A publication for the SSA Global Community December 2018
th 3 0 Anniver
sary Edition
Hello again!!! Can you believe it has been 30 years since the SSA first started? Where were you in 1988? For this special 100-page edition of The Wayfarer, we gathered photos of some of the celebrations and activities of the SSA Chapters to commemorate this great Association which has supported spouses all around the world for 30 years. Don’t miss the section about the beginnings of the SSA on page 12. Elsa prepared a very cool summary about how the SSA started and we also had the chance to interview two of our founding members (thanks SSA Houston!). We also feature collaborations from members who shared articles, photos of their (and their kids’) art and even a couple of recipes! Thanks to everyone who sent contributions to make this edition of The Wayfarer!
Enjoy! J Evelyn Bicelis M. Global Communications Coordinator ebicelis.ssagcc@gmail.com
In this edition… Message from our Global Coordinator………………………………….. 4 Our Global Board…………………………………………………………….. 8 Remembering how the SSA started SSA: The Beginning by Elsa Scheffler…………………………………12 Conversation with Pat French & Melanie Danton.………………..16 2018 Global Board Meeting…………………………………..……………20 Celebrations around the world Africa……………………………………………………………………… 26 Asia/Australia.…………………………………………………………… 30 Europe/Russia.…………………………………………………………… 38 Latin America……………………………………………………………. 46 Middle East……………………………………………………………….. 56 North America…………………………………………………………… 70 Contributions from our members………………………………………… 78 SSA children's art…..……………………………………………………. 80 Memories of a 5 year old by Shilpa Zacharia………………………84 Sowing memories in Mexico by Victoria Vega Castillo……..……86 SSA members’ art section..……………………………………………. 88 Recipe Corner………….. ..…………………………………………….. 92 Article: 6 simple ways to survive as a trailing spouse…………….. 96 Awesome cakes from all over the world in one page………………. 98
Cover photo: Gorgeous anniversary cake of SSA Mexico City
Message from our Global Coordinator: Elsa Scheffler Dear members, This year has been quite a ride! The SSA Global Board started with a bang, preparing the 2018 SSA Global Board General Meeting in a few short weeks and getting ready to meet in Mexico City in early March. After 7 years of not meeting, the SSA’s 30th Anniversary was the perfect excuse to get together. Jesus Lamas, MCA GeoMarket Manager, sponsored the meeting, and SSA Global Board members flew from Beijing, Oslo, Kuwait & Mumbai to Mexico City. We were fortunate enough to have our then HR Support Team with us, Janice Hyslip and Avery Ely Bohon. The weeklong meeting was productive in many ways.
Working with people long distance is fun, but meeting them face-to-face can’t be beat. We enjoyed getting to know each other better and our Team strengthened ties to continue working harmoniously. After the meeting, there was a lot to do, and we have had a very busy year! We published Version 6.1 of the SSA Chapter Guidelines and Mission Statement; we have welcomed and bid farewell to our share of Global Board Members (more on that later); we published the 2017 SSA Global Report; we have been busy working on next years’ budgets for all Chapters worldwide; we have worked alongside IT in improvements to the new website; we have followed up and given support to all the new SSAfara users; we have prepared the New Local Board Members and New Global Board Members Starter Packs; and so many more things! 4
Basti Ismaiyilbaily was the Europe/Russia Area Coordinator. She enjoyed living in Aberdeen and during that time, worked closely to help all the Chapters under her “wing”. She has since moved to Brunei, and is now enjoying living in the far east! Asma Fiyaz, super mom and super Asia/Australia Area Coordinator, decided not to reapply for a second term in order to pursue her studies and focus on her family. I’m sure that whatever new projects she has, they will be successful and fun!
I want to give a shout-out to all the Global Board Members, who work tirelessly and selflessly to make the SSA better for all our members. And we could not do our jobs without the support of all our Local Board Volunteers. Thank you all for your contributions to keep our SSA strong and healthy!
