The Wayfarer
Latin America Edition / Spring 2016
Cover Photo by Evelyn Bicelis, SSA Rio de Janeiro “Dos Irmaos Sunset”
The Wayfarer
Latin America Edition / Spring 2016
Latin America Edition Spring 2016
Dos Irmaos Night by Evelyn Bicelis
Hello, everyone!
I’d also like to invite you to go down memory lane with the
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SSA… Our association has
Meet the Global Board ....... 3
existed for more than 25 years,
Global Coordinator Letter . 4
I hope you’ll enjoy knowing a
and we would like to ask you to
Meet Asma Fiyaz ................ 6
bit more of our Latin America
share your memories from your
Chapters in this edition of The
first (or second, or third!) SSA
Wayfarer. Besides my native
gatherings with all of us. About
Mexico, I’ve had the pleasure
a year ago, a “new” friend and I
of living in two marvelous
had a laugh to find out, in an
Cd. del Carmen…………..…20
countries in Latin America:
old picture of hers, that my
Trinidad & Tobago………...22
Colombia and Brazil. We were
oldest daughter and I attended
welcomed with open arms and her son’s birthday party about felt right at home in both! We 10 years ago and neither of us actually have the best
remembered! So our friendship
“souvenir” from our stay in
was not as new as we thought!
Colombia: our son was born in
I will dive into my “old” files
Bogota, a fact that makes him
and who knows, you might find
immensely proud, although he
yourself in one of my
doesn’t remember anything at
pictures too!
all (he was one year old when we left). So in any sports event, but especially during the FIFA
Enjoy, Elsa
World Cup, our family has many countries to root for!
Ex-templo de San Jose, Campeche by Elsa Scheffler
Thank you! ......................... 7 My Passion for SSA by Yoldary Bernal Cruz ........... 8 The SSA in Latin America.12 Mexico…………………………..13 Mexico City……………………14
Argentina………………….…..26 Buenos Aires………………...27 Neuquén……………………….28 Brazil…………………………...38 Rio de Janeiro……………….40 A trip down memory lane.66 Last but not least…...……...70
The Wayfarer
Latin America Edition / Spring 2016
MEET THE GLOBAL BOARD
Lorraine Albelto SSA Global Coordinator ssa-global-coord@slb.com
Anisa Haddad SSA Ex-Officio Global Coordinator ssa-exofficio@slb.com
Lasairiona McMaster SSA North America Area Coordinator ssa-nam-coord@slb.com
Basti Ismayilbayli SSA Europe/Russia Area Coordinator ssa-eur-slr-coord@slb.com
Asma Fiyaz SSA Asia/Australia Coordinator
ssa-asia-coord@slb.com
Nikita Goel SSA Global Webmaster ssa-webmaster@slb.com
Elsa Scheffler SSA Global Communications Coordinator ssa-communications@slb.com
Sandra Showalter SSA Global Secretary ssa-secretary@slb.com
Maha Sousak SSA Middle East Area Coordinator ssa-mideast-coord@slb.com
Yoldary Bernal Cruz SSA Latin America Coordinator ssa-lam-coord@slb.com
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Latin America Edition / Spring 2016
GLOBAL COORDINATOR LETTER
Are you prepared?
M
any of us are now calling our home country home for the first time in many years. At first, it seems like an extended vacation until you realize that the vacation is not coming to an end. Everything seems different while at the same time you feel that nothing has changed during the time you were away. What you do not realize at first is that, you have changed. You are not the same person who left home so many years ago. Your experiences of living abroad in so many different places have changed you. You do not look at things in the way we used to. You feel as though no one at home can understand what you are going through and you are right. It is hard to explain to your family and friends how you feel and the problems you are experiencing adjusting to life back in your own country.
How can you prepare for the move back to your home country? As a family you need to prepare mentally for the move. Discuss the move with your children and prepare them for the change in their lifestyle. Like us, the kids also have problems adjusting, especially if they never lived in your home country before. You have to be strong for them and help them to socialize in their new environment. They have also left their friends behind so they feel pretty much like you, so you both have something in common. Prepare your kids for the change in their school environment. They also face the same challenges as you and may feel lonely and even an outsider at times. They may speak and sound like everyone around them but they are not. They want to be socially accepted and adjusting will be difficult.
I advise spouses when they move to a new location, to place their kids in a school system similar to the The people around you have also changed and moved on with their lives and you may feel excluded one in their home country, where possible. This will at times. You will feel as though you don’t fit in with make it easier for them to adjust when you return to your home country. Also, not every home country the crowd anymore. has an international school so make sure that you What can you do? teach them the language of your home country. It is Be patient. It is like moving to another location. You going to be hard take time to settle down, make new friends and find for them to enter your way around. Join the local SSA if there is a school if they Chapter in your area. When you interact with the cannot read and spouses it gives you some semblance of the life you write in your own left behind and brings you some comfort. Connect language. with old friends or make new ones. Find a hobby or Another major start a small business to keep you busy and focused. issue facing many We have to move forward. The only constant in life is of us with kids change and we have to embrace it. If we don’t, then who are ready to we will make ourselves unhappy. enter university is, 4
The Wayfarer the fees. In some home countries, if you have not resided there for the last 3 years, you cannot access local university fees or free university, where applicable. If your child is treated as an international student the fees can be 2 or 3 times more than local fees. You need to take the time to find out this very important information and plan accordingly.
This may mean that you have to go back home or send your kids back home. I know you may not want your family to be separated but the time passes quickly and you have school holidays to catch up. This may seem like a huge sacrifice to us but it will all be worth it in the end. If you own your home when you are leaving your home country do not give it up, if possible. Some people rent their homes or get a family member to look after it while they are away. The cost of a home 5 or 10 years down the road is much higher than what you would have paid for your home and it’s something we need to consider.
