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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but in the back of my mind I was totally picturing that Lilongwe (our new city) would look like a scene out of the Lion King. In case you had that misconception too, let me confirm for you that it is vastly different. There’s dirt, for starters. Lots...
Hard to believe, but today’s the big day. Nine months of waiting over. Now all that’s left is to make it through the 20 hours of flying with the 4-year old. Fear not though, we’re prepared! We took some tips from our other foreign service friends who’ve done long...
This is my third post in a series celebrating my six month anniversary of going sugar free. If you’re just starting to read, you’re best off reading Post 1 and Post 2 first. In my second post I mentioned that one of my biggest challenges with going sugar free was the meal...
This is part two in a series about my experience giving up sugar six months ago. If you haven’t read part 1, you should really start there for some background info. This post is going to focus on the challenges I experienced and the results achieved. The First Few Days Day 1 of the...
Six Months ago today I started something that I honestly wasn’t sure I could complete. I decided to join a program that would help me cut sugar out of my diet and more importantly, help me free myself from what could only be called a sugar addiction. When I think about how I got...
Hard to believe but the movers come one week from today (Deep breath, everyone). As you might expect, the beginning of June was a whirlwind of graduations, good-byes, shopping and coughing (great timing for a sinus infection, right?) Grrr. Some days I feel totally in the groove, cranking...
I can’t place my finger on exactly when it happened, but sometime in the last week we kicked into full on prep mode. I was hoping to have 10 more days or so until the insanity hit, but ready or not, it’s planning time! I’m pleased to report that we had a very productive...
Remember back in 2009 when I was newly married and getting ready for our first overseas adventure? Funny how long ago that seems. Well, back before we shipped out, one of the posts that prompted a lot of conversation was the one I wrote about our Escape Bag or “Go Bag” as we...
Let’s start with the good news. WE WENT CAMPING! Yay us! Now for the bad news. We bailed after 24 hours. Here’s how it all went down: We left Friday around lunch, right after picking Nia up from preschool. We were headed to Jellystone campground in Luray, VA, a 90-120 minute...
We’re about 90 days out until “wheels up” for Malawi, which means it’s crunch time. It sounds like a lot of days, but I know from experience that it will evaporate in no time. Nick’s going to be focused on wrapping up his current job and starting his mid...
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Happy Holidays blog readers! Soooo, I was ridiculously lucky to kick off my holiday season in style with tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting (courtesy of cousin Kyle who works at the National Park Service). Not only did I get a ticket to this hard-to-attend event, but I also...