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A Hodgepodge of Updates

I have a whole bunch of unrelated things that I wanted to update you on, so just know in advance that this post is going to be all over the place. I CAN promise that it will be full of tantalizing updates though! British Influence What post would be complete without a Nia story...

Ladies Day Out

I took Nia to a Malawian beauty shop for the first time two weeks ago. We started with a basic trim because, although she’d like it short again, we have to grow it out for her ballet recital this spring. The best part was that her stylist surprised us by insisting on a full blow-out...

Stinker Alert

I’m not sure if it’s just Nia getting older or her acting out because I’m gone more now, but we’ve seen a dramatic rise in what Nick and I like to refer to as “stinker-ish behavior”. Some recent examples include: 1. Locking her nanny out of the house...

I’m a Lean, Mean CLOing Machine!

Just back from a week of CLO training in Johannesburg and boy oh boy am I REVVED UP! Not only was the training amazingly comprehensive and well-delivered, but there were movies, food and shopping galore. Learning + Big City Perks = HEAVEN The Family Liaison Office (FLO) at the State...

My Two Loves

Happy belated Valentine’s Day, my beloved blog readers. Just think about this –if you’ve been reading the blog since I first started, we’ve been ‘in a relationship’ for nearly a decade now. That is some serious commitment to each other! Hard to believe...

My First Month as CLO

Hey all – Did you miss me? Sorry about the lack of blog posts. Turns out this work/life balance thing is WAY harder with an office job. Go figure. Speaking of jobs, I’ve been asked for more details on how things are going. Happy to oblige! For starters, I still don’t...

Settling In (and Reluctantly Letting Go of Control in the Process)

I’ve completed three weeks of work now and am slowly but surely starting to find my groove. I can’t emphasize enough how much I’m enjoying the daily interactions and connections with colleagues. The solitude was definitely my biggest complaint about working at home. It...

Safaris Aren’t for the Faint of Heart

We’ve been fortunate in that during our first six months here we’ve managed to go on one – 2 hour boat safari, one – 4 hour walking safari and nine – 4 hour driving safaris. Not too shabby for six months in, aye? The coolest part of it all though is that the...

South Luangwa Animal Inventory

Hi everyone – We just got back from an amazing four-day safari in Zambia. I’ll be writing a more in-depth post about our experience tomorrow, but in the meantime, I thought I’d do a little inventory of the animals we saw. Here goes… Vultures Lots and Lots of Lions...

Sarah Novak, Government Employee

It was a BIG week people. I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it this time. You see, this week was the first time in eight years that I was back in an office job! Yes, it’s true. After five months of waiting, they finally let me start. Of course, with five months of waiting...

Christmas Recap + Santa’s Big Surprise

Our first Christmas in Malawi has come and gone and was quite delightful, if I do say so myself. The weather cooperated (mid-80’s, no rain) as did our little lady (mostly). I still struggle with the whole tropical Christmas thing. There’s just something about hot chocolate and...

The 2016 Novak Staff Appreciation Party

For those who have been following the blog awhile, you may remember back to the staff appreciation party we threw in 2010 for Rudy, Norma and their families. For some reason we didn’t do this in Lima (one year we were traveling in Galapagos during December and the other I think we...

Nia Steals the Show

Last Friday we attended an embassy holiday party at the Ambassador’s House. It was a lovely affair and included holiday traditions like cookie decorating, eating copious amounts of food and my personal favorite, singing Christmas Carols. The Ambassador had assembled a random but...

Can We Just Be Done Already??

So last week when we “talked” I updated you on the deck project. What I failed to mention was that the deck project was just one of MANY large-scale projects happening on our compound. We found out in November that a portion of the Quarters (HQ, as Nia likes to call it) where...

Backyard Bounty!

I can’t remember a time in my life when I was so eagerly anticipating rain. Guess the brown is really getting to me. Happily, rainy season is nearly upon us! The heavy rains that mark the official start have not yet happened, but we’re getting small showers here and there...

The Great Deck Debacle

So, remember when I mentioned awhile back that we have a strange house? Well, it’s true. The layout is bizarre and the rooms are quite closed off. It’s fine for everyday life, but not so great for entertaining, which we want to do a lot of here. It’d be no big deal if we...

Airbnb for the Win!

We’ve done a lot of poking around on Airbnb in the past but for one reason or another never pulled the trigger. Well, Cape Town changed that. We did Airbnb for the entire week (two different places) and were delighted by our experience. Our first lodging was a condo unit overlooking...