Latin America Edition / Spring 2016 would make it back home in time. Every time you leave after a visit you always think if this is the last time you will see them. It’s something I have always struggled with. You miss all the special occasions, yours as well as theirs. My Dad passed away recently. I feel truly blessed to have spent the last 6 months with him. I would not have been able to do that if we didn’t move back here. Moving back home does not have to be a stressful experience. We could look at it as another move to another location, exciting and adventurous. In life we would always face challenges. They could either make us stronger or break us. How you choose to deal with them is important… Choose wisely, my friends. Lorraine Albelto SSA Global Coordinator
You may also be considered a non-resident while you were away from your home country and this may have implications with regard to financial matters like taxes and bank accounts. Reestablishing a financial history in your home country is important especially if these were severed when you left. Do your research so that you are prepared upon your return. The cost of living in your home country will not be the same as when you left and compared to other countries where you lived, may be higher or lower but it is something you need to consider. Benefits of Moving back to your Home Country When we get caught up in all of the issues we face when we move back to our home country we sometimes forget the benefits. It is very hard to leave your extended family behind when you move. If you have older children, parents and siblings it is even more difficult. You always think if something should happen to them, if you 5
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Meet Asma Fiyaz, our new Asia/Australia Area Coordinator Hi everyone! My name is Asma, married to Ather Fiyaz and mother of three very naughty and active kids (Alizeh, 8; Arshi, 4; and Arman, 2). By education, I am an Electrical Engineer. I worked with a cellular service providing company in Pakistan, then got married and, since then, I have been tagging along with my husband and really enjoying every minute of it. I love traveling, baking, cake decorating, swimming and everything that keeps me fit and happy. I am currently residing in Songkhla, Thailand and before coming here we were in Kemaman, Malaysia. I have been working as a Treasurer for SSA Songkhla, then as Chapter Coordinator and now really excited and looking forward to start working as ASA Coordinator. The thing I like most about SLB lifestyle is that you get to meet, know and be friends with people from all around the world with different cultures and life experiences. SSA is the perfect platform to experience this. SSA is definitely a very strong support system for all spouses, either moving to a new place, or trying to make our time memorable and feel at home while away from home. I really feel privileged to be a part of such a supporting and enthusiastic team and looking forward to take full advantage of this opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills. Have ag great day!
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THANK YOU Our dear friends Brenda Echeveste and Fay Hennings have to leave the Global Board. We wish you all the best in your new endeavors, and are sure that we will keep in touch. Strong friendships start in the SSA but continue to grow wherever life takes each of us.
Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there. 7
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MY PASSION FOR SSA By Yoldary Bernal Cruz Latin America Area Coordinator
W
hen I became a wife of a SLB employee nearly 15 years ago I didn’t know how my life could be. I just knew that I was in love and crazy to experience new things. After six months married, SLB expatriated us. My first year away from my home country was tough. I had to live in a country completely different to the one I was originally from; another culture, weather, food, language, people, it was a very small town and the only support I had was from few SLB employees and young SLB families. That was a big challenge, sometimes I wanted to leave everything behind and come back to my roots, but the support from other expats, apart from my husband, kept me going on. A year and a half later, my husband got transferred and we had to move again. We moved in the coldest month of the year to Northern Europe, very sad but very excited at the same
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time, again everything new. The day after my arrival, there was somebody knocking at the door of the temporary apartment we were living in. There she was, a very sweet and nice lady with a big smile and lots of energy, she introduced herself as the SSA Local Coordinator and she wanted to let me know that they were there to welcome me and help me settle down in this new post. That was the beginning for me to this incredible association about 13 years ago. I totally forgot that the weather was cold and felt the warm and kindness of this lady who volunteered to help others in the same situation. The SSA was initiating in this chapter, and this sweet lady was putting a board together, she encouraged many to help and for the first time I felt that I wanted to contribute. I became a volunteer in
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the local board. My first voluntary job with the SSA. It was a wonderful experience. We worked tirelessly to study the guidelines, to pass through the SSA mission. Since then it’s been clear to me that this group was created to welcome spouses and help them to get used to the new adventure. I have to be honest, it is not easy to volunteer, the responsibility is huge, but it is very rewarding. I cannot describe the satisfaction I feel for the work done. After this first experience, I knew I wanted to continue to be part of this group. We were moved to remote locations where it was difficult to open a chapter, but there I was as an SSA local contact, I knew I could make the difference and help. Here I was introduced to the Global Board, I didn’t know that SSA was that organized and from there my commitment was growing. On the move again, another location, I was welcomed the same day I arrived and that made a huge impact in this new start. There I was an active member and I liked to participate in the activities and events the SSA planned. The group was small but very
well organized, everybody was eager to volunteer, to help, to contribute. Moving again, now with two young children, I was tired and with no time for something else, I was not an active member until another very nice and encouraging lady came to the picture. She wanted to organize the new local board and asked me to come on board. I was reluctant, I didn’t have the time to volunteer, but there she was, supporting me, telling me that I could help her make the difference. And that it was. Since then, SSA became a passion for me, as it is for her. She has been my mentor and the person who has awakened on me this interest. From being a volunteer in a local chapter, it came the challenge to respond to a call for LAM Area Coordinator.
Esbjerg, Denmark. August 2002. From left: Juan Carlos Hoyos, Yoldary Bernal Cruz, Elizabeth Torrealba, Helen Torrealba, Ixell Reinoso. On the back, Angelica Alvarez. 9
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Did I hesitate? Yes, every second, but I knew that I could help more and more from there, especially coming from LatinAmerica, I want to help my people, my roots and here I am, elected as an Area
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Coordinator, ready to learn and contribute with this wonderful and diverse area that witnesses my personal and professional growth. Yoldary
Doha, Qatar. October 2013. From left: Soledad Logozzo, Amisha Chudasama, Sarah Amyotte, Sonia Bumrah, Yoldary Bernal Cruz, Lorraine Albelto, Patricia Chaghoury
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Bergen, Norway 2006. From left: Isabelle Therond, Ilka Blume, Haydee Testamark, Brenda Robertson
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The SSA in Latin America There are 16 SSA Chapters in Latin America, with over 80 volunteers supporting more than 800 members in the region. 12
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Capital: Mexico City Population: 128 million (2016) Language: Spanish Currency: Mexican Peso Flag:
13 Conchita en Xochimilco, by Elsa Scheffler
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MEXICO CITY
FROM THE GLORIOUS LAND OF THE INCAS TO THE BEAUTIFUL AZTEC WORLD By Lic. Victoria Vega Castillo In 2012, when my husband Luis Castaneda, a Project Manager, received the proposal to be integrated to SLB Mexico, many questions, restlessness uncertainty, edginess and at the same time happiness crossed my mind. My husband would assume a new challenge. To move from our home in Peru to a new country to live and adapt. 14
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MEXICO CITY My stay in Mexico was first in Veracruz City. In the “Jarocho” port, cheerful and colorful people welcomed us. Music full with folklore and compass. It was time of adapting to new customs and their different but no-less delicious gastronomy. In 2013 our next destination was Reynosa in Tamaulipas, a city known by the danger in its streets. With the passing of the weeks we discovered that the more one lives in an unknown place, the more you are involved in people’s lives. I was lucky to meet good friends and, with affection and companionship, you forget the tension of the city. So came the end of 2014, and the company moved my husband to the position of Project Manager in the first implementation of the National Data Repository for the National Commission of Hydrocarbon, which leads the energetic reform in Mexico and we had to pack suitcases again.