Phoebe Santos passed through the Global Board like the Halley Comet… Right after she was elected to be Africa Area Coordinator, her husband was transferred to Aberdeen, so she couldn’t continue in that position. But I mentioned that we have had to say her passion and love for the SSA goodbye to some of our members, and shows, and I’m sure we will continue I would like to mention each one: to contribute to the SSA anywhere she lives. Zamira Polito, a dear friend of mine, did an outstanding job as Latin America Area Coordinator. She is a really organized person, so everything worked like clockwork with all her Chapters. We miss her dearly in the SSA! 5
And now to introduce you to our new Global Board Members:
This year marks also my last as Global Coordinator. My term ends in February 2019, but I won’t go far. Luciana Villanti. Sweet Luciana, the You’re not getting rid of me that most gentle and kind person, is the new SSA Europe/Russia Area Coordinator. She easily! The Global Coordinator position entails a two-year term of has strong capabilities to problem-solve Ex-Officio afterwards, which means and creatively find solutions to any issues that come her way. It has been a that I’ll still be a part of the Global Board in sort of an “advisor” real pleasure getting to know her and capacity, not in charge of the day-towork alongside her. day activities. I’m sure that whoever Pallavi Vaid is the new Africa Area comes along and takes over the Coordinator. Pallavi loves the SSA and position will do a great job and will has been involved in every country that count on all of us for support. she has lived in. Right now, she is in I want to thank each and everyone of Accra, Ghana, and although there is no active Chapter there, she is encouraging you for your love to the SSA and for the support you have given me as the local spouses to reactivate it. I’m Global Coordinator. We have faced sure that with her support, all Africa tough times together but have come Chapters will thrive. out stronger. Let’s keep working, Nina Pikush has hit the ground running laughing, traveling the world and since becoming the Latin America Area learning together so the SSA can Coordinator. She is an ex-SLB employee, continue to thrive and grow. so she understands both sides of the May all of you have a blessed holiday story. She is from Kazakhstan and, apart season and a wonderful 2019! from Russian, she speaks English & Spanish fluently. She has already proved th to be a great asset to the GB and I’m sure her guidance and support will be greatly appreciated by all LAM Chapters Elsa Scheffler
Happy 30 Anniversary!
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AREA COORDINATORS
Our Global Board Global Coordinator
Elsa Scheffler
Mexico City, Mexico Feb 2017 - Feb 2019
ssa-global-coord@slb.com Global Communications Coord.
Global Webmaster
Evelyn Bicelis
Erna Farizan
ssa-communications@slb.com
ssa-webmaster@slb.com
Beijing, China Mar 2017 - Mar 2019
Oslo, Norway Mar 2017 - Mar 2019
Global Secretary
Ex Officio Global Coord.
Shilpa Zacharia
Anisa Haddad
ssa-secretary@slb.com
ssa-exofficio@slb.com
Mumbai, India Feb 2017 - Feb 2019
Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia Jul 2015 - Jul 2017
Africa Area Coordinator Pallavi Vaid
Latin America Area Coordinator Nina Pikush
Accra, Ghana Nov 2018 – Nov 2020
Neuquén, Argentina Nov 2018 – Nov 2020
ssa-africa-coord@slb.com
ssa-lam-coord@slb.com
Asia/Australia Area Coordinator VACANT
Middle East Area Coordinator Pia Dey Verma
ssa-asia-coord@slb.com
ssa-mideast-coord@slb.com
Europe/Russia Area Coordinator Luciana Villanti
North America Area Coordinator VACANT
ssa-eur-slr-coord@slb.com
ssa-nam-coord@slb.com
(Acting Elsa Scheffler)
Bologna, Italy Jun 2018 – Jun 2020
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Kuwait City, Kuwait Jun 2017 – Jun 2019
(Acting Evelyn Bicelis)
Meet our new members J
Luciana Villanti Europe/Russia SSA Area Coordinator
Nina Pikush
Latin America SSA Area Coordinator
Pallavi Vaid
Luciana was born in Brazil and lives in Bologna (Italy) with her husband and 2 kids. From the beginning she was motivated to volunteer for the SSA, she enjoys discovering new places and cultures, she’s very thankful for all the friends and experiences gained through being a part of the SSA.
Nina is from Kazakhstan and currently lives in Neuquén (Argentina). She used to work for SLB and spent most of her career in Mexico, where she met her husband! She started with the SSA as Communications Coordinator in Neuquén. She loves meeting different cultures and people.
Pallavi was born in India. She joined the SSA in 2009 and has been part of the board in Kuala Lumpur, Songkhla and Pointe Noire. She recently moved to Accra (Ghana) with her husband and 2 boys. She loves to cook, dance, party, meet new people and make friends!
Africa SSA Area Coordinator
Welcome to the SSA Global Board!
Looking for volunteers!
SSA Global Board Call for Applications The SSA Global Board is announcing a Call for Applications for
• SSA Global Coordinator • SSA Global Secretary • North America Area Coordinator
All SSA Members, with the exception of Schlumberger employees (including dual career), are entitled to hold any position on the SSA Global Board. Applicants to any Global Board position must be active members with experience on a Local Board, respected and in good standing within their current and previous Chapters. Global Board applicants should be dynamic, energetic and enthusiastic with excellent organizational, management and communication skills; diplomatic and compassionate team players with the ability to meet deadlines. All SSA positions are volunteer positions for SSA members. SSA members serving as Area Coordinators must live in the Area. It is a requirement for Global Board applicants to be fluent in English. Contact us if you have any questions or would like to know more about the positions. In order to apply, submit a letter of interest and a CV to: Elsa Scheffler, SSA Global Coordinator (SSA-global-coord@slb.com) and Evelyn Bicelis, SSA Global Comm. Coord. (SSA-communications@slb.com) before Monday, December 17th, 2018.