Backyard Birding

I’m getting used to bizarre animal encounters in Africa now. Here’s a story about one that occurred in our very own backyard yesterday. I was out talking to Davie about the yard when Nia runs up to me and screams “Mommy, come see the pretty birdie.” I tried putting...

Cape Town Animal Experiences

Cape Town is an animal lover’s dream. Not only can you see all sorts of creatures, but you can have personal interactive “encounters” with many of them as well. Our little animal lover (who wants to be an Animal Rescuer like Diego when she grows up) was totally enchanted...

Cape Town Crush

Hi all – We’re back from Cape Town and settling back into our daily routine. I now understand why everyone gushes about Cape Town. It was stunning! Reminded me of a combination of Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Amalfi Coast. So the visual appeal is definitely there, but then on...

Our SCUBA Club Trip to Cape Maclear

This past weekend we officially launched the Embassy Scuba Club with our first trip to Cape Maclear on Lake Malawi! I’d love to take credit, but my husband was the driving force behind this one. He researched dive shops and then partnered with the Community Liaison Officer (my soon...

Mua Mission

I had the most delightful cultural experience this past weekend. Our Community Liaison Officer or CLO (my soon-to-be title!) planned a fabulous day trip down to Mua Mission Cultural Center about 2.5 hours outside of Lilongwe. And while I’ve had lots of opportunities to interact with...

How We Ended Up with a Purple Garage

Our house is about 90% set up at this point and I’m feeling pretty good. It’s a strange house (quirky and small) and while I disliked it at first, it’s starting to grow on me now. Two of the things our house is lacking are a guest bedroom and a playroom space. In order...

An African Halloween (complete with Trunk or Treating!)

Halloween is a big deal to Americans overseas, as it gives them a taste of home. The Embassies we’ve been at have always excelled at Halloween and Embassy Lilongwe was no different. In fact, we had not one but TWO nights of spook-a-licious fun for the whole family! Friday night was a...

Contractor Chaos

One of the many reasons we wanted to live in Africa was because of the huge yards. One thing I didn’t anticipate though was all the ‘extra’ projects that would stem from having a yard. Granted, I am not doing the gardening or manual labor, but it has been exhausting...

Guess Who Is 5??

So our little lady turned five this past weekend. She is becoming such a cool little person and I’m eager to see what year five will bring us. She’s very inquisitive, kind and been really amazing at sharing her things (especially with Michelle and Evelyn). She’s also...

The Lowdown on Walking Safaris

One morning we decided it would be fun to do a walking safari. The high for the day was near 100 degrees F, so our guide insisted that we be out walking by 5:30 AM. We left from the lodge and ventured down along the river. As always, an armed park ranger accompanied us, in the event we...

The Animals of Majete

I thought today I’d document the variety of animals we saw on this safari and showcase the best image I captured of each. The Nile Crocodile – Every croc we saw was out sunning in the sand. Very formidable looking. Glad we weren’t too close. Can’t imagine running...

Into the Bush!

Folks, it’s been a WILD couple of days (bad pun intended)! Nick and I spent last Friday through Monday safari-ing in Majete National Park, a protected wildlife reserve in Southern Malawi. While we’ve had two mini safari experiences since arriving (Kuti & Liwonde), this was...

An Impromptu Sunday Safari

We managed to sneak in an impromptu safari on Sunday. Nick was looking at the driving route back from Zomba and realized that the road passed right next to Liwonde National Park, a 220 sq mile protected reserve. If you’ll remember, Liwonde is the park with the excess of elephants...

Our First Big Malawian Road Trip!

We took our first big road trip this past long weekend. Nick goes down to Blantyre (the industrial capital of Malawi, in the South) once a quarter to provide services for American citizens living there. Nia and I decided that it’d be fun to tag along and see more of the country. We...

The Day the Truck Arrived

It was a big week at the Novak house. Last Tuesday the truck pulled up containing all our Household Effects and Consumables that were shipped by boat. All in all, somewhere around 10,000 lbs. As seems to be the trend in Malawi, the shipment was vastly ahead of schedule (by about 40 days)...

A Star is Born

Today we ventured out to Kumbali Cultural Center for breakfast. It’s a hot spot with the expat crowd, as they have a market, decent food and live music. This was yet another one of those classic expat events where everyone seems to know each other. I’m pleased to report that...

