🇺🇾 Starting From Zero: My First Day Looking for Work in Uruguay

Today was one of those days that may seem completely ordinary to another person, but for me, it represents something much bigger.

Today I went out looking for work in Uruguay.

I have only been in this country for a few days, so I am still learning how everything works. I am learning the streets, the routines, the prices, the way people communicate, the procedures I need to complete, and now I am also beginning to understand how the job market works.

And I have already noticed something that is quite different from what I was used to.

From what I have been learning, in Uruguay, a CV is not necessarily a complete summary of everything you know how to do.

Instead, depending on the job and the company, it can be much more specific.

If a business is looking for someone for a particular position, you prepare your CV according to that position. You highlight the skills and experience that are relevant to what they are actually looking for.

That means that, instead of having one single CV that tells your entire professional story, you can have different versions depending on the opportunity.

And that is exactly what I am starting to do.

At the moment, I have around five different CVs, mainly in digital format, although I also have printed copies.

Today I went through some streets and visited different businesses, taking the opportunity to leave printed CVs where it was possible.

I also applied to other opportunities online.

It may not sound like a huge accomplishment.

I didn't get a job today.

I didn't walk into a business and walk out with a contract.

But for me, something important happened:

I started.

And sometimes starting is the hardest part.

I came to Uruguay with several projects that I had already been working on from Cuba. I have ideas, things I want to build, and projects that I don't want to abandon simply because I changed countries.

Actually, one of my biggest challenges now is figuring out how to incorporate those projects into my new life here.

I don't want to rush that process.

I think I first need to understand Uruguay better.

I need to become more familiar with the everyday life of Uruguayans, with the way people work, consume, communicate and do business.

Only then will I be able to see more clearly how my own projects can fit into this new environment.

And that is another interesting part of starting over.

When people talk about immigration, they often focus on the obvious things: leaving your country, finding a place to live, getting documents, finding a job and trying to make enough money to survive.

But there is another part that isn't always visible.

You have to relearn everyday life.

You have to discover how things work from the beginning.

You have to understand things that other people around you already know without thinking about them.

And that is exactly where I am right now.

I am starting from zero.

Not only because I left my country.

Not only because I am building a new life in a new place.

But because, in many ways, I have to reconstruct almost every part of my daily routine.

Even something as simple as the weather is part of the adaptation process.

And I have to admit something:

I am not a big fan of the cold. 😂

But I also know myself.

I adapt very easily to different situations.

So I am sure that, with time, I will get used to it.

Maybe one day I will even complain when the weather becomes too warm!

For now, I am trying to take everything as part of the experience.

I don't know exactly where this process is going to take me.

I don't know how long it will take to find the right job.

I don't know which of my projects will work best here.

And I certainly don't have everything figured out yet.

But I do have something that I consider very important:

the willingness to start again.

I believe that this new stage can become an opportunity to reach the success I have been working toward for years.

Not because I think everything will be easy.

Actually, I know it won't be.

But because every day gives me another opportunity to learn something, meet someone, discover something new or take one more step forward.

And today's step was simple:

I went out and looked for work.

Five CVs.

Several businesses.

Some online applications.

A lot of walking.

A lot of observing.

And one more day of learning how to build a life in Uruguay.

Maybe someone reading this is going through exactly the same thing right now.

Maybe you have recently emigrated.

Maybe you are starting over in another country.

Or maybe you already live in Uruguay and remember what your first weeks were like.

What was your experience when you first started looking for work here?

Did you also have to adapt your CV depending on the position?

How long did it take you to understand how the job market works?

I would genuinely love to hear from people who are going through the same process — especially those who are already living in Uruguay.

For now, I will keep walking, learning, applying and adapting.

Because starting from zero doesn't mean having nothing.

Sometimes it means having the opportunity to build everything again, but this time with everything you have already learned along the way.

🇺🇾 Day by day. One step at a time.