During the last two weeks, I have sent out a LOT of emails responding to posts on work exchange sites, house sittings opportunities and crew wanted classifieds. The first week of research yielded numerous ‘promising’ options. Brett and I discussed the options and picked which ones we were most interested in. I replied to those first, waited a few days for a response, and then replied to the others. Out of twenty emails, I might get one email response back. The first several rounds of email responses back to me were all a let down - they had already found someone or were full during the beginning part of 2009. It felt like no one wanted us.

Brett and I decided at the end of the first week - after no success in finding an opportunity for the first leg of our journey that we would head out in Jan/Feb regardless of finding something. The internet is not the home of ALL opportunities - rather only a small fraction of the opportunities in a given location are searchable on google. We made the decision that we would start in Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands or Hawaii. My job is to both research those locales on the assumption that we do not find an opportunity as well as continue to look and apply for opportunities.

I kept applying - writing email after email - hoping that someone would write back. I am excited to say that this week I had SEVEN people write back! A work exchange in Scotland, a sailboat in Martinique, a house sit in Tuscany, a sailboat in the Grenadines, a work exchange in Mexico, a sailboat in California and a work exchange in Hawaii - wow! Not all of them were emails stating - “YES, please come join us. You are perfect and everything that we have ever looked for.” Actually only one email said that. The others were emails filled with questions of whether we would fit their particular situation. Hawaii entails camping and working as a farm worker harvesting nonis and weeding the lava field. We don’t quite think that is what we want Exit 1 to entail. We are not opposed to it and at some point would love to do it - just not for the first adventure. (I want there to be a second adventure.)

The two most exciting of the seven prospective placements are the work exchange in Mexico and the sailboat in California. We have a telephone interview with the sailboat tomorrow - so we will wait and see how that goes. Keep your fingers crossed - we are getting closer to a decision as to what, where and when Exit 1 will be.