One week into my job hunt in the Big Apple and I hit a bit of a low yesterday…Sitting behind a computer all day, trying to find that position that will be the right one for me, sending loads of applications (and receiving almost as many rejection letters!) is truly trying. The whole process is just so different from anywhere else I’ve had to do this before.

In South Africa the way to find that dream job is through your contacts – someone you know, who knows someone who wants to know you. I’m sure, by the way, that it’s exactly the same here, only problem lies in not really knowing that many people! And the job interview is so much ‘softer’… It’s tough having to convey all you’re about in 30 minutes over the phone. Do you crack a joke or do you go the serious route? Do you tell the absolute truth about your experience or do you add a little glamour, just because you can? It’s tough! And then, how do you squeeze everything you’re about into one short discussion?

So last night I made a conscious decision NOT to get desperate and sad and hopeless. I will find a job, and it will be a fantastic one. But it’s going to take a little time. Until then, I have to use this time off to my advantage. So today I did. After five hours of job hunting, I donned my warm coat, grabbed my gym bag and after browsing the designer shops in SOHO (where I’ll be shopping once my dream job has arrived!), I headed to the gym for a vigorous workout. Then, using my Starbucks giftcard (Thanks Lolly!) I got myself a tall skinny cinnamon mochachino and strolled back home through two city parks – looking at all the people who apparently don’t work – there are so many of them! This felt a bit more balanced.

Oh, and tomorrow I have my 2nd interview, which means that I must have done something right in the first one!

With Jacob Zuma being elected the head of the ANC (SA’s leading political party) in December, the chances of him becoming the next president of the country has increased exponentially. And while I’m not a great follower of politics, this issue really concerns me. Not only because of the actual effect of having a (not found guilty) rapist who believes that having a shower after sex will protect you from AIDS rule a country where HIV/AIDS is rife and woman’s rights are not a given as president. Also not because Zuma is about to go on trial for corruption in a country where corruption is the order of the day may not be the best example for the masses.

No…apart from all of these charges out of which he somehow manages to weasle himself, having Zuma as president is already damaging the country’s international reputation. South Africa is paradise. But there are serious economic and social problems, and international investment can help ease these problems. Who is going to invest in a country led by a man with as many wifes as Zuma has, who has been on trial for rape and is about to go on trial for corruption?

One thing that hasn’t really been discussed in the news is Zuma’s marital status. According to South African Home Affairs, residents are only allowed to have one wife. Having more than one wife is viewed as bigamy and is prosecutable by law.

According to IOL; ‘As best as can be ascertained, Zuma has had four wives. He is divorced from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the present foreign minister, and his wife Kate committed suicide. His other two wives, Sizakele Zuma and Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma, live at Nkandla. If Zuma becomes president of the country, it is not known who the first lady will be.’

And he married another woman in January. Thats three wives. “As far as can be ascertained”. Or am I reading this incorrectly?

I saw the pictures of Zuma’s third/fourth/fifth wedding ceremony and, trust me, it was a traditional affair – complete with leopard skins and Zulu dancing. Now let’s presume that these weddings were not officiated over by anyone from a court of law as this would mean that they were breaking the South African law too. So these are wives in a traditional sense.

But traditional weddings are legal in South Africa too, so how do we look at this case – is Zuma legally breaking the law or traditionally showcasing his manhood? What really should be the discussion point is the legal right his “other” wives have if he divorces them. More importantly, what is the attraction to this man who never even graduated Grade 4? (I mean, have you even learnt basic maths at this level?)

If Jacob Zuma cannot commit to one woman, what makes anyone think that he will be able to commit to successfully leading one nation?

*Picture courtesy of the Sunday Times

As part of my Christmas gifts (a late one, and I think one that was kind of ‘spur-of-the-moment) John bought me a small TV for the bedroom. And what a joy it’s been!

Now I’ve never been one of those TV fans. In fact, growing up, we were urged to rather read a book than watch TV. All this is changing…It’s too cold to go outside much, so invariably we have gravitated to the couch and been catching up on our favorite shows…Prison Break, Weeds and John’s new one, Lost (which makes no sense to me at all, by the way).

Now in the past, we’d both have to sit through Howard Stern or some other war epic, or in poor John’s case, Sex and the City or Grey’s Anatomy. Well friends, no more! As I type this, I’m happily watching SATC in bed and John’s watching his man-show in the living room. Is this what we’ve come to? For now, I’m afraid so!

Winter in the Northern Hemisphere is magical, that’s true. But it’s also damn bloody cold! My body’s taking a little strain adapting to this weather after the glorious sunshine of South Africa – runny nose, itchy dry skin… But I’m generally enjoying the winter. Was down in SOHO (southern Manhattan – very trendy area) on Tuesday afternoon and all of a sudden the snow flurries started whirling about. My immediate reaction was to tell someone…point to a snowflake and say, ‘It’s snowing!’, but then I again realized that to people who have lived in this half of the world, snow is often just another weather-related occurrence, and often it is little other than an annoyance. For this girl from the desert it still is rather fabulous, though.

I am fighting a bit of writers block with the blog at the moment, but promise to come back with a vengeance in the very near future. I think the jetlag and the holiday memories are still with me and have vowed to take it easy this weekend in order for me to be fighting fit next week – ready for the big job hunt which is currently underway.

Will keep you posted!

