Backstory

How did I end up here? What makes a person move to Asia with no job, housing, or future lined up? Well, it all started about 8 months ago at 4AM in a hostel in San Jose, Costa Rica. I had finished up a little tour of the country with my mom, and was trying to pull an all nighter so i could sleep on the 20 hour bus ride back to El Salvador. In the common room, I started talking to a guy who had taught English in Japan, and then science in Korea. As he regaled me with tales of cultural immersion, high salaries, and a generally strange and adventurous lifestyle, I knew this was the next step. The best part? The only qualifications necessary were a degree and completion of a month long training course. No master's, no teaching certificate, no experience, no foreign language required.  Teach English? I am already on expert on the subject. I'm fluent! Sign me up.
So after the Peace Corps gave me the boot early due to security concerns, I signed up for a month long TEFL course in Guadalajara, Mexico. It turned out to be a great decision, I learned a lot about teaching and learning theory. I even got to teach 10 real classes in a language school, with observers giving me feedback. Probably the best thing I learned was confidence in my abilities. I could hold the class's attention, make it fun, and sometimes they actually learned! Now I was ready to live and work in any country in need of English teachers.
My first thought was Asia. I had always wanted to go, it sounded exotic, delicious, foreign enough to give me that feeling of awe I have become addicted to. That feeling you get when you see something so different, confusing, new, or just plain weird that your brain reels and and your mind is mystified. I just can't get enough of that. But which Asian county to visit? Japan and Korea seemed tempting with their high salaries. However, with a little bit of prodding from a friend (thanks Christine!) I turned my attention to Thailand. Tigers, elephants, monkeys, beaches, jungles, mountains, parties, temples, Buddhist, Aussies, and the food. That last one was probably the kicker. Have you ever had Thai food? Of course you have, because it s freaking delicious. I am convinced Thai cooks are the masters of spice and flavor, always delighting your palate with a rainbow of sour, sweet, spicy, and salty that just leave you wanting more and wondering how you ever ate anything else. All of that is available is available from street vendors for $1 a bowl you say? Sold. I'm there.
So after a half-hearted job hunt this summer and some soul searching, I realized that even if I landed a that sweet dream job in the states, there would be that voice in my mind, always whispering "Yeah, this is nice, but what if you had gone Thailand?" So I pulled the trigger, bought a non-refundable one-way ticket, and started packing. I knew I could not leave this stone unturned.