I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri -- one of the oldest, American cities, situated at the biggest bend of the mighty Mississippi river. My native language is Mid-Western, American English. St. Louis was once considered an "accent-free" city, or the place where "broadcasters' English" was spoken. I have also lived in two small towns in Missouri where rural "dialects" were spoken, full of colorful idioms and expressions.

Altogether, I have lived in ten different American states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington state. I have also traveled to six different English-speaking countries: Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, South Africa, and Wales.

Currently, I live in the Silicon Valley of California, a region rich in cultural diversity.