I was born in Colombia, South America, but grew up in Brookfield, Massachusetts. With only 2,500 residents and nary a stoplight to be found, Brookfield is a bona-fide small town. I lived in Brookfield until I trekked off west to Williamstown, another small town in Massachusetts. This one is nestled in a picturesque purple valley in the Berkshires and is the home of Williams College, my alma mater, Class of 1996.

Since I grew up and went to college in what you could very accurately call "the boonies," I'm sure you can imagine how big my current home, Tokyo, feels to me. (To read a bit about what's happening in Japan, check out the homepage of the Daily Yomiuri, the English edition of the this nation's largest newspaper.) While in Tokyo I met my lovely wife, Yuki Takai, and we were married on July 7, 2001. See a picture of Yuki and I at our wedding. We had a son, Jonathan Koki, on February 21, 2003. I'm slowly discovering that being a dad ain't easy!

Growing up in an international family turned me on at an early age to the beauty and power of foreign languages. In addition to speaking Spanish and Japanese, I also enjoy communicating in Chinese. In the summer of 1995, and then again in the summer of 1996, I attended the Princeton in Beijing (PiB) language program in China. I highly recommend the program for anyone who is interested in a very intense and productive language learning experience. You definitely get a lot of bang for the buck at PiB! I'd be happy to talk with you more about the program if you are interested. Just drop me an e-mail.

And finally, no self-introduction would be complete without giving credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wouldn't be me, if it weren't for Him. Follow this link if you would like to hear how I once was lost but now am found.