We're looking forward to having a full Global Board! The SSA Global Board 10 4
Get connected! SSA Global Community Remember to join the official SSA Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/SSAGlobalCommunity/ It’s a great tool to keep in touch, share photos of current events and get information from SSA members all over the world! You can also invite other SSA friends to join!
SSAfara Our website is the best place to get updated contact information of your next location. Your spouse (SLB employee) can request your access here: https://slb001.sharepoint.com/sites/ssafara/Lists/PrimaryInfoC ollection/NewForm.aspx?Source=https://slb001.sharepoint.co m/sites/ssafara/SiteAssets/coeapp1.1.0/pages/ThankYouPage.aspx Once we receive the request we will follow up and guide you!
Email us if you have any questions! SSA-communications@slb.com 11
SSA: The Beginning Elsa Scheffler (our very creative Global Coordinator!) and her children (Patricio and Isabel) put together an awesome video telling the story about the SSA’s beginnings. We couldn’t miss featuring it here!!! To watch the video, click here! So, it all started in 1988, when a group of SedcoForex wives who lived in Paris got together to try to support each other. The first official meeting was held at Le Procope Brasserie in the 6th Arrondisement, with 28 wives in attendance. It was decided that Nadine Redding would act as President, and Jacqueline Rogers as Honorary President. It is known that the first ever welcome coordinator was Kathy Roger and the first ever Newsletter Editor was Patsy Roberts. 12
Together, they led a group of amazing ladies who decided to join forces and welcome Sedco-Forex wives to Paris. Kathleen Mumford came up with the idea of creating a welcome basket, full of French goodies (a bottle of wine, of course, this was France!), but most importantly, lots of useful information. Each member wrapped little pieces of colorful papers which contained handwritten tips about life in Paris. Soon, the group decided to approach Greg Burt, then Director of Personnel, and asked for support and a budget. Needless to say, the idea was met with skepticism by some, and embraced by others. Lucky for us, Greg approved the group to spend 300 Francs per basket. 13
In 1991, the group decided to extend their idea to the rest of the SLB Companies. Pierre Bismuth and other SLB managers were approached by Jacqueline Rogers and Christine Devaux. They thought of naming the group the Schlumberger Wives Association, but then heard that in some countries that could be considered discrimination, so they changed the name to Schlumberger Spouses Association. Joined by new enthusiastic spouses like Roselyne Doucet, little by little the organization grew. Gerri Turner followed Nadine as President, and Christine Devaux succeeded her. Jacqueline Rogers assumed the role of President after Christine was transferred to Houston. In June 1993, Jacqueline Rogers flew to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Schlumberger Personnel Forum. This was a turning point for our organization. During a fruitful 2-day roundtable meeting, Jacqueline and some of the Personnel Directors’ spouses also in attendance, discussed the SSA Paris and how SLB could improve their Personnel Policies in order to become a more family-friendly company. Their brilliant participation in the Forum cemented SLB’s commitment to support the SSA. 14
Shortly after this, Jacqueline began making plans to expand the SSA’s reach to other SLB locations. The SSA has evolved throughout this past 30 years, but what remains the same is the generosity of the volunteers who support new members around the world every single day: We share concerns Find out things we have in common Give and get advice Share laughs Shopping trips We work out together We are each other’s shoulders to cry on when we get homesick o We learn new skills o New recipes o o o o o o o
And, most importantly, we find friendship all around the world. We are grateful that SLB continues to support the SSA even when the industry faces tough times. This helps Chapters fulfill the SSA mission of welcoming and supporting our members. Having a happy family life means that employees can better focus on their work, knowing that all is well at home. And that is our humble contribution to Schlumberger. We are grateful for the support we receive and happy to give back whenever we can! Here’s to many more successful years! 15
Conversation with SSA Founding members Pat French & Melanie Danton By Nanees Affify from SSA Houston You know you are truly an SSA member when you find your friends are scattered all over the globe…
Melanie threw Pat’s daughter a sweet 16 birthday party. This, in short, is how their friendship started. It was Melanie’s first move and her husband worked for Sedco Forex, which was a part of Schlumberger. Sedco Forex had monthly coffee mornings for the wives, but that was the extent of all organized activities. There were about 20 wives attending.
I am so lucky to have had the chance to interview two ladies from the original group of SSA founders, to discuss not only their friendship but also the formation of the SSA on its 30th Anniversary and their personal journeys in the SSA.
Both of them later moved to Paris, Melanie in 1990 and Pat, 2 years later.
Pat French & Melanie Danton met at a croquet match in London in 1987, they were both scheduled to move to Singapore. Melanie had her 4year-old daughter with her and was due to deliver her second child, she moved six weeks after giving birth.