2014 was a very important year for us to consolidate as a family, our beautiful daughter Antonella Nicole was born (she was born in Edinburg, TX) and with 5 months old my daughter and I accompanied my husband in this new arduous and complex project. Now my little girl is already 1 year and 10 months old and she is growing well with the help of God. She has begun to socialize with other children. At this moment she is in an Early Stimulation institution and she also takes music lessons. It is very pleasant to always see her smiling; she is very lovely. As a family we have grown spiritually in love and mutual respect.
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MEXICO CITY Federal District in Mexico City reminded me the weather and the colonial architecture of the streets of my loved Peru. I was amazed by their wonderful views, the imposing Chapultepec castle; the magnificent Angel of Independence. The wax museum, where I appreciated the characterization of politicians, actors and Mexican artists, is where the remembered Pedro Infante stood out, my parents' unquestionable idol. In Mexico we should not stop to mention their rich and diverse gastronomy. Their marked culture of patriotism.
My habitual visit to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe and to thank her for so many blessings granted to my family. I should express that when I arrived, the SSA gave me a pleasant welcome. Here the members are characterized by being diverse and multicultural, like in Peru. Since I had a 2-year experience as coordinator of SSA Lima Peru, I decided to support the SSA as the Coordinator of SSA Mexico City DF for the second half of 2015, a challenge that I assumed in a time of transition for the company. As a wife, mother and friend I was very pleased to collaborate in the activities and organization of SSA. Finally, I have to highlight the importance of Mexico in my life, an adopted home where the customs, the culture, the gastronomy and mainly the good friends make our stay comfortable, feeling a true warmth of home.
Mexico in my life, my adopted home
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MEXICO CITY Charity and Social Activity SSA Ciudad de México My name is Olga Bashbush and I want to share with you the experience that I have had as a member of the Mexico City SSA. At the beginning I was part of the Welcoming Committee, which gave me the opportunity of being the first contact to welcome families from different regions or countries, helping them with all the necessary information in order to be situated and feel at home as soon as possible. But because this article is about the Social Activity and Charity of the SSA Ciudad de México, I can say this: Even though I was working in the Welcoming Committee, right at the beginning my interests were in the Charity and Social work. Citlallin Delgado, which at the time was the Charity Coordinator, was who took me for the first time to the Institution called “Hogar Paz y Alegría”, located in the town of Santa Fe, Estado de México. Ever since then (six years ago), I have enjoyed this beautiful endeavor.
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MEXICO CITY This Institution is sponsored by the Missionaries of Charity of the Beata Santa Teresa de Calcutta, who very soon will be elevated to the altar as a Saint.
Helping in the house, has been for me a really “Hogar Paz y Alegría” has three pavilions: One is for blessed learning experience; an babies and infants, another is for adolescents and experience where I the third one is for grandmothers. can see the hand of The First Section encompasses girls and boys. The God in many ways. majority are children with different physical and How can you mental disabilities. All of them always with big explain to see a girl smiles and a lot of crying, but when you caress called “Lupita”, them, love them and pay them attention, all of that with very short disappears as a magic. The Sisters of Charity are a arms and atrophied great example of that as well as all the volunteers legs not suitable who help them unconditionally. for walking, hence she has to seat on a cart board with wheels, so she This Section counts with a room full of cradles for can use her short arms to propel herself around. the babies and another room for older infants. And the emotion of watching her disregard her Those children, who are ready physically and mentally, go to primary school. It also has a special handicap and lovingly feed with her feet another girl who is bedridden because of muscular dystrophy is area where the children receive physical therapy and where they can play. There is a children dining uplifting. And in turn, be moved to see Lupita be fed by another girl who is in a wheel chair. I could share area as well. with you many more of these internal acts of The Adolescents Section is for young girls between 9 devotion, but I do not want to bore you. and 30 years old. All the challenges these girls are living day by day do not put them down at all. You enter this hall and you can feel the love of all workers and the sisters and the occasional helpers; smiling with compassion but not with pity. I have observed all of these expressions of true charity at meal time, because it is when all volunteers are allowed to get in. The Adolescents Section counts with the same facilities as the previous one, namely: kitchen, 18
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MEXICO CITY dining room, bedrooms and toilets. The Institution has a small garden and play areas where everybody can take a little bit of sunshine. We call the Senior pavilion the “Abuelitas Section”. Many of their residents do not even realize what goes around them. Disabilities of all types abound having to move about with canes or using wheelchairs. They have a room for relaxation where they can listen to music of their preference being it religious or typical children music from years gone by, such as that from “Cri-Cri”, the Mexican singing cricket.
They are normally provided by capable persons to assist them and oversee the intake of their medications. Their blood pressure and diets are carefully monitored on a daily basis. They also receive therapy and a great example of love for life.
Around Christmas and the end of the year, we also welcome special gifts, such as blankets, sheets, towels or sweaters.
