There is an Orthodox church only minutes away from me, but of course it has been inactive for four years now.
Story of my life.

My journey has not been one to Orthodoxy as much as within.

My journey to was very short. I was born in Singapore and after a little over a year, my family came back to the U.S. and I was baptised (you never saw a bigger cake for a 1 year old boy; I had many many relatives who came over who were definitely of cake-eating age).

But my journey within has been strange, very strange, as it's been a life of the marginal variety (a la Jonathan Pageau). See, growing up in a ghetto by the sea two+ hours from the nearest church showed me life from two distinct perspectives. Life within the Church and life without. My home town was rife with sex, drugs and alcohol and little else. There wasn't a lot of the "good" part of town. I had to choose my friends very carefully. Life within the Church presented something completely and distinctly other, pointing me in what was clearly the right direction and it's There I made my closest friends.

Growing up, I did the usual things. Video games, movies, TV, some reading and ballroom dancing, etc. College was much better. Went to church every weekend for the first time in my life, instead of every other weekend (thank you, gas prices, housing bubble, etc.), ballroom danced about two or three times a week and played Halo and CoD with my friends since we were living farther apart than before.

It was after college that things got really interesting. My folks had moved to a town closer to church. The one hitch (I only recently found out) was that it was in a vale with an orchard nearby. The reason I say that was a hitch is because of all the toxins (pesticides/herbicides) in the air that never really left, by virtue of being in a vale. This caused me health problems which turned into an ER visit which turned into an antibiotic giving me more health problems than I ever thought you could have at once. I had to stay Orthodox while in terrible circumstances. Not something I'd ever encountered before.

But it's here I had to relearn how to be Orthodox, what it all meant, my purpose in life, how to be a man, etc. I began to read the Bible more (and other books in general; I have a distinctly Japanese section of my little library now), the lives of the saints, praying. What does life mean amidst suffering? What's the point of it all, exactly? What's important? How do you live?

And then, not only had I to re-invent myself internally, but I learned a lot about medicine. Specifically the holistic, naturopathic approaches. I've been to general naturopaths, Chinese doctors, acupuncturists, liver specialists, gastros, regular medical doctors, physical therapists, everyone. I almost feel I have a minor in medicine after my experiences. I've learned a great deal, some of which helped family and friends a lot.

Then, there's the reading. Lots of reading. Tolkien, Yoshikawa, Homer, nautical fiction/memoirs, military memoirs, etc., etc.

8.5 years later and I can say it's been a lot. A lot a lot. Five years after the initial trouble began, I was able to find some relief and help from a couple doctors. It was at this five year mark that I moved to Texas and began a new life as a teacher, continuing my journey. I'm a data analyst now and I found a brilliant doctor, something in the rank order of genius, I say, and I'm getting better. The best I've felt in a long time. And with many new friends in the great state of Texas, the journey continues. Much reading, much working, with a career track that's been as instructive as it has been eventful.