Help me with a letter plz! It's important

H.   Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 22:09 GMT
Hey,
I don't usually write here, I like to read other people's post tho. Anyway, I have a very important question that only a native-speaker could answer. You see, I'm going to Canada this summer, and I'm going to stay at a Canadian family's house and live with them for a whole month. The organization that's prepating everything has asked me to write a letter to the family in order to introduce myself, etc. The thing is I don't know who's gonna receive the letter I have to write, they have not told me anything about the family I have been assigned to, I don't even know their name. So, my question is: how can I start the letter?? I think "Dear Sir and/or Madam" sounds okay, but I don't know if it sounds all right to a native-speaker's ears too. Please tell me what you think and ways of adressing to them, cause I don't know them and I don't want to sound to formal, or too informal. I just want to give the right impression.
Thanks a bunch,
Hugh

P.S. If there's any Canadian here, I'd like to know some things about your customs etc. In case it helps in any way I'm going to Toronto , Ontario.
The US of A   Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 22:53 GMT
They are very repected the Canadians.. even though we make fun of them. Dont worry typical Canadians are usually very accepting.. I dont think of really customs that are 'typical canadian' but just use your common sense.
Deborah   Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 23:47 GMT
You could keep the tone light and say "Dear new family."
american nic   Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 23:51 GMT
As far as customs, anything you know about American customs are almost identical to Canadian ones.
Ved   Wednesday, May 04, 2005, 00:19 GMT
I am from Toronto. Canadians are very, very, very polite, but that doesn't necessarily mean formal. We are more like awfully nice. I'd suggest keeping your tone neutral and friendly. "Dear Sir or Madam" would certainly be far too much. Perhaps something like "Dear Ms. X" or "Dear Mr. X" would be the best, but that would mean that you would have to request that the agency you are paying to get you to Canada give you the names of your hosts.

It sounds quite strange to me that they are asking you to introduce yourself to somebody whose name you don't know. It's not very common-sense and it most certainly isn't the way it's done in Canada.
The US of A   Wednesday, May 04, 2005, 02:50 GMT
<As far as customs, anything you know about American customs are almost identical to Canadian ones.>

Judging by the person concerned is probably not American nor from another English speaking country.
andre in usa   Wednesday, May 04, 2005, 03:07 GMT
Do you know the Canadian family's last name? If so, simply write, "Dear (insert family name here) Family" or something along those lines. To write "Dear Sir and/or Madam" would be way too formal.
H.   Wednesday, May 04, 2005, 04:18 GMT
Thanks a lot!
I don't know the family last name yet, and the agency says they need the letter and some other information about me before they find me a family because they need to know my hobbies and some other things about me in order to find the right family for me.
I'll write Dear new family, or Dear Family.Thanks for the info, you're the best
Deborah   Wednesday, May 04, 2005, 05:28 GMT
I like "Dear Family " better than "Dear new family," even if I did suggest the latter.