“At that time there was no official SSA yet, but we still did welcoming and gatherings” said Melanie. Pat added that she remembered that Sylvie Gould, Andrew Gould’s wife, was running most of the things in the SSA: Free French classes on Mondays, lunches at her house, selfpaid restaurant meals, museum visits and other cultural activities.
Pat’s husband, Roger was the first to move to Singapore. She needed to stay behind with her son and daughter in London until they finished school. Her daughter, who was in the 10th grade, finished her exams before her brother, and decided to go on ahead of them and join her father in Singapore.
These were pre-SSA activities. How did the SSA officially start? Pat said that they had an office in Moulin Rouge in 1992. And the SSA started to be recognized by some of the board members’ wives.
A week after Pat’s daughter arrived in Singapore, Roger was required to leave on a business trip. So, they asked Melanie to take care of her.
Continued on next page… 16
Melanie & Pat, celebrating the 30th Anniversary with SSA Houston
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Schlumberger used to hold a global planning meeting every 10 years. Jacqueline Roger, a spouse and the first Paris Coordinator, attended the meeting with her husband in Mexico. She decided to talk about the Schlumberger Wives Association and what they were doing. When she returned, she announced that the group was now official and would be referred to as the Schlumberger Spouses Association, not only for Paris, but for every other location. Jacqueline Roger was the Chapter Coordinator for SSA Paris for several years. There were no SSA official rules or mission statement during that period of time. Each of the spouses had an email account as well as dial up access for internet, offered by SLB IT in Paris. In 1992, Melanie interviewed the first Global Coordinator, Fiona Warner. According to an article written by Fiona in The Economist, there were 6,000 spouses at that point, and they identified the need for support in locations like Africa as well as for spouses who moved a lot from location to location, only spending short periods of time on each assignment.
The local chapters consisted of a Chapter Coordinator and a Welcome Coordinator and her team, who were there to help welcome spouses in person in different areas. Melanie and Pat remember starting out with a very small budget for welcome baskets, which included a directory, map book, a map of Paris, a metro map and free handouts they collected from Tourist Offices. Melanie remembered that some locations, like New York, didn’t see the need for the SSA, because most of the employees there didn’t move much and their spouses were mostly locals. So, when she moved there and there was no SSA, she continued doing what she used to: welcoming newly arrived people when she found out about them!
As SSA founders, what kind of obstacles did you face in the beginning? Pat replied that it was getting news of new arrivals. Relying on the newly-arrived husband knowing about the SSA and telling his wife was not enough. She went to the Personnel Office in Houston when she arrived, and asked for either the names of people moving to the area or to let new employees know about the SSA, and that they were ready to welcome them.
The Global Board didn’t exist yet, there was a Global Coordinator in charge of gathering all the information. There weren’t many chapters at that time. 18
Back to Melanie’s memories of Houston, she said that “Art in the city” was the only activity she was doing because she was teaching at that time. And in 2010, when her son Matthew was going to college and the chapter in Houston was looking for a Chapter Coordinator, Pat recommended her for the position. And this was the first time that Melanie joined a board.
How do you see the SSA today? Pat: “When we attended the SSA Houston AGM, I didn’t know what to expect. I felt the warmth was still there and it’s worth everything and this is what the SSA is all about. Please keep it up. It’s got to continue.” Melanie: “I am passionate about the SSA, and the upsetting thing about it is when the husband retires, you are no longer a part of it. But we got around that by getting people’s contacts and inviting them to the ‘Rolex Club’ which is like the retiree SSA”
And the HSE activities that the SSA does now along SLB worldwide (DriveSMARRT, Security, Hurricane preparedness) are great things” Melanie: “Life isn’t always great. There have been bad days; there will always be bad days. But the SSA made our lives much easier. And here we are sitting together after 30 years, still friends. Pat is my oldest friend from the SSA.”
Pat: “I think it’s very good and being in the SSA makes a difference. I can’t imagine being without it.” Melanie added: “The most important thing with the SSA is the welcome. It’s difficult to identify the person coming in and do the welcoming.
Pat and Melanie would like to thank all the volunteers for giving their time, because without them, none of this could happen. 19
The SSA Global Board had the opportunity to meet and work together during a very productive week in March 2018. The meeting was hosted by the MCA GeoMarket Manager Jesus Lamas and was held in the SLB Mexico City offices. Each day had a full agenda of presentations, meetings, discussions, etc. We were very happy to get to work together and finally meet each other after so many emails and phone calls. Also in attendance were Janice Hyslip and Avery Ely Bohon who were our SLB central support team, they participated in all the meetings. 20
It was great to spend time with such a diverse and fun group!
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We met with the Coordinators of the Mexico Chapters (Mexico City, Ciudad del Carmen and Villahermosa). We had lunch with them as well as with some SSA Mexico City members and later had a round table with SLB Management. Our host, SSA Mexico City brought a beautiful cake (which you can detail in the cover of this edition) and we celebrated the Anniversary together. We took the opportunity to once again thank SLB for their support not only during this meeting but also worldwide all year round!
