessons, my days are very full, but I have got no problem with it. I dont like just sitting around and doing nothing.
In school I have got no problems, learning is very easy for me. I have got a readiness of mind, so I dont have to spend much time with learning.
I read very much and I grew up with books, my parents also read very much. This is now very helpful for me, because I got a good feeling of language.
My favourite subjects are Maths and English, but I am also good in Art and Physics.
I am a perfectionist, if I work at something, its hard for me to stop it if I know, that it could be better. And I dont like mess, I dont feel so well if my room is dirty or messy.
I thing, I am very reliable. If I get a job, people can be sure that I will do it. When there are things to organize, maybe excursions or parties, I always help planning and accept jobs.
At home my brother and I have to help in the household, we have to clean our rooms, cook one time a month, help in the garden, hang up the wash or do the dishes. We have got many jobs, but in return I have got a relatively big freedom of choice. I thing, so they help me best, to become an independent human who can make decisions.
Fairness is very important for me, I cant accept it, if people are unfair to me or to other persons. If somebody is unfair, I get involved for that and try to change it. Maybe Im sometimes a bit to committed. Another weakness of me is, that I am very impatient and have problems sometimes to accept things the way they are. But I work at this and I think that an exchange year will help me to be more tolerant and to except things how they are.
I had the idea of spending one year in another country when I was in the 5th grade. I heard of other students which went away and thought that I also want to do it. But there I had no concrete associations, I just liked the idea.
In September 2007, my parents and I went to a big exchange exposition; there we collected many catalogues and information.
At home we started to look at them and choose organisations where I wanted to make an application.
There are many reasons, why I want to be an international student for one year; I want to learn new people, their lifestyles and how they behave and thing, also about Germany and the Germans.
Another important reason is the language, its a great possibility to learn English.
But I also know the bad sides, one year away from my family and my friends. Everything would be new, and nobody can know, if I like the host family and if they like me. But I want to do this year, there will be not so many possibilities again, to make so many great, new and helpful experiences in one year.
After my exchange year I want to change the school, because I want to take part in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. There are two school where I could go to, the Helene-Lange-Gymnasium and maybe the Hansa-Gymnasium (probably there will be the possibility to take part in the IB DP at the Hansa-Gymnasium, but presently it is not sure).
If possible, I want to go to another country again after finishing school, maybe take a gap year to do voluntary work or as an au-pair.
After that I want to go to University. Maybe I will go to university in Germany, but I can also envisage to go to University in another country, maybe England. I visited England twice in the last year the first time with my class in Hastings, near London, and the second time with my family for a long weekend in London. I liked London very much and found it interesting and exciting. I would like a lot to stay there for a longer period of time.
But I think that the International Baccalaureate, if I get it, will help me to find a University.
I dont know yet what I want to study, but I think, I have got some time and my exchange year will help me to decide over my future ways.
Im very looking forward to this year, hope to see you soon.
Love, Isabel
Dear Host Family,
my name is Isabel. I was born in Munich, but when I was 4 month old, my family and me moved to Hamburg. Now we are living in Ochsenwerder, a small village in the south-east of Hamburg.
We, that are my mother, my father and my twelve year old brother. My mother is a computer engineer and my father a journalist and editor.
My brother is one and a half years younger than me and our relation is normal for siblings, I think. Sometimes we argue and sometimes we get along well, but I will miss him and my parents for sure during my exchange year.
To primary school I went in Ochsenwerder, but here is no secondary school. Now, I attend the Gymnasium Bornbrook in Bergedorf, a district of Hamburg which is about 14 kilometres away from my home.
I am in a bilingual class, which means that I took extra English lessons in 5th and 6th grade and that my Geography, Biology and Sports lessons are in English. After the summer holidays, in 9th grade, my class will take another subject in English, probably History.
I am very happy with my deciding to visit a bilingual class. I like learning English and I am sure that it will help me later to speak English well.
I am very sporty and in my free time I go riding two or three times a week. Its always fun because there I care about my foster pony or just have fun with friends. I already ride for six years, but I am not bored of.
I thing riding was very important for my personal development, because of the animals I learned to handle with responsibility.
Furthermore I have got confirmation lessons and since a half year I give maths help to two children.
And I like meeting my friends, of course. They are very important for me and I am not happy to leave them for one year. But there is Internet and telephone, so I could stay in contact with them.
Together with school, I have got two days afternoon lessons, my days are very full, but I have got no problem with it. I dont like just sitting around and doing nothing.
In school I have got no problems, learning is very easy for me. I have got a readiness of mind, so I dont have to spend much time with learning.
I read very much and I grew up with books, my parents also read very much. This is now very helpful for me, because I got a good feeling of language.
My favourite subjects are Maths and English, but I am also good in Art and Physics.
I am a perfectionist, if I work at something, its hard for me to stop it if I know, that it could be better. And I dont like mess, I dont feel so well if my room is dirty or messy.
I thing, I am very reliable. If I get a job, people can be sure that I will do it. When there are things to organize, maybe excursions or parties, I always help planning and accept jobs.
At home my brother and I have to help in the household, we have to clean our rooms, cook one time a month, help in the garden, hang up the wash or do the dishes. We have got many jobs, but in return I have got a relatively big freedom of choice. I thing, so they help me best, to become an independent human who can make decisions.
Fairness is very important for me, I cant accept it, if people are unfair to me or to other persons. If somebody is unfair, I get involved for that and try to change it. Maybe Im sometimes a bit to committed. Another weakness of me is, that I am very impatient and have problems sometimes to accept things the way they are. But I work at this and I think that an exchange year will help me to be more tolerant and to except things how they are.
I had the idea of spending one year in another country when I was in the 5th grade. I heard of other students which went away and thought that I also want to do it. But there I had no concrete associations, I just liked the idea.
In September 2007, my parents and I went to a big exchange exposition; there we collected many catalogues and information.
At home we started to look at them and choose organisations where I wanted to make an application.
There are many reasons, why I want to be an international student for one year; I want to learn new people, their lifestyles and how they behave and thing, also about Germany and the Germans.
Another important reason is the language, its a great possibility to learn English.
But I also know the bad sides, one year away from my family and my friends. Everything would be new, and nobody can know, if I like the host family and if they like me. But I want to do this year, there will be not so many possibilities again, to make so many great, new and helpful experiences in one year.
After my exchange year I want to change the school, because I want to take part in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. There are two school where I could go to, the Helene-Lange-Gymnasium and maybe the Hansa-Gymnasium (probably there will be the possibility to take part in the IB DP at the Hansa-Gymnasium, but presently it is not sure).
If possible, I want to go to another country again after finishing school, maybe take a gap year to do voluntary work or as an au-pair.
After that I want to go to University. Maybe I will go to university in Germany, but I can also envisage to go to University in another country, maybe England. I visited England twice in the last year the first time with my class in Hastings, near London, and the second time with my family for a long weekend in London. I liked London very much and found it interesting and exciting. I would like a lot to stay there for a longer period of time.
But I think that the International Baccalaureate, if I get it, will help me to find a University.
I dont know yet what I want to study, but I think, I have got some time and my exchange year will help me to decide over my future ways.
Im very looking forward to this year, hope to see you soon.
Love, Isabel
