An Employment Narrative

Looking for work is frustrating. The constant quest of long-term underemployment and unemployment is soul-crushing. All too often, we feel compelled to bear this burden in solitude. I say, no longer. Many have followed the same rotten path that I now tread, and it should not be a shameful one. The time has come for me to come forward with my stories.

Let us begin with a brief summary.

• I left a good government job in the fall of 2011 to pursue a dream: exploring another country with my wife while she completed a fellowship. In the dream, our sojourn to South Africa would be life-affirming and empowering. I would build unique, emerging-market experience while we lived the good ex-pat life. Reality was far less simple.

• In August 2012, I wrote a piece about my professional struggles in South Africa for The Billfold, entitled "Things I've Learned While Looking for Work in South Africa." I discussed the perils of South Africa's broken immigration system and the Catch-22 in which I sat: I needed a job to get a work visa, and I needed a work visa to get a job. The piece was published under a pseudonym due to concerns that my frank words might harm my then-pending visa application. I need not have worried.

• I left South Africa in March 2013 in a cloud of frustration. The South African system had failed me. My employer -- and the used-car salesman of an "immigration practitioner" with whom they had set me up -- had let me down. I was done with the bullshine, so I returned to Washington, D.C., to find the next step.

• I promptly spent the next five months on a D.C. roller-coaster of informational interviews, job applications, rejection, and the eternal so-what-do-you-do. I am not out of the woods yet, but I am on the edge. And from this vantage point I can see the forest through the trees.

Over the coming weeks I will post a few brief essays about my 2013 job search and what it has taught me. Be warned that I am no guru; I am merely an introspective and curious soul. My frankness in a public setting is designed with a simple message: you are not alone. I am not alone. I look forward to sharing my experience with you.

Illegal Music Downloading: An Economist's View

One year ago, David Lowery (musician of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven fame) wrote a blog post in which he decried the practice of illegally downloading music. The post proved a subject of great argument that summer, with other musicians and tech folks chiming in with surprising intensity.

I take an economist's view of the issue: if the Internet has brought the market value of recorded music to zero, this constitutes a market failure. In the event of a market failure, an economist would prescribe government intervention. I will briefly describe the problem with illegal downloading and then offer several solutions for government intervention. Finding them lacking, I conclude that only enlightened consumerism will do until governments can better address the problem.

Avocado-Fig Smoothie

Come, let us visit Morocco. (Many of you have come this way with me before, but let us go again. You need a vacation.) Morocco will enchant the visitor. The mesmerizing medinas, the marvelous markets, the daunting desert, the oracular ocean, the alluring alliteration, the capacity of street vendors to hassle you in ten different European languages, and so on. When the visitor needs a break from enchantment, however, the visitor needs to obtain an Avocado Fig-Smoothie.

The Avocado-Fig Smoothie is the ideal amalgam of sweet, rich, and light. Once you find the raw ingredients, creation comes at the press of a blender button. 

Avocado-Fig Smoothie (serves 2)

1 ripe avocado

2 cups cow's milk (or almond milk, or vanilla whey protein and water)

6 figs (preferably canned or dried, or even a few dollops of fig jam)

pinch salt

sugar/honey to taste

Directions
1. Remove the avocado from its protective casing in the manner of your choice.

2. If your figs are dried, please mince them with a sharp knife -- especially if your blender is not cutting edge. (Do not waste fresh figs in this recipe; eat them alone, or with close friends.)

3. Put all ingredients except sugar in the blender. Blend until thick. 

4. Add pinch of salt. Add sugar/honey to taste. (Melt the honey first or face disappointment.) Blend again.

5. If too thick, add more milk. Stir with ice to chill.

Now visit Morocco with your mouth. Please take your friends with you.

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Wine

Wine Farms

Stellenbosch

·      Kleine Zalze - great wine that is also great value wine – especially the white wines. Laid-back attitude. Open late on Saturdays. Terroir restaurant is here.

·      Villiera - Gorgeous tasting area in a courtyard under oak trees. World-class sparkling wines and great, diverse overall selection.

·      Peter Falke - stunning farm with a small selection, which you can enjoy whilst lounging in the stunning atmosphere. Open until 7 every day except Monday.

·      Neil Ellis - sourcing wines from all over the Western Cape to make amazing varietals and world-class blends.

·      Vergenoegd - gorgeous Cape Dutch building and gardens that host runner ducks, good cheapies, and great expensive reds varietals.

Franschhoek

·      Rickety Bridge - delicious wines with tasting area overlooking the vines. Do not miss the chenin blanc and semillon.

·      Solms-Delta - great wine farm that also features ethical labor practices and an edifying museum on local history. Try the sparkling Cape Jazz Shiraz.

·      La Bri Estate - very pretty small farm with our favorite Shiraz.

·      La Petite Ferme - stunningly beautiful wine farm. Incredible white wines. Book for lunch and come early for a free tasting.

Darling

Charming little town with great value, high-quality wines.

·      Groote Post

·      Ormonde

·      Darling Cellars

Hermanus / Hemel en Aarde Valley

·      Creation - incredibly beautiful view over the wine farm. The Syrah Grenache blend was one of our favorite wines in South Africa. The lunch is also famous, and the Chardonnay cheesecake is divine!

·      Newton Johnson - famous for its pinot noir, which is a regional specialty (but a tough grape in the rest of the country). Stunning location and home of Heaven restaurant.

·      Hermanuspietersfontein - famous for their Sauvignon Blancs; the reds are also amazing. Overall one of the best wine farms in South Africa. 