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On the last day Elsa Scheffler (SSA Global Coordinator) presented the “Roadshow� to SLB Management and at the end Jesus Lamas brought a special surprise guest: Pierre Bismuth (in the middle of the bottom picture), he was there when it all started 30 years ago and was very happy to see the SSA thriving!
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2018 Global Board Meeting (cont.)
After a week of hard work we had a well deserved outing and visited Teotihuacan on a lovely sunny day Thank you Elsa for organizing such a great week!
Happy 30th Anniversary from the Global Board 24
Photos by Evelyn Bicelis M.
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Africa 26
Area Coordinator: Pallavi Vaid Active Chapters: 3 Angola
Luanda
Congo
Pointe-Noire
Nigeria
Lagos
Africa’s Active Chapters
Pointe-Noire, Congo
SSA PointeNoire 30th Anniversary Celebration dinner
Holi Celebrations with the kids!
Coffee Morning
Asia/Australia 30
Area Coordinator: Elsa Scheffler (int.) Active Chapters: 12
Australia China
Perth Beijing Shanghai Mumbai
India
New Delhi Pune
Indonesia Malaysia
Balikpapan Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Labuan
New Zealand
New Plymouth
Thailand
Bangkok
Asia/Australia’s Active Chapters
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
SSA Kuala Lumpur Gala Dinner
30 Years crystal award given by SLB to the SSA Kuala Lumpur Chapter Coordinator Happy Anniversary SSA!!! Many of the members wore typical dresses from their countries to the Gala, showing the wonderful diversity of the SSA!
Anniversary Coffee Morning
Mumbai, India
SSA Mumbai celebrated the SSA 30th on a lovely afternoon
New Delhi, India
To celebrate the 30th anniversary the board members wore blue and white
SSA New Delhi also celebrated 2 baby showers! And in good SSA tradition, they shared a delicious cake!
Europe/Russia 38
Area Coordinator: Luciana Villanti Active Chapters: 18 Azerbaijan
Baku Montpellier
France
Paris Pau
Germany
Vechta
Kazakhstan
Atyrau Bergen
Norway
Oslo Stavanger
Romania
Bucharest Astrakhan
Russia
Moscow Tyumen Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Aberdeen
UK
Abingdon London Gatwick Stonehouse
Europe/Russia’s Active Chapters
Bergen, Norway
The SSA Bergen group is very active! Some of their activities include: Curling, hiking, running half marathons, going to museums, etc.
Great ideas!
Bucharest, Romania
SSA Bucharest had a wonderful luncheon where all members came together on the waterfront at a lovely restaurant. They visited old friends and made some new ones, celebrating the wonderful work SSA has done for the last 30 years in spreading friendships and welcome.
Tyumen, Russia SSA Tyumen members got together in the house of one of the members. It was a rainy day and not everyone could join the feast, but those who came enjoyed a makeup class and a beautiful cake!
Tea time!
Latin America 46
Area Coordinator: Nina Pikush Active Chapters: 10
Argentina
Brazil
Buenos Aires Neuquen Macae Rio de Janeiro
Colombia
Bogota
Ecuador
Quito Ciudad del Carmen
Mexico
Mexico City Villahermosa
Venezuela
Caracas
Latin America’s Active Chapters
BogotĂĄ, Colombia SSA BogotaĚ celebrated the 30th Anniversary during their Annual General Meeting, they met in a restaurant and also celebrated Mother's Day!
Cheers!
Mexico City, Mexico From the SSA Mexico City board: In Mexico City, we celebrated the SSA’s 30th anniversary throughout the year! Rather than one particular event, we hosted several festivities. 2018 opened with our traditional coffee morning and our Valentine’s day breakfast. In February, we had our couple’s night out where we strolled through the city on a tour bus visiting several symbolic cantinas (This was a popular event for both SSA members and spouses alike). Mexico City was also the host for the SSA Global Board meeting. We were able to meet the Global Board members and learn about the SSA’s history. One of our biggest celebrations, the International Day, was held in March. Each SSA member represented their home country by bringing typical food and dressing in traditional attire. We even had a surprise visit from the mariachis! In May, we held our Mother’s Day luncheon. Our celebration of Mexican Independence Day occurred in September. This year it had special meaning as last year it was cancelled due to the earthquake. These events would not have been possible without the SSA. This organization has been a wonderful benefit to have. It has helped many of us transition from one country to another and provided us with friends and relationships we otherwise would not have had. We in Mexico City are very proud of our organization and hope it continues to grow in both members and success!
th 30
Happy Anniversary from SSA Mexico City!
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
SSA Rio de Janeiro had their first Family day to celebrate with a beautiful Rio themed cake made by MariĂş!
The SSA Rio de Janeiro family had a great time!
