Team Novak - Africa!

A lot has changed since my last post. Thankfully, what matters has stayed the same : )

Let me introduce you to Team Novak: Russia, Toomay, Baby Kelli, Blakely, and Ray Ray. Below are some pics of our first month in Africa together as well as a few from last semester. Enjoy!

Toomay and I lovin' the beach

A couple of the girls and I travel to the city each week to teach ESL to a group of sweet Pakastani women. I learned how to thread eyebrows last week, but practiced my technique on Russia's arm first. It went well and Russia is looking GOOD!

We're holding clubs every week at several schools teaching the Word and encouraging students to lead lives of purity. 1 in 3 people in our area have HIV or AIDS.

Before clubs, we held school-wide presenations of an African-style True Love Waits. TLW is an interactive prgoram that combines health education with a Biblical understanding of sex, marriage, and purity as a lifestyle.

Me giving an illustration on how HIV/AIDS effects the body.

Teaching under trees isn't so bad as long as there's a breeze and the school isn't next door to an airstrip. Our team usually splits up so we can teach in smaller groups, but we still ended up with 250+ students each most days.

Some of our precious students!

We've been dabbling in Henna a little as a way to tell stories from the Word. This is the design Ray Ray made up to illustrate her story with J.

Making coconut beans in the village. To shave the coconuts you sit on a plank with a knife attached and use the edge of the knife to carve out the insides. Toomay is so gracefully modeling the process.

Babies everywhere...I love it!

Blakely and Tooms hanging out with some kiddos at a friend's house

Making chapatis. It's takes work, but it's worth it. We were priviledged to learn from one of the best chapati makers around. Our best attempts still resulted in mzungu chapatis, but they were still delicious :)

Baby Kelli leading up our first day of club. This lesson hit home for her as she shared about her personal struggle with self-worth and reminded students of Psalm 139 -" I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." So proud of you, Baby Kel!

In The Beginning....

Fall Semester

Toomay and Ray Ray - enough said.

Blakely, me, and Baby Kel shortly after becoming the 2011 No Talent Show CHAMPIONS!

Pumpkin Patchin' it up!

Hay Rides

Digging for treasures unknown..

The Ultimate Golf Challenge

Teeter Totters are our favorite

Russia, future nurse

Ray Ray and I. Disaster Relief Trained, Chainsaw Certified...yikes!

Tuscumbia...where dreams are made! :)

Life Lately...

My very awesome going away cake made by the best baker in the Eastern hemisphere...thanks JB! :) Torajan houses...my favorite! My last day in Makassar a few of my friends took me to a place that has houses and cultural stuff from every people group in Sulawesi. Very cool! Toraja is known for its massive cows. They add a decorative cow like this to their house for every big celebration they hold My friend enthusiastically educating me on Torajan culture :)

Most of my college friends in Makassar are Buginese. The writing at the bottom of the sign is Bugis script.

Wading out the rain. It rained off and on the whole time we were there so we ran from house to house for protection :)

Walking through wet, muddy rice fields = rolled-up, ghetto jeans. I'm so cool :)

Petting the kerbaus!

Beautiful Ditha!

Get together with friends..

R's big b-day party! He decided to show up wearing some of his mom's powder...always a comedian!

One of my friends recently got a job helping at an English center. They just started a class for kids in the community who can't afford lessons, but still want to practice English.

They asked me to help out one afternoon so this in 1 of 3 classes I taught. Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!

Sweet Marwa

Cooking classes at my teammate's house. Learning how to make a few American dishes...

The boys and their stellar chopping skills

So...I moved in with a few friends my last week in Makassar. The bedroom door jammed and wouldn't open, but there was also a locked bathroom door connected to the bedroom that was partly rotted out by termites. We managed to half-way unhinge the door (thus the skillet and hammer) and then I rigged together a fly swatter and clothes hanger with a hair tie to slip under and unlock the door. Mission Accomplished :)

Chillin' at Akarena!

Ellen hard at work on some health material she helped me out on. Trims Ellen!

Some of my yoga/aerobic girls ready to work up a sweat :)

My friends offered thier home for me to hold an informal womens' get together where the ladies could ask health questions and discuss anything that was on their mind. It went super well and and was really encouaging..woo-hoo!

The ladies :)

A Happy Birthday message for my Mama...

My girls!

The guys!

Beautiful Indah :)

Mahya, Indah, and Enchi

Went to Bali for a week to help out with my friend whose jaw was broken and wired shut after a motorcycle accident

She couldn't open her mouth so we had to be creative with meals. This was a scrumptious dinner of chicken, fries, and veggies. Thank goodness for blenders!

Cute kids hangin' out at the clinic

An organization here brought in a doctor and wanted to have a medical clinic for a week in a couple spots around the city. They asked me to translate for the Dr. and help out on the medical side of things. The kids were crazy fun and loved to take pics. Here's a few they snapped...

the community leader's family at the 2nd site. Super sweet family.

Emil is the little guy on the right. He loved that my name sounded a little like his so he followed me around all day giving my high fives and yelling "AMY!" So stinkin' cute!

Babies galore!

Chillin' with some Bapaks after the clinic ended and chowing down on fried cassava and the famous ginger/condensed milk drink of Makassar...heart healthy :)

This little girl's shirt had a Batman cape attached...sweet!

Waving goodbye the last day of the clinic

The local clinics hit each community once a month to weigh babies, take blood pressures, and do prenatal check-ups. This is thier baby scale...

The midwife let me follow her around with a couple students to get in on some prenatal check-up action. Their tools were super old school and super awesome! Very impressive!

The chili pepper crop took a hard hit this year because of all the rain. My teammate has been growing hundreds of plants to give away so families can avoid paying the inflated prices for chilis. We love our chilis here..the hotter,the better!

At the ruko...one of our computer whiz friends helping his classmates create a blog for profit.

A few of the chili pepper plants at my teammate's house

Catch phrase/karaoke...good times!

The view from my kost...home sweet home! I'll miss you, Indo! Peace Out!