I got back to New York on Sunday evening after a very long 22 hour journey during which I had to go through customs in London, get my passport stamped and then got picked out to participate in a full body X-ray going back through customs to take the flight to New York. All this drama, why? To collect a very African mask that was meant to stay onboard with me, but somehow had ended up in the stowage compartment – don’t ask…

So now I’m back in reality after an absolutely blissful month of holiday in Sweden and South Africa. There were so many highlights during this month that I simply don’t know which to pick out. My best ‘new experience’ for the holiday was ice skating on a frozen lake in Stockholm. Here’s John’s brother, Martin, showing off his ice skating skills.
I was less graceful and managed to fall off my long-blade skates three times, leaving my snow pants quite wet, but I have truly never had such a pure beauty experience. John’s dad quickly took me under his guidance and I soon became quite the ice skating princess!
Cape Town was amazing and I was quite worried that it would be extremely hard for me to return to New York after spending 20 glorious days in South Africa. However, when the time came, I was ready to head home. To sleep in my own bed, be back together with John and to have a wider variety of outfits (one suitcase for a month is not a good idea!) all helped me get on the plane with a song in my heart. That said, South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, will always be on of my very happy places and what this trip really showed me was that while everything may change, true friends will always be true friends.

With Susan in the midst of African summer and with little access to internet, here with a guest post….

I have been working to fix up Susan’s blog and have some exciting news to report.

1) Check the new URL – we own it baby. The blog is now officially on sueinthecity.com. Update your bookmarks and check this new location.

2) Email updates – Are you lazy and not checking the blog at least 2 times per week as you should? You can now subscribe via email to get updates as they happen. I promise I won’t sell your email for my eMarketing initiatives.

3) Finally, if you are in Cape Town – give a bug hug to Sanna, I miss her over here.

/John

Well, it’s been a fantastic holiday (so far!) and I do apologize for the lack of posts from my side – combination of laziness and lack of internet/computer access. But what a fantastic time we’ve had. John left Cape Town on the 9th to go back to New York and I’m still here until the 20th – leaving plenty of girl-time, sunbathing time and a space in which I can read loads of books, sleep late and just enjoy the summer before returning to snow and ice.

The one realization I’ve made so far is that home is definitely where the heart is. When John left for New York last week, so did my heart. I think what I’m trying to say is that sometimes the location does not matter that much, but rather who you’re there with. And in John I have found my best friend and favourite traveling partner! (Mushy stuff, I know!).

That said, it has been so much fun catching up with all my friends and seeing how much Cape Town has changed in the 10 months since I left – buildings have been demolished and new ones have gone up, new shops have opened and everywhere you look are new bars and restaurants. Amidst this change, however, it is fabulous to know that my friends are still the same. And I still love them.

It makes me appreciate how lucky I am to have amazing people in my life around the world – here in SA, in Sweden, in the UK, Namibia and of course in New York. I am a lucky, lucky girl.

Over the past month John and I have had our share of circus entertainment! About 3 weeks ago we saw Cirque du Soleil in New York at Madison Square Garden and while in Stockholm, John’s mom treated us with tickets to ‘Rhapsody in Circus’ a production by Robert Wells – a great Swedish pianist. His music was paired by amazing circus acts – one which left me feeling faint and slightly too anxious for my fun-factor.

A tightrope was suspended about 12-15 meters above the crowd and two guys walked up the angled sides to the top and then spent about 10 minutes skipping rope, jumping over each other’s backs and finally, one guy stood on the other one’s shoulders, the pair took 5 steps and then the top guy jumped off, almost missing his footing on the rope! My palms get sweaty just thinking about this again. Oh, did I mention that there was no security rope, no safety net and nothing hanging from the roof to prevent these guys from plunging to their death?

Cirque du Soleil: Wintuk was everything I expected, and more. Exactly what you see on tv and YouTube, and more. The show ended with confetti-snow falling from the roof, covering the entire audience. I don’t think any words of mine could do justice to the incredible talent and creativity of this show. If you ever have an opportunity to see it, please do! It’s amazing.

My future in show business will, however, definitely not be based on these acrobatic styles. I still prefer having my feet (both of them) planted firmly on the ground!

And wow…what a year it’s going to be! We arrived in Cape Town yesterday morning after a very long flight from Stockholm via London and, after a quick Vida coffee, we headed for some sun. (Apologies to all those who had to shield their eyes from the white light reflected off my super-white body!) I managed to get a slightly pink tinge, but will definitely need a good couple of hours before I may remotely look tanned.

New Year’s was spent at Nicola’s 40th-combined-with-new-years party where she had 40 crayfish for supper, and way too much champagne on ice! What a night! Not only did we have the most splendid view of Cape Town from their new house in Higgovale (high up on Table Mountain), fresh South African seafood and wine, but I also spent such amazing QT with my favourite SA friends. And boy, do I miss Cape Town… Every hour I spend here makes me less and less keen to leave. The sunshine, being back in a known culture, the beautiful nature on your doorstep and of course being this close to family and friends really makes for paradise. I love it.

Considering that we went ice skating on a frozen lake today a week ago, I am currently looking at the mountain, feeling a soft breeze on my skin and sitting in skimpy shorts (again exposing that white flesh!). How does the world work? How do you go from the middle of winter to the heart of summer in 12 hours? Wow!

Tomorrow we leave for George to visit my grandmother and my mom. I’m also seeing my youngest sister, Christa, for the first time in a year. I can’t wait. Spending time with the family, having plenty of real South African braais and going for long splendid walks on the beach. John also wants to go diving in Knysna and in between we’ll have to do some African curio shopping. We’ve already stocked up on Woolies biltong and droewors and tomorrow I will have to buy some Niknaks for the road. Splendid home goodies.

This is paradise!