Where am I going now ...? - Part 2

Okay. I think I got a little more response on my last post than I expected. Blogs are meant to entertain the reader and to some extent sensationalize the events of the writer's life - in this case my own regarding my journey through movement and yoga - and all that that entails. There are no lies in my blog, but the last one I guess was more of a vent than I realized. I really haven't expected much readership at all, so I was a little surprised (even though I in part instigated it by posting a link to the new article on Facebook) when I had my 3rd comment ever on this blog since starting it a few months back, and 2 comments on Facebook sounding quite concerned. My doctor told me shingles was from stress and this was echoed by posters on Facebook (a family member and a friend) wondering if I was ok and what's wrong. The truth be told - and here I am really taking aside from the theme of this blog - is that I have a little more stress than usual because I am an expat living in a new country that has new customs, food, and language. In Japan, I experience these things (both wonderful and challenging) on a daily basis, and there is no time out from it really other than at my home with my wife or by talking with my American colleagues. When  you don't have a good grasp of the local language, it is kind of like feeling like a kid again who can't tie their own shoelaces on their own. I need my wife to go with me to the doctors or the dentists, and while I can basically make myself understood at stores and such it takes much more effort. So, there are times I get a little frustrated and more short-tempered than I would in New York where I last lived, but these are also the growing pains of settling into a new country. I have been through a huge number of changes this year, but have experienced things that I think are overall positive. Over time, stress usually gets less as you adjust to a culture. Yoga certainly has been helping me tremendously, and will have a great role in helping me have a happier and healthier year in 2012. To round out the New Year, I will be visiting family and friends in New York City at the end of December and through New Years and have a chance to sample some yoga classes in Westchester and in New York City. I will even visit my old Astoria, NYC haunt, Agora Yoga - with their great atmosphere and kind teachers...