Looking for a host family!

AFS is actively looking for a host family for me. They've interviewed me to find out what would be important for a good match. We can help AFS in the hunt for a host family. Maybe it will even come through a friend of a friend. So just in case, I'm sharing a letter I wrote introducing myself to a possible host family. I realize I need to write it in French too. I'll get there!

If you have any ideas of people I should connect with in France, let me know. 

Hi Host Family,

I'm Alex Wessel. I've recently began to think about what it is that drives me. The fuel to my fire so to speak. Over the past several years, I've come to believe that it is traveling and meeting people from different places. I am fascinated that traveling serves as a medium to challenge myself, adventure, and pick up new friends and life experiences along the way. Recently I have struggled with the American ideals of an ethnocentric education, a pipeline that I see leads me to live a life I’m not seeking. It has been a little over two years since I returned from a two-year experience living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and I think it’s a good time to transition to a new experience abroad. The daily balancing act of school, soccer, youth group, and videography has been good, but I’m looking to stretch myself more.

I’ve attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle since 9th grade. I’m currently an ambitious 11th grader, and have a job as a tutor, and as ski-instructor in the winter (I'd like to say more of a ski-bum). This past summer, I traveled to Lake Shasta in California to be a youth counselor to younger high schoolers, led a group of my peers on a backcountry camping trip, took a family road trip to Yellowstone National Park, and climbed Mt. Zion on a week-long backpacking trip in British Columbia, Canada. Clearly, I love the outdoors, staying active, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. This past spring, I traveled to Tijuana, Mexico on a housebuilding trip with my youth group. It was there that I refreshed my passion for immersing myself in other cultures.

Something important to know about me is that I am a deep-thinker, and often need lots of time to think about experiences. Usually I look for a creative outlet to spend time processing, and that has primarily been in the fields of writing and videography. Writing clears my mind because time and time again I have trouble communicating how I truly feel in the moment. So giving myself the second chance to analyze and build on situations has been vital in my development throughout high school. Secondly, my love for videography has been around since I bought my first camera in middle school, and it helps me express myself. I ‘d want to continue both pursuits with studying abroad, as I would hope to find inspiration in the unique aspects of daily life.

I’m ready for this experience as I’m seeking more independence. I’m sure my family will miss me (and maybe I’ll even miss them!) but as travelers, the distance between us is short. For my time abroad, I’d really like to see how I can contribute to a host family and look forward to learning from them whatever part of their lives they’re willing to share with me!

Thanks for your time. I’m of course happy to share more!

Alex