We encourage you to help this mission of the Sisters of Charity, who humbly and lovingly serve To assist this wonderful undertaking, SSA Mexico the poorest of the poor as it was done by their City normally request from those attending our founder, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. They labor monthly coffee and tea reunions your prayers, time incessantly caring for their sick, providing medical and participation as volunteers (if your occupations assistance and taking them to doctors when allow it) and/or necessary. Occasionally and when volunteers are your cooperation around they take some of their residents to parks. with such things as It is moving to see them pray in their small chapel baby and adult where they also offer religious services as required. diapers, cleaning and toiletries such We would love to increase the number of as toothpaste and volunteers joining this worthy undertaking. We brushes, lotions, have been blessed with so much that by giving part soaps, ointments of our time or our excess material gifts we could and all kinds of contribute to dignify our human spirits. cleaning supplies Thank you and may God bless and inspire you. for the home. Olga 19
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Ciudad del Carmen, MĂŠxico
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C
d. del Carmen is a prime example of a city where the SSA makes a difference in people’s lives. What once was a small fishing town experienced an economic boom with the discovery of oil in the 1970’s. However, for many years it still depended on the capital city of the state of Campeche for many basic services. The SSA has been there, welcoming spouses and giving them support and guidance to make their lives pleasant in a city lacking many family entertainment venues. In the past decade, Cd. del Carmen has emerged as the most important oil capital of the country, and has thrived, with numerous restaurants, movie theaters, shops, outdoor activities and sport events providing interesting options for those living in the city. The SSA is still going strong despite the economic downturn that the global oil crisis has inevitably brought to Cd. del Carmen. If you are transferred to Carmen, don’t listen to naysayers! You will find a warm welcome and we are sure that this is a place that will stay in your heart forever.
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Capital: Port of Spain Population: 1,366,000 (2016) Language: English Currency: TT Dollar Flag:
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M
y family is made up of my husband and my daughter Gabriela (5). We have been in Colombia, Norway, Argentina and are now in Trinidad and Tobago. Each country has its own charm and we try to seek that our daughter is comfortable adjusting to her new environment. My advice is to seek a social life for her (them) with new children, new friends and incidentally I do that with the mothers of the school too, with members of the SSA and/or expatriate groups in Facebook. When I arrived in Port of Spain I imagined beaches everywhere, but it is actually a city with a different geography, with many hills for other activities like hiking and hill walking. There are several small beaches but they are far from cities and to reach them is all an adventure too. We found beautiful beaches in Tobago. The nice thing is the great biodiversity of species and especially birds, many types of hummingbirds and different colors of parrots too and also the Tropical Scarlet Ibis can be found. In Trinidad 80% of the food is imported thus inflating the cost more than normal. The weather is warm all year. Let’s go, we're in the Caribbean! Regards, Diana Merlano Douglas SSA T&T Coordinator
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ur family got transferred to Trinidad and Tobago a little over a year ago. We immediately enjoyed the joie de vivre the local people have and how they are always up for a good party. When some of our friends said they were gonna participate in the biggest party in Trinidad, we decided it was time to dive in the local culture.
Carnival starts way before Fat Tuesday for the locals with lots of Fetes, private parties where you pay for an all-inclusive night of Soca music, local food and lots of fun. We went to a couple of those Fetes and had a wonderful time. Soca is the beat the Trinidadians dance to and it is originally a mix of Calipso and modern sounds that evolved into this amazing music that is almost impossible to not move to it.
By the time the official street carnival started on Monday we were ready to go. We signed up to play with one of the Bands. They are a roped around block party that moves to the sound of huge sound trucks that can make your heart beat to the sound of Soca. On Monday you can wear whatever you want and the Band parades the streets of Port of Spain, the capital of the country from 9 a.m. until sundown. Lots of rum and other drinks keep the masqueraders, as the people who play mas are called, dancing and partying.
On Tuesday, things get a bit more serious. The Bands have to parade like on Monday but there are judging points along the way as it is a competition. All masqueraders wear the official band costume, which you have to buy months in advance, and dance like there is no tomorrow for the judges. Thankfully, we learned that our Band doesn't take the competition too serious and all we did was enjoy ourselves. We partied from 8 a.m. and didn't come back home until 6 p.m. We left the band happy and tired but they seemed like they were going to keep going for a while because Carnival it’s only once a year and they sure party to make it count.
Joana Guratzsch
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Picture by Luis Argerich (originally posted to Flickr as Farolito) CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Population: 43.7 million (2016) Capital: Buenos Aires Language: Spanish Currency: Peso 26
Flag:
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Visit to Hogar de Niùos y Niùas El Renuevo Last December, the SSA visited this children home and had a lovely time playing, sharing a meal, and delivering presents. They also donated mattresses for the little ones’ cribs. Being surrounded by such innocence and happiness brought many mixed feelings to those who attended.
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NEUQUÉN H
i, my name is Neida Uzcátegui, Venezuelan, happily married to a wonderful man and mother of 3 suns: Diego, Daniel and Néstor.
Meet the rest of the SSA Neuquén Board
Currently, I am the SSA Neuquén Coordinator. We have 58 members. It is a beautiful group that makes me happy, has helped me grow and learn the art of sharing with people from different cultures, experiences for which I am thankful. This is a group where I have learned and proved that “mas hace el que quiere que el que puede”, which roughly translates to “those who want do more than those who can”. With effort and love big things are accomplished. This is a group where you find solidarity, complicity, cooperation, loyalty, support, unity and a lot of motivation to always do better. A group that is still SSA thanks to the personal and voluntary support of each member, where everyone puts their own grain of sand to pull off each activity.
I can only be grateful to all SSA Neuquén members for believing in us and giving us all their support to move forward in this great and beautiful work. Thank you my beautiful people. Neida 28
Mailith Defaes Events
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NEUQUÉN SSA Hospitality These gatherings are made possible thanks to the participation of every one of our members with lots of effort and dedication, especially from the Board.
Every little detail is hand made by us, many times out of recycled material.
These activities are for sharing, and we celebrate birthdays, welcome newcomers or say goodbye to those who are leaving. The new families get to meet everyone and we try to integrate them to the group.
