I am originally from Hamden, CT, USA. I have lived in Gifu, Japan since 2000. We moved to this house on June 30, 2007 and started to work on the garden immediately. Our yard was a completely barren sand lot when we moved in. I am currently mostly a SAHM to our three daughters, M (6/2004), L (10/2006), and K (5/2011). I teach English to children two days a week from our detached house.