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Coffee and Booze

Coffee

·      Deluxe Coffeeworks (25 Church St) - tall ceilings, solid and well priced coffee. This is pure coffee bar. No tea, no snacks, but they really turn out a great espresso and the crowd is hip and pretty to look at.

·      Heaven (Greenmarket Square) - cute little space in the Central Methodist Mission church.

·      Truth Coffee Cult (36 Buitenkant St) - steam-punk coffee palace with huge, atmospheric seating area; decent nibbles; and servers wearing excellent hats. Great place to work or people-watch.

·      Bean There (58 Wale St) - 'fair trade' coffee roasters with a nice cafe too. If you take your coffee seriously, so do they. Free cup of joe when you buy a package of coffee to brew at home.

·      Bread Milk and Honey (10 Spin St) - great, well-priced coffee and very tasty snacks, especially for breakfast. They can make an proper iced coffee – a rarity in Cape Town. Well-rated but expensive lunch buffet.

Booze - [ note: cocktails will NOT compare in quality to cocktails in major U.S. cities. Visiting Americans might want to stick with the wine, which is much better value and high quality ]

·      Roxy’s (14 Wandel St) - pleasant dive/diner.

·      Kitima (Hout Bay) - lovely, old house with a great cocktail menu. You can order their food from the bar (see Restaurants).

·      Clarke’s (133 Bree St) - several inventive cocktails make this a good early-evening stop in town.

·      Julep (Long Street, alley near Long Street Cafe) - cool, intimate, dark space with solid cocktail list. Best when they are not playing loud dance music.

·      Planet Bar (76 Orange St) - spacy (and spacious) lounge in the Mount Nelson Hotel that offers solid, boozy cocktails with worldly ingredients. Expensive.

·      Black Ram (Tamboerskloof, Corner of Kloof Nek Rd & Burnside Rd) - cool space with a nice but pricy selection of microbrews, wines, and booze. Very crowded and smoky on weekends. A see-and-be-seen kind of place, especially for hipster types.

·      Orphanage Cocktail Emporium (227 Bree St) - Victorian orphan-themed menu delivers tasty cocktails with stunning presentation and decent small plates. Pleasantly dark inside. More tea, Vicar?

·      Tjing Tjing Rooftop Bar (165 Longmarket St) - cool vibe with mixed indoor/outdoor space. Good music, wine, and cocktails.

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Arts and Culture

Music

Good spots for live music in town include Zula Sound Bar and The Waiting Room (Long Street); Straight No Chaser for serious, intimate jazz (Zonnebloem); and Mercury Live and theAssembly (Zonnebloem) for dance and rock. Further out, there are some decent spots in Observatory with erratic schedules and talent (Tagore's, Obviouzly Armchair; Obz Cafe; Mojo's).

Theatre

Artscape, the Fugard Theatre, and the Baxter Theatre generally put on good productions that – from an international perspective – are amazing value.

Maynardville Open-Air Theatre makes for a great picnic and show in Wynberg during the summer.

Be on the look-out for interesting theatre festivals, especially the free public-art festival Infecting the City (in March).

Art

Cape Town has a number of good small galleries and exhibitors. Here are a few favorite spaces in town:

·      Salon 91 (Gardens, 91 Kloof St)

·      AVA Gallery (Town, 35 Church St)

·      SMAC Gallery (Town, Cnr Buitengracht & Butensingel)

·      SA National Gallery (Company's Garden; small but usually solid)

·      Erdmann Contemporary (town, 63 shortmarket St)

·      Commune1 (town, 64 Wale St)

Woodstock is a fun neighborhood for gallery hopping and offbeat shops.

·      A Word of Art (rotating)

·      Stevenson Cape Town (160 Sir Lowry Rd)

·      Goodman Gallery (176 Sir Lowry Rd)

·      Blank Projects (113 Sir Lowry Rd)

Urban wanderings: 

·      Long Street: antique shops, hip boutiques, and colorful facades

·      Bo-Kaap: Cape Muslim history, brightly painted houses of every shade

·      Company's Garden: pretty garden in town with many museums and great views of the mountains

·      Woodstock: art galleries, grungy urban renewal, and funky shops

·      Sea Point Promenade: stroll along the sea wall, stop as you wish at beaches and saltwater pools

·      Muizenberg / Kalk Bay: take the train to cute beachfront towns on the False Bay side; decent swimming, cute boutiques, delicious seafood (a.k.a. the perfect day-trip)

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Outside

Hiking and Outdoors

In Town:

·      Lion's Head: great 2.5 hour hike to the top, with 360-degree views of the city and the ocean. Big elevation change and some definite rock scrambles, but delightful.

·      Table Mountain, via Platteklip Gorge: 2.5-3.5 hours of Stairmaster, with breathtaking reward at the top. Can take cable car up and/or down if so inclined.

·      Devil's Peak: harder than Table Mountain, but many fewer people. Often lost in the clouds.

·      Clifton Beaches: beautiful non-commercial beachfronts (but likely crowded). Great for a sundowner picnic in summer.

·      Signal Hill: not a traditional climb, but even driving to the top provides beautiful views and a great sundowner spot (although the traffic to get back down in season can be hectic).

Out of town:

·      Chapman's Peak: not many other hikers for the amazing views after a nice, gradual but challenging climb (2-3 hours). Chapmans Peak Drive is one of the most stunning drives in the Western Cape.

·      Silvermine: beautiful and easy hike with great views of entire Cape Peninsula; awesome cave optional (2-4 hours)

·      Cape Point: amazing hike between two points, with amazing ocean views the whole way; serious schlep from town (1.5 hours)