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NEUQUÉN SSA Charity
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he SSA NeuquĂŠn Charity committee delivers blankets, clothes and personal hygiene items to the Voluntary Committee from the Castro Rendon hospital. This hospital provides help to patients and their families who have no economic resources. The voluntaries help them in their most basic needs. In these pictures you can see the Charity committee delivering school supplies to the kids at the Hogar Yamai.
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NEUQUÉN Baby shower celebration The arrival of babies is happily celebrated by SSA NeuquÊn members.
In these pictures we are welcoming Thomas Eduardo and Israel.
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NEUQUÉN SSA Families and Kids outings
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NEUQUÉN Valentine’s Day Celebration
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NEUQUÉN New Years Eve
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NEUQUÉN Mother’s Day
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NEUQUÉN Carnaval
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Yoga class
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NEUQUÉN Bachelorette party for Paola
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Brazil
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Arpoado
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or desde el fuerte, by Evelyn Bicelis
Latin America Edition / Spring 2016
Population: 209.3 million (2016)
Capital: Brasilia Language: Portuguese Currency: Real Flag:
Maracana, by Evelyn Bicelis
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Rio de Janeiro By Evelyn Bicelis
R
io de Janeiro is the second largest city in the South American country of Brazil. "Rio", as the city is
commonly abbreviated, is also the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil. It is considered one of the
main tourist destinations in the Southern Hemisphere and is famous for its beaches, Carnaval celebration and various landmarks such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer. The City of Rio de Janeiro is nicknamed the "Marvelous City�, which is "Cidade Maravilhosa" in Portuguese, the country's official language. 40
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io is Brazil's second largest city in terms of industrial production, as well as its financial and service indus-
tries, behind S達o Paulo. Tourism is also a large industry in Rio de Janeiro. The city is Brazil's main
tourist attraction and it also receives more international visits per year than any other city in South America with around 2.82 million.
I
n 2009, the International Olympic Committee se-
lected Rio as the location for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. It
will be the first South American city to host the Olympic Games.
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About Cariocas By Evelyn Bicelis
R
io is one of the largest urban areas in Brazil, and is populated with a wide mix of ethnic groups. Residents of the city are known as Cariocas [kar-ee-oh-kuhs].
When the Portuguese settled in and around Rio they built houses that the native Tupi Indians called "karai oca" which meant “white house�. It was not long until the Portuguese began referring to themselves as Cariocas. This name has lasted hundreds of years and still refers to the local people today. Known for their warmth and friendliness, the Cariocas are a happy people and a lot of fun to interact with. You do not have to be a native of Rio to be called a Carioca. It does not matter if you have lived in the city for a few days or a few years, as long as you have the right attitude you can be considered a true Carioca. Cariocas have invented a few sports; the most famous is footvolley which is played on the beach and is a mix of soccer and beach volleyball, basically playing volleyball without using their arms or hands! Cariocas are also credited with creating the bossa nova music genre, which was popular in the 1950s and 60s and is currently one of the best-known Brazilian music genres abroad, inspiring many other genres and even current songs!
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SSA Rio de Janeiro By Laura Vergara Rio de Janeiro is a wonderful location with many things to do, but because it is a big city sometimes it Life has given us -SSA members around the can be a little intimidating. This big and touristic city is a place where the beach brings people together, world- the opportunity to practice the flip flops and light clothes are a must in our closets, nomad lifestyle: Today here, tomorrow we learn about the benefits of coconut water for our somewhere else… health, and some people start enjoying the delicious “açai” in a way that when they leave Rio they miss it a lot! The rhythm of samba music and soccer game I believe only other nomads understand the feelings goals are sounds you get very used to. We also get we have when it’s time to move, leave our group and the habit to wear sunscreen everyday, and insect get ready to start again… and because we have these repellant too! feelings in common is that we have our helpful SSA. The city has two main areas where people settle We learn different ways to take advantage of our experiences and we are ready to build new bridges. when they come from other countries: Zona Sul There is always someone willing to help, and here in (Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana…) and Barra da Tijuca. These two areas are quite far apart and to encourage Rio you have us ready to welcome you and lend a the integration of our members and try to solve the hand! distance problem, we organize some activities in one SSA Rio de Janeiro has around 130 members from part of the city and some in the other. Many of our many different countries: Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, members participate in activities in both areas; we France, India, Iran, Colombia, Ghana, Libya, Mexico, encourage everyone to always participate, this gives Panama, Romania, Argentina, Germany, Venezuela, us the opportunity to move around and know more Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panamá, the United States… and and more about this amazing place. of course our great host, Brazil. In SSA Rio we have Coffee Mornings once a month The local SSA Board has been working hard for many and also other activities like: visits to Museums, tours years, we have had some great people collaborating around the city, etc. We also have a language and working together for all of us to get a better exchange group for practicing Portuguese and last experience while we live in this wonderful city. From year we had a Quilting group! Every month we have a the first contact by the Welcome Team to the Newsletter with a summary of the activities that we location to many activities throughout the year, we had, the upcoming events and other relevant get a chance to share and also have a good time! We information, such as the HSE corner with interesting are very proud to say that we have several male topics and the updates from our Charity Team. We spouses participating in our chapter, two of which have been helping an orphanage with children with are part of the local Board, they give us the point of special needs for the past years and in 2016 we are view of the “other gender” when we plan our happy to say that we are starting to help other activities and it is a great experience to have their projects involved with improving the life of children participation. 43
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and their families in several communities of Rio. It is wonderful to be able to do good and give back to the country that has welcomed us.
