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...
Foreign Service Life
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...
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...
Our backyard gained two exciting new additions this week. The first was a slack line that Nick put up in the backyard. We got hooked on slack lines in Lima, which were constantly strung up on the...
It’s been a week full of Easter-related fun and while it’s brought much delight to the young’uns, it’s brought MUCH exhaustion to Mommy. The week kicked off with our Embassy...
This past Saturday, a group of 20 of us from the Embassy had the opportunity to do a volunteer project with a local non-profit. This was the first volunteer project I’d planned, so I was...
Ladies & Gents–It’s Derby Day here in Lilongwe! This is no small deal, as I’ve been waiting my whole life to go to a Kentucky Derby Party. So of course we had to go all out. :)...
I’ve been noticing some very cool shifts happening in me lately which have, quite honestly, taken me by surprise. No huge revelations or changes in my path, just a growing awareness of things...
Last night Nick and I were on the way to a party for Norway’s National Day. It was 6 PM when we arrived, which in Malawi means that it’s pitch black (streetlights are few and far between...
I know you all are dying for a little Nick update, so here goes. The first few days were rough. He only felt comfortable on his belly because that relieved the pressure on his spine. We were...
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That is the sound of a big happy Sarah sigh. I’m just so dang content right now folks. Never mind that we had to part ways with Davie or that the new gardener/driver crashed...
I remember when we lived in the Philippines I was impressed by how resourceful people, especially children, could be. One of the memories that sticks with me most was from my visit to Tondo...
Ladies and Gentleman- We officially have a Kindergartner in the family! Nia loved going to preschool, so we made the assumption that the transition to Kindy would be easy peasy. Man were we wrong! We...
Hello everyone — This post was supposed to go out Saturday, September 2nd but never did for some reason. I decided you probably won’t mind that it’s a little late, so I’m...
So, if you remember back to one of my earlier posts, we decided to part ways with Davie, our Gardener/Driver. We found a replacement gardener/driver relatively quickly but unfortunately he crashed...
I’m pretty sure my Dad breathed a sigh of relief as Jenna Miller, the 4th and final Miller gal to get married, walked down the aisle last Saturday. With all four of us officially handed off and...
You should be impressed with me because on Saturday I helped build a house out of literally two things – mud and bricks. And in the eight hours we worked on it, the house went from looking like...
This past Friday was Reading Day at Nia’s school. Each year on this day, students dress up as their favorite book character and bring a corresponding book. Nia insisted on being...
I’ve noticed a fascinating new trend lately. My daughter is no longer interested in playing with children her own age, she has become obsessed with befriending “Big Girls”...
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a little swimmer on our hands! It wasn’t looking so good for awhile there. She had a lot of fear about getting into the water and stomped around for days...
I’ve been doing a lot of “adult-ing” lately, which it turns out, is ridiculously fun. So fun, in fact, that I recommend you drop everything right this minute and go try it yourself...
We’re pretty new to this International School thing but I can already tell that one of my favorite days of the year is going to be International Day. We participated in our first one at the end...
Novakistan Readers – How are you? Has it really been a month since I last posted?! Whoops. That might need to be a New Year’s Resolution… Well, let’s just jump right in, as I...
Here are the facts: Nia and I only have five more months left in Malawi. Nick has closer to six months. We have to sell a crap-ton of stuff because we’re moving from a house with a big yard to...
While Nick was off shooting these beautiful underwater pics in Lake Malawi, Nia and I were busy frolicking around town (more like village, really). The whole weekend was magnificent, but the event...
One of the things I love most about Malawi is how wholesome and old-fashioned it is. I see so many examples of Nia engaging in the kind of dramatic play I did in my childhood… spending the...
Ever since Nia was introduced to Bollywood dancing at the Holi Festival a month ago she’s been Bollywood obsessed. We now listen to Bollywood music in the car, watch one or two Bollywood music...
Back in August of 2016 when we moved into our current house it was the height of dry season. The grass was nearly dead and the bushes and plants were in need of major pruning. Having never had a yard...
I have less than four weeks of work left and in typical Sarah-fashion I jam-packed them with events. On the calendar for May is an adults-night out at a local restaurant, a three-day-trip to the lake...
Blog Readers – I know you think I forgot about you, but I swear, I didn’t. It’s just been so. dang. busy. You know how I know that the stress is getting the better of me?? I keep...
T minus three weeks and things are moving right along. I wrapped up work last Thursday and am now in full-on selling mode. We’re moving through the stuff at a nice pace though, which should...
Yo, yo, YO! Sarah here. I’ve been in major packout mode here but in my few moments of down time I like to fantasize about India. Sometimes these fantasies are amazing (like me spending a month...
Hello again! Aren’t you impressed that I’m posting for the second time in 24 hours?! We unexpectedly got pictures of our new place and I didn’t think it would be right to keep them...
We’re down to our last days in Malawi and in between giving out goodbye hugs and packing I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting about the many things I’ve enjoyed about this tour. If...
So a few days ago I told you about my beloved Weekend Walking group I started on Sundays. In that post I eluded to my other walking group, the Walkie Talkies. This post is devoted to them! The Walkie...
Hello Blog Readers – Forgive my absence. I had anticipated having more time to blog but somehow it all slipped away. But I’m here now to update you on all the fun that transpired during...
We wanted Nia to have the quintessential American summer experience during home leave. In my mind that means, tons of family time (bonus points if done at the cabin), oodles of swimming and LOTS of...
The Novaks are back in DC for the first time in two years. Although I’m not a big DC fan, it’s nice to come back to somewhere that’s familiar. For the first time ever we’re...
We’re about 60 hours in to our stay in Mumbai and man oh man am I feeling optimistic. Jet lag’s a b*tch, as usual (it’s currently 3 AM) but even that can’t bring me down...
My daughter has no idea how lucky she is. Her new school, the American School of Bombay, is the creme de la creme. Every aspect of her education has been carefully crafted and shaped around the...
We are almost one week in and I’m floored by how quickly the time is going. It’s been a shockingly busy first week and I attribute that to a few things: 1. Nia’s school was already...
Seriously people. It just keeps getting better! Yesterday I joined a shopping tour that our Community Liaison Officer (CLO — my former job) put together. It consisted of three shopping stops +...
My general approach to life overseas is to say yes to as many opportunities as I can, even if I have little information about what I’m getting into. As long as there are no safety concerns...
Nick & I went out for a city tour on Labor Day (Monday, September 3rd), which happened to be the day after Janmashtami (see my last post). Dahi Handi is celebrated in the Maharashtra State (where...
The Hindu deity Ganesh (the God of new beginnings and remover of obstacles) is the patron saint of Mumbai. Mumbaikers LOVE him. Today marks the beginning of the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival which...
Awhile back I posted the initial photos we received of our Mumbai apartment. If you’ll remember, it was pretty dang barren and the lighting wasn’t great (although, don’t get me...
Ughhhh. Not gonna lie. This week sucked. People who were gonna show up didn’t show. Orders that were supposed to be delivered were incorrect. Salads that were supposed to go down easy came up...
Hello – Me again. Good news. Alice, our housekeeper/cook/nanny finally started on Monday and I’m feeling much more capable of managing the household now (mostly because I’m not...
Twas a week of firsts, dear readers! The highs continue to be very high and the lows, while less frequent, still feel very low at these early stages. I will prevail though, so don’t you worry...
Hello friends – Can you believe I’ve been in India six weeks already? I continue to be shocked by how fast the time is moving and how each week seems to hold some fascinating new learning...