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I spent a month with G:enesis Analytics, a Johannesburg-based economics consultancy. Well, let’s just say there was no time for a welcome tea. I’d just encountered the cold reality that there was no appropriate sofa in the corner for taking afternoon naps when we sped off to meet our client, Gold Fields.  Some of you may know Gold Fields is a potential target in a hostile takeover bid from rival gold miner, Harmony Gold. The competition authorities asked for submissions investigating the community effects of mergers in South African gold mining, so that’s what I spent the month doing. I found the work very interesting because it is topical (ie someone beyond my thesis supervisor and examiners will read it) and is relevant to my labour economics interest. It also afforded me the opportunity to use some of the material I learned in the last 2 years, (yes, this is one of those jobs where you can). I also enjoyed interactions with the lawyers (“Can’t you say ‘X’?” “No, the data don’t say that.”  “But what if you just…” The work combined some academic rigor with the game of second-guessing what the opposition will say, and being prepared to go on the stand and defend your work under cross examination….. I guess a thesis defense has uses!

Things definitely move faster than in the academic world. We did some things in a morning that would have typically taken me a week otherwise. How much of this is relative laziness and the effects of near deadlines, I don’t know. It is certainly partly the 80-20 principle. Academia is about that last 20% in rigor and is supposed to be pushing the envelope, which takes 80% (or more) of the time. Most practitioners think the envelope is already large enough and therefore only need to spend 20% of the time on the task. That said, youstill need to know what you're doing because the other side employs people to find the flaws in your application or methodology.

One of my personal objectives for the internship was to examine Johannesburg (Joburg). As others have commented on their visits, Joburg (also known as Egoli, the City of Gold) is a lively, eclectic place. This is where mobile phones buzz as much as business does. Like any city, it has its problems, but Joburg people are too busy living to dwell on them. It has real clubs (ok, my recent comparisons are the dreary and lame Oxford attempts) and more malls/shops/restaurants than you could possibly need. For a moderate professional salary (ok, a dual income would be a real help) you can get a house with big garden in it – something you’d have to be fabulously wealthy to enjoy in London - and don’t get me started on the fact that the weather permits your actually wanting to be in your garden. There’s not much immediate scenic beauty, but mountains and nature reserves are not far away.

One of these options is Swaziland. OK, it’s about 4 hours drive, but well within reach on a long weekend (of which there were many during my month there). We unfortunately failed to get to the Swazi border on time, so we drove around until we found a police station, hoping to take solace in their relative safety. They officers were not keen (seeming to forget their motto “To serve and protect”). I was contemplating breaking into a police vehicle so I could spend the night in a cell, but the officers eventually came round. Rich, Riewald and Jess set up a tent on what Rich claims is the best patch of grass he’s ever seen. The droppings from the cattle wondering around no doubt fertilized the grass  - and may have had an even more direct effect on the softness felt under the tent. I slept in the car. Hey, you lean the seat back and it’s like flying business class. The following morning, we got up and got ready for a day’s river rafting, which was great fun. The next day saw us climb the highest peak in Swaziland, although you can see a higher peak just across the border in South Africa.

One definitely needs a car in Joburg, so, on my return from Swaziland, I got one from Rent-a-Wreck. It was MUCH cheaper than anything else on the market. The cars live up to the name: this firm specializes in PRE-1985 Mazda 323s. I was given a choice between various. The assistant suggested a light toilet paper blue specimen. “Why that one?”, I asked. “Because we cleaned the back seats the other day”. I took his advice and the car broke down on the first day. This must happen often as they were most efficient at replacing it. I got an upgrade to a 5 speed. Armed with a car, one can traverse the relatively large distances required to go from social engagements A to B.

Joburgers work hard and play hard. Almost every night, somebody is doing something. It’s easy to make friends, and locals are proud of this, often claiming to be far less cliquey than Capetonians. It does appear that people are a bit more sincere when they say they will keep in touch, or call you if something’s up etc etc.

Besides Swaziland, I did a few other touristy things. One was a visit to the new Constitutional Court building, located in a rather dodgy part of the city (this is allegedly deliberate). A site of an old prison that held Ghandi and Mandela, it was a privilege for me to be shown around by a clerk for one of the Constitutional Court judges. Speaking of Madiba, I also drove down the only road in the world where 2 Nobel laureates have lived (Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela). This happens to cross the road where the Soweto riots by schoolchildren protesting against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction took place. This is said to have been the catalyst for international action against apartheid and, perhaps more importantly, for more determined action by black adults. I saw all of this on a tour of Soweto with Tehmina, who was down in South Africa for a wedding. It was a highly informative insight into township life.

We also went to a lion park, where we played with lion cubs (or they played with us) and we drove around and looked at lions and other wildlife. I think the lions were on valium as they were remarkably chilled, but it was a rare opportunity to see them from very close up.

The last week was pretty rushed, with my combating tonsillitis and finishing work just in time for a quick exit interview, pack and drive to the airport. The work was most exciting and I can see myself making a career out of it, but it’s taken me no time to settle back in Oxford. I am enjoying my research and teaching and am in no hurry to leave.