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a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present” (Kung Fu Panda Children’s movie)
If by any chance you get Rio de Janeiro as a new Living in Rio is definitely something we appreciate, it’s a location to move… Don’t forget that today, here, you special and wonderful city where, thanks to the SSA, can count on us!!!! we manage to get together, share, support each other, have fun and make new friends! Laura Vergara I would like to share a quote many of you probably remember from a cute children’s movie… SSA Rio de Janeiro Coordinator “You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is
SSA Rio Board: María Elina Olascoaga, Evelyn Bicelis, Iván Moreno, Mariana Kevorkian, Laura Vergara, Wilmer García, Angélica Ayala, (Soledad Logozzo and 44 Michaela Polinski not in the picture)
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SSA Activities
R
io is busy all year round. We have monthly coffee mornings which include two big events during the year: one in May for our Annual General Meeting and one in December for the End of the Year lunch. Then, during the year we have other activities between Coffee Mornings where we visit museums, historical places in Rio and other attractions. The Coffee Mornings are the opportunity for everyone to meet each other every month in a friendly environment and introduce and welcome the newcomers to our chapter. Some of our events are in Zona Sul and some in Barra da Tijuca. We call the members to host the coffees, and last year we had the nice opportunity to have Coffees hosted by groups of people from the same country, so we had the Venezuelan, Argentinian, Mexican and Colombian Coffee with delicious food made by the members and offered to everyone.
This year we are planning an International Coffee Morning where members will have the chance to show some special aspects from their countries and share typical food. We are all looking forward to this big meeting. As mentioned above, we have other activities to get together and learn more about Rio de Janeiro and its surroundings. Continue reading to learn more about different activities we have done.
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Visit to Museu do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow) The brand new Museum of Tomorrow was inaugurated in December 2015 and designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava over the Bay of Guanabara. It is already part of the new postcard of Rio. This amazing place promotes the meeting between science and art and combines the rigor of science and expressive art language.
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Laura Vergara, Julieta Gil Torres,
Etur Castellot and Mariana Cantu enjoying the visit
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Visit to Sitio Burle Marx Located in Barra de Guaratiba in Rio de Janeiro, The Burle Marx site holds one of the most important collections of tropical and semitropical plants in the world. Burle Marx began his collection as a boy when he was six years old, and after his death, the house became the Museum-House of Burle Marx in August 1999. It is open to the public and we had the opportunity to visit it. Interesting and beautiful at the same time!!!
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Visit to Downtown Rio de Janeiro Many historic and touristic places are located downtown Rio de Janeiro, from the beautiful and modern Cathedral to an old style coffee place. SSA Rio took us on a tour, and we enjoyed it very much!!!
Confeitaria Colombo
Lapa Arches 49
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Visit to Museum Casa do Pontal Casa do Pontal Museum is one of the largest and most significant museums of popular art of the country. French designer Jacques Van de Beuque built the collection over forty years of research and travel across the country. A group of SSA members visited the museum and learned about cultures of Brazil through their art expression, the collection was displayed thematically, covering everyday, festive, imaginary and religious activities.
We were delighted by a popular singer who guided the visit with his guitar and songs.
Our guide, Pedro
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Art display by Os Gemeos
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The Blah, Blah, Blah group
Ana Lucia Salem, Fernanda Nigri, Etur Castellot, Marilia Oliveira Ribeiro, Laura Vergara, AngĂŠlica Ayala
In Rio we have a fun and helpful group called the "Blah, Blah, Blah". The group started to get together over a year ago and they meet every week in a Coffee shop in Barra da Tijuca. The goal of this group is to improve their language skills. Until now they have the commitment to talk one hour in Portuguese and one hour in Spanish while sharing a coffee. The members of the group are mainly Spanish and Portuguese speakers and all of them in one way or the other need or want to learn more about the other language. Also among the Spanish speakers there are people from different countries, so many times they learn new words because in each country they name differently the same thing. This year we have many members interested in improving their English skills, so the group is evaluating a way to add this language to the weekly meetings. The group also has a WhatsApp group and they not only share the language expressions and new words in a written way, but also information about doctors, house helpers, maids, and maintenance. If you come to Rio ask about the "Blah, Blah, Blah" and join us to improve your language skills! 52
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Charity By Soledad Logozzo
I
t was very nice to meet Maria Gracia in my first SSA coffee morning last year. She explained how the Charity Team was organizing campaigns to support Lar Dona Meca and how happy she felt as Charity Coordinator. I offered myself to help the Charity Chapter and the welcoming was excellent. Months passed and it was time for Maria Gracia to go to Venezuela and for us to keep the work already started alive! I became Charity Coordinator since and continued the great work of the SSA Charity Team helping the community in Rio! Lar Dona Meca is an institution which is home for around 20 children with special needs -cerebral palsy, physical disabilities, victims of physical abuse-, all of them in situation of abandonment. There they receive love, care and medical treatment. The funds we have collected from raffles, donations and other activities were used to buy them medicine, toiletries and nutritional supplements. Through our help we have seen many lives changed for the better. We visit the children once a month and all SSA members are welcome to come along with us. Last December we had the biggest and most special raffle of the year: The Rio de Janeiro Quilt, which was made by the SSA Rio Quilting group. A group of 20 ladies learned the basics of quilting coordinated by Peggy Parodi, and donated one Rio de Janeiro quilt to Charity. Peggy also made and donated a Christmas quilt and both were raffled during our End of Year Lunch. Thank you ladies for your contribution to the Charity Team!
Maria Gracia Villasmil, Fรกtima Peinado, Laura Vergara
Carolina Rangel & Maria Gracia Villasmil
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Charity (continued) In Christmas it has also become a tradition to have our "sponsor a child" campaign, by giving a child of Lar Dona Meca a set of clothes, a pair of shoes, a bib, etc. This has been a very successful campaign which has really helped them. February 2016 we started a diaper & disposable gloves collection campaign among the members and with a joint effort with SLB employees this campaign was a complete success. Lar Dona Meca received diapers, gloves and medicines for the kids. In 2016 we have started helping other organizations as well. We started a clothes collection campaign for SOMAR (Solidariedade em Marcha), a Community Project to support kids from low income homes through sports activities. We also began a medicine collection campaign for the infirmary of Solar Meninos de Luz which is an organization that promotes full -time formal and complementary education, culture, sports and basic health care in the Pav達o-Pav達ozinho and Cantagalo underprivileged communities in Rio. Their infirmary has all sorts of medicines that are distributed for free to the community when the people bring their prescription.