Villahermosa, Mexico From the SSA Villahermosa board: We celebrated the SSA’s 30th Anniversary along Valentine’s day (Day of love and friendship). Throughout our lives as SSA members, many of us have lived in several countries, gaining lots of experiences and specially lots of friends, which is why we decided to celebrate the 30th Anniversary during this special month. In the gathering we exchanged presents amongst each other and had a wonderful time with lots of laughter.
Thank you for allowing us to belong to this beautiful group where we support each other when we most need it
Middle East
Area Coordinator: Pia Dey Verma Active Chapters: 10 Egypt
Cairo
Kuwait
Kuwait City
Oman
Muscat
Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia
UAE 56
Islamabad Karachi Doha Al Khobar Udhailiyah Abu Dhabi Dubai
Middle East’s Active Chapters
Abu Dhabi, UAE
SSA Abu Dhabi celebrated on two occasions, on their first celebration, the theme was white & pearls.
On the second occasion they celebrated wearing red and with cake!
Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Ladies’ night
Henna time!
Breast Cancer Awareness Event
Cairo, Egypt
SSA Cairo celebrated with their children and made polymer clay magnets!
SSA Cairo members having breakfast while cruising the Nile
Doha, Qatar
SSA Doha celebrated the 30th Anniversary in a Brazilian restaurant with live music.
Everyone enjoyed the food, laughed and danced to the music. They had mugs made for the occasion to give to the members as souvenir of the celebration.
Dubai, UAE
SSA Dubai got together to celebrate and have a great time!
Kuwait City, Kuwait To celebrate the Pearl Anniversary, SSA Kuwait members took a boat ride in the Gulf of Kuwait on a lovely sunny morning. Everyone came wearing their best pearl accessories along with the special badges made for the event. They celebrated with cake and closed the ceremony with flying balloons. Some of the members made pearl necklaces to raise funds for the Kuwait Center for Autism.
North America 70
Area Coordinator: Evelyn Bicelis (int.) Active Chapters: 10 Calgary Canada
Grande Prairie St. Johns
Trinidad & Tobago
Port of Spain Anchorage, AK Florence, KY
USA
Houma, LA Houston, TX Midland, TX Oklahoma City, OK
North America’s Active Chapters
Anchorage, USA
SSA Anchorage members got together to celebrate!
Beautiful cake to celebrate the 30th Anniversary!
Houston, USA Anniversary celebrations in Houston took place during their Annual General Meeting, a new board was elected and they had a couple of very special guests‌ turn the page to find out who they were!
SSA Houston is our biggest chapter and also had the biggest cake! J
Houston, USA (continued)
Congratulations to the new SSA Houston board!
Their very special guests were Melanie Danton & Pat French, founding SSA members! A couple of days later they had the chance to sit with them to talk about the beginnings of the SSA, don’t miss that on Page 16!
Happy 30th from SSA Houston!
From our SSA members… 78
Anniversary inspired drawing by Nabanita Nag
SSA Children’s art Drawings by Ankita Sharma (11) who lives in Pune and is Seema Sharma’s daughter. Left: India Independence Day Bottom: Village Scene
Drawings by Anushka Sharma (16) who is Ankita’s older sister! Clockwise from top: Gujarat Tourism, Kerala Tourism, Traffic Jam and Calligraphy. Good job girls! Thanks for sharing J
Klimt by Rossi Bezz II IB DP G12 Student in Bologna, Italy ! He’s Luciana Villanti’s son
Fun drawings by Rossi
Letizia Villanti (8), who is Rossi’s younger sister is a Classical Ballet dancer. She’s also a FORTITUDO rhythmic gymnastics student (she’s the one wearing pink below)
Van Gogh by Letizia (when she was 6 years old), she’s now 8
Thanks Rossi and Letizia for your contributions J
Memories of a five year old By Shilpa Zacharia The year was 1988 in Mumbai then known as Bombay. I was a five year old, enjoying kindergarten. I knew my mom was putting on a lot of weight & everyone was telling me that I was going to be a big sister soon. Mom was off to the hospital one day when I was back from school & she didn’t return for a couple of days. I had fun with my cousins and aunt who had come to help babysit me. On the third day, my dad finally takes me to the hospital to see this wee baby that was the cutest thing I ever laid eyes on & told me that was my baby brother. Up until that moment I wanted a baby sister but now that I saw him, this cutie would do! My mom recovered from her C-section & our family actually moved a few months later for a 6 month assignment to Rameshwaram, a location which is at the tip of India very close to Sri Lanka just separated by a strait. 84
My dad was in the Indian Navy then (I guess, that’s why I like the SLB lifestyle too, to be a rolling stone & gather no moss!!) But I do remember complaining to my mom that dad wasn’t spending much time with us. It’s all work work work! (This workaholic accusation continues now about my blue blooded husband too! Ha, Ha, I am sure many of you will agree!!)
