Tip #1: Tap Your Network

If you don’t have one, get one. Find one.

As I mentally reviewed my friends, acquaintances, and past travel buddies, I realized that I didn’t really know anyone in Ecuador before I moved here. In order to find contacts and job prospects, I put the word out to my friends and hit the Internet. I perused the Lonely Planet forums by searching for jobs in Ecuador.

I signed up for Couchsurfing, not because I was looking for a place to stay, but because I’ve heard it’s a great resource for meeting people on the road. I joined a few groups based in Quito and signed up for email updates. Every day my inbox is full of Couchsurfing messages from travelers or locals looking for like-minded people who want to take salsa lessons, go bar-hopping, or take weekend trips together. (more…)

Sometimes it’s just guns.

Kidding.

Kind of.

The hunt is on for a job in Quito. After applying for a mysterious Magician’s Assistant post found under Quito’s Craigslist, I sat back and tried to work some mental magic and will the magician to respond. Laurene and Freddie have both gotten jobs teaching English, but try as I might, I couldn’t motivate myself to apply for teaching jobs. We recently met a bartender who had partied with Guns N Roses when they played in Quito recently, and I had seen some places who were hiring bartenders. Except I don’t know how to tend bar. Right.

Rabbits out of hats, Getting sawed in half = I'm in!

My day had started out pretty good- I slept until noon since I have become an insomniac since living here (along with half of our apartment) and have trouble falling asleep before 2 or 3am. My recent obsession has been researching shamans in the Amazon and contemplating going to live in the jungle to learn from them. Other than that, I had lunch with a new friend who took me to a local hotspot for wealthy Quitenos and we feasted on the Ecuadorian version of sushi. Things were looking up. (more…)