Thanks @joeyarnoldvn. I feel many good words haven't made it to the dictionary - official versions at least. It's funny you mention Google because I think that is probably the most visible change of a new word becoming accepted and in the dictionary, in the sense that everyone will recognize it.
As for alot, I certainly wouldn't correct it if I saw it in a blog. It's so commonly done that I think our collective insistence on using it will eventually win out. : ]
It must have been an amazing experience to teach in Vietnam. I don't think I could do that. I'm much more comfortable behind my keyboard!
There are different kinds of English too, like American English, British English, Australian English, and I even saw some Vietnamese English, and there are the sub-categories, different accents, too, so these different groups can come up with different rules and things, for example, color and colour. Yea, Vietnam was amazing for sure.