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.

When reading through past queries of travelers looking for work or volunteer opportunities, I noticed that one guy in particular seemed to have all the answers for people looking for housing, jobs, or fun times in Quito.

So I contacted him. Jon has been living in Quito for a few years and suggested we meet up the next day at a local Vietnamese restaurant called Uncle Ho’s. Right off the bat he was friendly, easy-going, and unbelievably helpful.

I explained that I was looking for short-term or even volunteer work and he gave me a rundown of options off the top of his head: he knew of a lovely hostel in the mountains who was looking for a volunteer in exchange for room and board, he could point me in the direction of the better-reputed English schools, and could suggest any number of volunteer options within Ecuador.

Literally two days later, he messaged me saying that the owner of Uncle Ho’s, a fun-loving Irish expat named Kevin, was looking for a new waitress. I went in to talk to Kevin the following day and he gave me the low-down.

It appealed to me way more than grading papers and prepping for English classes. Don’t get me wrong – I taught English in Korea and loved it. But getting to eat mouth-watering Asian food, listen to awesome music, and chat with fellow globe-trotters sounded way more appealing this time around.

Voila! A few days’ worth of emails and conversations scored me a job in Quito. Don’t underestimate the power of networking- it can land you a lot more than a couch to crash on!

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.

I’d been dragging my heels about going to Laurene’s school to meet her boss – a position opened up at her school to teach some evening classes at $4/hr. But for whatever reason, the thought of teaching for a few bucks an hour made me cringe, even though it would actually be enough to live on.

What really made me hesitate was imagining spending another two full months in Quito, choking on the pollution and constantly watching my back. But I bit the bullet and went looking for Laurene’s school at dusk, couldn’t find it because it was so far, and felt the whole time like I was going to get mugged. I hated the feeling of having to be hyper aware and suspicious of everyone that passed me. It started to sprinkle – naturally – so I finally called her and she gave me directions. But after a few more minutes, I just gave up and decided to retrace my steps back to the apartment.

I had walked farther than I thought and it was now dark. Walking alone in the dark is a big no-no here. I made my way to the grocery store near our apartment and spent $7 on ingredients to bake a chocolate cake, which I had been craving ever since Laurene made one for Freddie’s birthday. Spending seven dollars bummed me out even more though, since that’s the equivalent of 4 meals here and I clearly don’t have a source of income at this point.

After wandering fruitlessly in the dark, glaring at every stranger who passed with a “Don’t Mug Me” stare, and spending money I don’t have to make a cake, I couldn’t get my apartment key to work in the gate because it takes both hands and an intermediate level of coordination. Plus the overhead light is on a sensor and turns off after 3 seconds, so I’m fumbling with my key in the pitch black darkness with my arms full of eggs and groceries, cursing my non-luck. The key wasn’t cooperating and I couldn’t see anything so I was trying to picture the lock in my mind’s eye and mentally beseech it to open. Again my mental magic wasn’t working and I stood there in the dark struggling for several minutes.

The light that leaves you in the dark

It all kind of added up to one of those screaming-into-the-pillow moments. In fact I did consider screaming just to make myself feel better, but then I figured my neighbors would likely think I was being mugged, so I swallowed my angst. It occurred to me to be annoyed that I hadn’t bought more ice cream but since I had finished my last tub of ice cream within 2 days, I was trying to wait until next week to buy a new one. I eat grilled cheese sandwiches every single day (sometimes twice a day), put butter on everything I eat without fail, and eat ice cream by the tub, so it’s only a matter of time before I balloon.

I made the cake disappear!

The upside is that maybe the magician – if he ever calls – will teach me how to make the would-be muggers, exhaust-spewing buses, and extra pounds vanish into thin air.