Maria Gracia Villasmil, Lar Dona Meca representative, Anina Fiocco, Soledad Logozzo, Etur Castellot & Laura Vergara
SSA Rio through the Charity activities has the unique opportunity to help people in need in Rio de Janeiro, this is our way to say "thank you" to the city that has welcomed us. On behalf of the Charity Team we would like to thank the SSA Rio members for their generous contributions, their commitment to helping the community is sincerely appreciated. By Soledad Logozzo (SSA Rio Charity Coordinator)
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Etur Castellot, Evelyn Bicelis, Soledad Logozzo and caretakers from Lar Dona Meca
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HSE Health, Safety and Environment is a very important area of our chapter. We have great help from Schlumberger who is always there supporting our initiatives and giving us good advice when we need it. The main goal is to communicate with all our SSA Members about health and safety issues here in Rio de Janeiro. We organize conferences, training and events along with Schlumberger, who also send out safety alerts and other emails with helpful information. In the past months we have had several conferences about safety in Rio, regarding areas in the city that are more or less secure, how the police are organized in each location etc. We also had conferences about health, like the one we have every year during the month of October about breast cancer awareness.
For 2016 we are planning more training and activities, we plan on having another session of First Aid training as well as start DriveSMARRT training and conferences related with healthy eating, skin cancer, prostate cancer (for our male members and their spouses), security in the city among others.
Wilmer Garcia (SSA Rio HSE Coordinator
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Basic Portuguese Lesson
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Copacabana by Evelyn Bicelis
Here are It's a pronuncia the secon Globo" is famous sounds different
some basicThephrases Wayfarer to start learning Portuguese. beautiful language with many different ations depending on the state you are in. Because nd largest television network in the world "Rede s based in Rio, the carioca accent is the most of Brazil. This accent ENGLISH PORTUGUESE totally unique and Olá / Oi Hello / Hi from the rest of Brazil.
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ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE
Yes / No
Sim / Não
Good morning
Bom dia
Good afternoon
Boa tarde
Good evening / Good night
Boa noite
Bye
Tchau
You’re welcome
De nada
See you / See you later
Até mais / Até logo
I’m sorry
Desculpe
Excuse me
Com licença
How are you (informal)
Como vai?
What is your name? Qual é o seu nome? (informal)
Good / Very good
Bem / Muito bem
My name is…
Me chamo...
Bad / Very bad / More or less
Mal / Muito mal / Mais ou menos
Nice to meet you.
Prazer em conhecê -lo
Same here.
Igualmente
Where are you from? (informal)
De onde você é?
I’m from…
Eu sou de...
Do you speak English/ Portuguese? (informal)
Você fala inglês/ português?
I don’t speak…
(Não) Falo...
ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE
Como se diz ____ How do you say ___ in Portuguese? em português?
I (don’t) know.
Please
Por favor
Thank you (very much)
(Muito) Obrigado. (if a man is speaking) (Muito) Obrigada. (if a woman is speaking)
ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE
That’s all right
Tudo bem / 'Tá bom.
Bless you!
Saúde!
Congratulations!
Parabéns!
Good luck!
Boa sorte!
I love you (informal Eu te amo and singular)
Eu (não) sei.
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Kids’ experience
Franco (14 years old) and Fabrizio (12 years old) Vergara are two of four brothers who moved around with their Schlumberger family for almost 12 years. They spent 7 years in the USA and since 2011 they are living in Brazil, first in Macae and now in Rio de Janeiro. They are originally from Argentina but haven’t lived there permanently for a while. Here is what they wrote when they were asked to say something about their life in Brazil.
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I came to Rio with longing from some of my closest friends ever in the United States. I did not think that I would ever have such a magnificent time in this beautiful location. When we moved to Macae, I arrived in Rio de Janeiro first, taking a four hour car ride to Macae, RJ. I spent a couple of weeks fooling around and getting to know this new location, such as the beaches, the kiosks, and even some new sports that I could’ve never thought existed. As it turned out, I stayed in Macae for three years, which may seem like a long time, but it only felt like months, and now that I think back at it, it only feels like flash in my brain, like just minutes. But nothing has changed my life as much as me moving to Rio de Janeiro, from a small city with 200,000 people to a humongous city with over millions of people! I came to Rio de Janeiro expecting to achieve nothing at all, but to just fail and not be able to get up. But that is not what happened. I felt like I was in love with its culture and its people, that I could live here forever, and feel the moment I am in. I have been enjoying every moment of my life for the past year, realizing that I got a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have great friends, a great family, food and a roof over my head, but most importantly, a great environment. An environment that will always push me forward to innovate my mind so that I can continue to learn and grow. Moving to Rio de Janeiro is one of the most important things that has happened to me, and I will harness every opportunity I get to learn more about this amazing city.
Lagoa baseball field. Rio de Janeiro
Franco Vergara
My life in Brazil is very different than my life in the U.S. First off, in Brazil there are different types of foods and drinks that you can experiment. For example, there are rice and black beans at school every day, açai, farofa, chicken hearts, chocolates, etc. Some drinks are fresh fruit juices, Guarana, Guaraviton, Coconut water. When I arrived in Brazil, I missed a few sports, specifically football and baseball. I missed baseball until my dad created a continuous, every Saturday baseball practice while we lived in Macae. The baseball fields went from a small condominiums soccer field, to a big soccer field that was arranged with my dad and the local people. All of that happened in Macae and I missed football until I moved to Rio de Janeiro, where for P.E. class, one of the units was flag football, and I had a lot of fun playing it. Different friends were there, and I was still a bit nervous on the last day of my first week, but then I was comfortable, with my friends there, my really funny driver, who my brother and I are trying to teach English to, and all the things I can do here.
Fabrizio Vergara 59
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Photos by Evelyn Bicelis
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Pedra Bonita hike Pedra Bonita is a rocky formation located in the Tijuca National Park between the areas of S達o Conrado and Barra da Tijuca. Its maximum altitude reaches 696m (2,283ft).
We drove up a steep road until we reached the start of the trail, we hiked to the top and, once up there, we got a chance to enjoy the wonderful views from the city, even Christ Redeemer was visible since it was a beautiful day!
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Right next to “Pedra Bonita” there is “Pedra da Gávea” which is one of the world’s tallest formations that ends directly in the ocean, its highest point is at 844m (2,769ft).