Now, why am I getting nostalgic about that year? Well, that is the year when SSA came to being by a generation of wonderful women like us now! Amazing, isn’t it? How did they communicate with all the different SSA Chapters back then? They communicated mostly by phone, I presume. The internet has now made it really convenient for us to Anyway, that was the year I communicate across became a big sister. It was a continents & thus actually time before internet was made it so easy for the SSA widespread & personal Global Board to communicate computers were uncommon. with all the Chapters. But one TV’s were heavy boxes then, thing SSA did back then and there were only a couple of now is real person to person channels and there were communication & support. We programs on TV only for few all need that social connection hours a day. The VCR & video in person because it helps us cassettes were used to rent much more than any and watch movies. The guidebook or website of living cameras were analogous and anywhere in the world can ever we had to wait so long to have do! a film developed! Sharing May we continue to mingle and pictures of my baby brother, be merry! It’s been wonderful my mom and me from 1988. browsing through the SSA’s In India, where I lived even Pearl Anniversary Celebrations microwaves and washing from around the world! machines weren’t common Cheers to our beloved SSA ... then. Laundry was done by To 30 years & more! maids or washermen. 85
Sowing memories in Mexico By Victoria Vega Castillo Almost 4 years have passed in this city adopted as my second home, Mexico City. Mexico reminds me a lot of my longed Peru for its climate, colonial architecture and its warm people. As I always emphasize, belonging to the Schlumberger Spouses Association, has allowed me to capture true friendships and exchange cultural customs. As I had 2 years of experience as coordinator of SSA Lima, I decided become Coordinator of SSA Mexico City, a challenge that I assumed in a time of transitions in the company. As a wife, mother and friend it was very pleasant to collaborate in the activities and organization of the SSA. I am Victoria Vega Castillo and together with my husband we formed a beautiful family, filled with a lot of color and love by my children Antonella Nicole and Noah Sebastien. 86
Antonella was born in Texas, she is very loving, cheerful, sensitive and intelligent. She has adapted perfectly to Mexico, she is now 4 years old. My little Noah was born in Mexico in 2017. I must mention that the SSA intervened with its principles that characterize it: hospitality, friendship. The SSA was present at this wonderful stage of pregnancy and birth of my son. Noah will soon be one year old, he is cheerful, affectionate and very smart. He was born a blessed December 12, day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Day that I chose for him and our family to be blessed. With this brief description of my experience and experience in Mexico, I end by thanking the SSA for being part of my life. I join this celebration of 30 years and I applaud each of the people who collaborate in the SSA, complying with each of the principles and promoting support for families. 87
SSA Members’ art
Mosaics
By Laura Vergara SSA Rio de Janeiro Laura started the Mosaic group in SSA Rio and has also made several mosaics for Charity, always inspired by the marvelous city of Rio!
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Watercolor paintings By Widia Id SSA Kuwait City
Geometric Design from Quaraouiyine Mosque Fez, Morocco
Geometric Design from Almustansiriya Madrasa Baghdad, Iraq
Geometric Design from Moulay Idriss Moulay Idriss, Morocco
Anniversary inspired drawings by Nabanita Nag - SSA Kuwait
Murals
By Sofía Del Aguila SSA Bogotá
Recipe corner 3 recipes by Ashima Ashima Goyal is from India and lives in Bucharest. She loves to cook and share her recipes J They are inspired in Indian traditions and by her travels. Here are 3 easy recipes to try! ABOUT ARUGULA Not only is arugula leaf unique in its taste, it is super healthy. It is a detoxifying, cancer-fighting superfood. Has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. With its rich nutrition profile, arugula is THE ultimate green vegetable! Did you know arugula is closer to broccoli than spinach in its nutrition profile? Instead of being classified as leafy green, arugula is actually a cancerfighting, cruciferous vegetable like cabbage, broccoli, and bok choy.
To check out more of Ashima’s recipes, visit her blog:
https://www.myweekendkitchen.in
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ABOUT CHIA SEEDS In Mayan language, Chia means “strength” and chia seeds have been traditionally used as an energy food by Native American communities. Long distance runners use them for sustenance. They are power-packed with antioxidants, fiber, proteins, calcium, omega-3s, and many other vitamins and minerals. You can sprinkle them to smoothies, breakfast bowls, salads, and also add to your cakes and muffins.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE SMOOTHIE • Bananas are rich in Potassium which is essential for our memory and muscles to function properly. • Oatmeal is loaded with dietary fiber which is essential for a healthy digestive system and a healthy weight. • Chia and Hemp seeds are rich in proteins which is essential for muscle building and repair. • Fresh raspberries are great sources of Vitamin C which is important to keep our immune system strong and healthy. 93
Recipe corner Luciana’s Rabbit Cacciatore (Coniglio alla Cacciatora) Luciana is from Brazil and currently lives in Italy. This is her “Coniglio alla Cacciatora”, an Italian recipe she adapted for her family’s taste
Ingredients •
1½ kg rabbit, cleaned up and cut into pieces
•
500 ml red wine
•
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
•
2 garlic cloves, smashed
•
1 large onion, finely chopped
•
2 carrots, cut in small cubes
•
2 sprigs of each: sage and thyme
•
4 bay leaves
•
12 Indian cloves
•
2 green bird’s-eye chilies, without seed and finely chopped
•
4 tbsp. tomato paste
•
1¼ cup parsley, chopped
•
Salt
Optional for side dish: Steamed or mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli or artichokes. 94
Instructions 1.
