Step 1. Get certified.

     My first step in this amazing journey consisted of 1 month of intense training to learn to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL).  You can teach English anywhere in the world, but without the certification, you are not likely to get a job teaching in a foreign school.  So, after saving my pennies, I enrolled in a course in Chicago.  Because the school hours were 9:30 am to as late as 8:00 pm, it is almost impossible to work while attending school.  I took a month away from the life and found that I could barely wait to get up to leave for school each day.
     I have taken a bar exam 3 times in my life (Illinois x 2 and Virginia only once), and NOTHING prepared me for the intense training that ensued.  I have taught a number of classes over time, Red Cross classes, swimming classes, craft classes, computer classes, but this was something entirely different.  I LOVED what I was doing and was stressed out beyond belief, but it was a joyful stress and not an unhappy one.  I had found at least one of my callings.  The only other things that brought me this much joy were cooking, having my babies, and my art.
     After 1 very long month, I graduated with a TEFL certificate and was about to start the world's largest job hunt!