What’s New on the Homefront

Nesting has officially begun at the Novak household. I got the itch this week, probably because we received confirmation that our stuff is arriving Tuesday. And by stuff I mean, all 10,000 lbs of household effects and consumables! In case you weren’t counting, that’s 40 days...

Africa Perks

African posts, while often characterized by the hardships encountered there, come with a surprising ton of perks. These perks (along with the natural warmth of the people) are so enticing that they encourage many a person to serve out the remainder of their tours in Africa. These people...

Operation: Get Grace a Car

Meet Grace Banda. Grace is a ridiculously talented massage therapist who provides in-home massage in Lilongwe. I estimate that I’ve had around 250 massages in the last seven years, so I consider myself a pretty discerning consumer. This is good and bad. Good because I appreciate...

Scholasticah and Girls Move In!

It’s a big week here at Casa de Novak. Not only does our new nanny Esther start tomorrow, but Scholasticah and her two daughters moved into the quarters on our property, where they’ll be living for the next two years. Please allow me to introduce them to you. The nine-year-old...

Expat Overload

This past weekend was pretty much nonstop social engagements. We started the weekend with an Embassy-wide party at a mission member’s home. The party started around sundown (around 5:30) and invitees were asked to bring wine or a dish to pass. The Marines were also grilling hot dogs...

Let the Trip Planning Commence!

One of the things I love most about our life is the ability we have to see the world. Having two years on a continent really gives you time to dive deep into your host country and often the surrounding countries too. Nick and I both love to travel, so we make it a priority to start seeing...

The Rules of the Road

I’ve been driving all of 10 days by now, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned about the rules of the road here in Malawi: 1. Avoid hitting livestock that’s crossing the road (remember, that’s someone’s livelihood!) 2. Along those same lines, avoid...

My First (and LAST) Trip to the Market

So last week my neighbor Alison decided it was time for me to visit the fabric market. The fabric sold here is very unique – it’s all brightly colored and has wax in it. They call it chitenge. I had been hearing about this massive fabric market for weeks and was eager to go...

The Good and the Bad of Having Household Help

I know I’m not going to get much sympathy on this one, but I’ve been super stressed the last two weeks trying to find the right staffing fits for our household. If you remember back, I hired Davie (our Gardener) prior to getting here and he showed up for work the day after we...

Nia’s 1st Day of School (with tour!)

Today was Nia’s first day of preschool in Lilongwe. School starts early here, around 7:15 AM, and gets out around noon. I am the family chauffeur now, needing to get Nia to preschool and Nick to work by 7:30. I am insanely proud of myself for pushing through the nerves and getting...

Our First African Safari!

As many of you know, I like to jump right in when I get to post. If you remember, I was at Photography class on Day 5 in Manila and Spanish Lessons on Day 7 of Lima. In Malawi, my goal was to get out to see some legit African animals as soon as possible. Well, I’m pleased to say, we...

The Trouble with African Power Surges

Apologies for the delayed post, the internet has been a bit wonky the last few nights when I’ve been trying to write. That’s Africa, I guess. Speaking of Africa, we’re coming to the end of our second week here. Crazy, huh? We’ve been at some fabulous posts with...

A Few Short Malawi Anecdotes

Hey All–I’m beat after a long day but didn’t want you to think I forgot about you, so today I’ll share a few funny stories and then give you a longer post tomorrow when I’m feeling refresh. Story #1: I was introducing myself to someone who was working on our...

Come Take a Tour of Our Yard!

Hey blog readers – Thanks for all the interest in our adventures. I’m really enjoying sharing our experiences with you. Thanks especially to those who’ve left comments on Facebook. Keep ’em coming! We’re coming off a wonderful weekend. We had two great...

Our Big Weekend Ahead

Hi all–I was hoping to post pictures of our yard today, but I’ve been delayed. Hopefully I’ll have some up early next week. We have a big weekend coming up. We’ve been invited over for two BBQ’s/Dinner parties, which we are looking forward to immensely...

Nia’s New BFF

Day 2 started with (you guessed it) the doorbell ringing at 9 AM. Once again I was still in bed and groggily stumbled to the door in my pj’s. This time it was my neighbor (the one who had popped over the prior night). He had brought the most spectacular welcome gift–his wifi...

Day 1 in Malawi

Our first full day in Africa (Tuesday) started with a doorbell. We have several rotating guards that patrol the property 24 hours a day. We had forgotten to tell the one on duty that the gardener was starting that day, so at 8:30 AM he rang to tell me there was someone at the door...