Place rabbit pieces in a
minutes, stirring
and leave them to
occasionally until the meat
marinate for 2 hours with
changes color. 7.
Add 300 ml of hot water
onion and the chilies, all
and cook the rabbit for 20
well chopped.
minutes, stirring carefully
Drain the rabbit and
once in a while.
reserve the wine. 3.
Let the rabbit cook for 5
large heavy-based bowl
the red wine, half of the
2.
6.
8.
Add another 300 ml of hot
In a pan add the olive oil,
water and let the rabbit
the remaining chopped
cooks until its meat
onion and the 2 smashed
becomes tender and starts
garlic cloves, fry for 1-2 min
coming away off the bone.
or until it becomes 4.
transparent
Your rabbit is ready to serve!
Place the rabbit pieces in
Top with chopped parsley if
the pan and stir for 5-8 min
you wish and serve with
or until they brown, then
steamed/mashed potatoes,
add the two carrots
green beans, broccoli, or artichokes.
chopped into small and squared pieces, stir again for 2-4min, add the red wine reserved previously 5.
Enjoy!
and toss well to coat Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, sage, thyme and Indian cloves. 95
6 Simple Ways to Survive as a Trailing Spouse By Wandalyn Tan-Calupig Relocating to another country has many challenges, and losing your personal support network such as your family and friends is one of them. I remember those days, when my kids were pouring out their emotions, crying before bedtime because of the fear of losing their friends. I myself share these fears because my colleagues in Dubai, who had been with me for the past 10+ years, are like family that I have left behind. I would like to share six simple tips that I believe can help you win new friends and keep the treasured ones.
Win new friends 1. Join a group One of the fastest ways to win new friends is by joining a group or a community where you can learn, such as Social media groups or Spouse organizations like the SSA, which is an advantage few companies have. 96
2. Volunteer Volunteering offers benefits including new skills, boosting selfesteem and a sense of fulfilment. You can also learn from other expats and develop your communication, people management or time management skills, depending on the role you volunteered for. Working with Nonprofit organizations is an opportunity that can lead you to find new passions or even new careers because you will learn new skills. 3. Educate yourself Investing in your personal development is one of the gifts you can give to yourself because it will definitely improve your life and the life of the people around you. It is also a great channel to network and meet like-minded people who are lifetime learners and interested in the same courses as you are.
Keep the treasured ones Making new friends is crucial but we should remember to keep the old ones friends, too. As they saying goes: Make new friends but keep the old; One is silver, the other is gold. 4. Communicate, communicate, communicate In the past, making long distance calls was a challenge in terms of cost and technology but nowadays we can call anybody at any time with minimal expenditure. Make someone happy today; call a friend and ask how they’re doing. Communicate constantly. Keep the bond alive by speaking regularly to your friends. 5. Invite friends to visit you Friends coming for a visit help you reconnect and create a stronger bond as you build new memories together in your new hometown. It also helps you learn more about the local community and culture as you explore different places and learn areas of interest and actively become a tourist in your own town while you shown around your guests.
6. Set your priorities In this constantly changing world where we live, you may be one of those people who forget to prioritize or spend time on the things that matter to you the most. Protect your time! Stop and take time to connect with people who really matter to you. Keeping a regular schedule in your calendar or in your journal might help. Your intuition is a great guide to help you realize a friend who might be longing for your call. Knowing your priorities and dedicating sections of your time can bring you more happiness and improve the quality of your life so make good use of your time.
About the author: Wandalyn Tan-Calupig is a wife, a mother and a happiness coach. If you want to get more useful tips and inspiration visit her website www.livetoinspire.info. 97
We ! cakes!
Remember to keep in touch! SSA Global Community Remember to join the official SSA Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/SSAGlobalCommunity/ It’s a great tool to keep in touch, share photos of current events and get information from SSA members all over the world! You can also invite other SSA friends to join!
SSAfara Our website is the best place to get updated contact information of your next location. Your spouse (SLB employee) can request your access here: https://slb001.sharepoint.com/sites/ssafara/Lists/PrimaryInfoC ollection/NewForm.aspx?Source=https://slb001.sharepoint.co m/sites/ssafara/SiteAssets/coeapp1.1.0/pages/ThankYouPage.aspx Once we receive the request we will follow up and guide you!
Email us if you have any questions! SSA-communications@slb.com 7