Pedra Bonita has a place where paragliders and hang-gliders jump from, we got a chance to see some take off!
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Typical Brazilian d
Açai is made from the fruit of a particular type of palm tree native to Centr deep purple color, and is typically mixed as an extract with ice and served i
Brigadeiro is a simple Brazilian chocolate bonbon usually served at birthday cocoa powder together, covered in granulated chocolate. You will find diffe
Coxinha ("Little chicken thigh") The drumstick is a Brazilian snack originally flour and chicken broth, which is filled with spiced chicken meat. It's very po
Bolinho de bacalhau (Codfish balls) are Portuguese in origin, they are delici are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. These are typical appetize
Farofa is a toasted manioc flour mixture. In Brazil, where farofa is particula bacon until golden brown, being incremented with numerous other ingredi
Feijoada A stew of beans with beef and pork, which is a typical dish in Po and couve (a sort of collard green, similar to kale) with fried pork rinds. It i
PĂŁo de Queijo A small, baked, cheese-flavored puff. It's a very popular sna are distinctive not only because they are made of cassava or corn flour, but
Pastels are a typical fast-food Brazilian dish, consisting of thin pastry envel crispy, brownish pastry. The most common fillings are cheese, ground beef,
Tapioca A starch extracted from Manioc. This species is native to the No spread by Portuguese and Spanish explorers to most of the West Indies, Afr 64
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dishes and goodies
ral and South America. The fruit itself is very similar in appearance to a grape with a in a slurpee-like consistency. It has a very particular flavor that you can love or‌ not!
y parties and also as dessert, made by mixing sweetened condensed milk, butter and erent variations of brigadeiros in almost any party!
from SĂŁo Paulo, but also common in Portugal, and based on dough made with wheat opular and also quite tasty!
iously fried snacks that consist of salted codfish, potatoes, parsley, eggs and onion. They ers and are served in many restaurants and bars.
arly popular, typical recipes call for raw manioc flour to be toasted with butter, salt, and ients. It is an essential accompaniment to feijoada.
ortugal and former Portuguese colonies. It is accompanied by white rice, farofa, orange is a heavy but very delicious dish, people used to eat it on Saturdays.
ack and breakfast food all over Brazil, but especially in the state of Minas Gerais. They also because the inside is chewy and moist with a crumbly crust around.
lopes wrapped around assorted fillings, then deep fried in vegetable oil. The result is a heart of palm, cream cheese, chicken and shrimp.
ortheast of Brazil but spread throughout the South American continent. The plant was rica and Asia, including the Philippines and Taiwan, being now cultivated worldwide. In 65
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S
greatest part of this story is that when members started moving to other countries, they took with o, the SSA story goes them this wonderful idea and like this: In 1989, a group of Sedco started creating Chapters in their Forex spouses living in Paris new cities. realized they were all In 1991, the Sedco Forex Wives experimenting the same Group thought that the challenges adjusting to life as organization could be useful for all expats and decided to get other Schlumberger companies as together as a formal organization well, and decided to appoint a dedicated to welcome new Welcome Coordinator for each spouses moving to Paris. It is Schlumberger company. They known that the organization was went on to find a new name for called Sedco Forex Wives Group. the group. Their first choice was They came up with the idea of a Schlumberger Wives Association, “basket” to give out to but decided it could be considered newcomers with useful discriminatory in some countries, information about the city, a so they settled on our name to bottle of wine (of course!) and date, Schlumberger Spouses little pieces of colored paper with Association. tips for living in Paris written by Some of the SSA founders were the spouses. The idea was an invited to attend the instant hit, and when they approached Greg Burt, Personnel Schlumberger Personnel Forum in June 1993 and, as part of their Manager at the time, to ask for funds, they were allowed to spend participation, they presented the SSA Paris and their thoughts on 300 Francs per basket. The 66
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how to make SLB a more familyfriendly company. SLB management made the commitment to support their work, and to this date, the support continues. Shortly after this, the SSA worked hard on the project of setting up Chapters around the world. Our association has evolved through the years and grown stronger, with more volunteers willing to donate their time and effort to make others feel at home in their new home. Today, we have more than 90 Chapters worldwide, with over 5,000 members. Despite some people mistaking our roles in the SSA as “getting together for coffee and gossip”, that is so far from the truth! Our work is important. We provide support to all spouses and partners of SLB employees. And yes, sometimes it involves getting together for coffee, which is only
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By Elsa Scheffler one of the fun parts of this job! But it also sometimes involves accompanying a new spouse to the hospital with a sick child, or showing them around the new city, giving them tips on where to find things to help them settle down, talking about your experiences with local schools/sports lessons/ doctors/shops/etc. In every city I’ve lived in as part of the SSA, I’ve been welcomed with kindness by total strangers who sometimes have gone out of their way to help me. The first location we lived in was Nigeria. In 1998 I was a very young newlywed and, like most of us, suddenly found myself without a job, without a car, in a foreign country VERY far away form my home, with a darling husband who went to the rig for two or three weeks at a time, and me with not a clue of what to do with my time. Bear in mind that in 1998 there were no cellphones (no WhatsApp, gasp!!), no internet in the rigs (or in our
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house, for that matter!). So the SSA really proved to be like a lifeline to me. I met such kind people, some of them dear friends until this day! I’m talking about you, Fay Hennings, Brenda Echeveste, Adelia Garcia, and so many others who are not with SLB anymore but our friendships remain strong. I learned so much from each of them, but the thing that I hold dearest in my heart is their compassion and generosity. We shared laughs, tears, illnesses, and parties. With them I also first learned of the heartbreak of seeing your friends leave for another faraway place, but also the joy of meeting new people who in a short time become like family too. Then one day it was me who was leaving for another country, and it was time to start all over again
My husband Alejandro and I on our goodbye party in the Port Harcourt base.
somewhere else. But by then I already knew that in our next city I would find kind SSA members who were already waiting for me with a cup of coffee and the best tips!
A common sight for SSA families! We were moving from Port Harcourt to Pau.
I found some pictures from those years, and I’m delighted to share them here with you. Please send me your own pictures and stories of your first experiences as part of the SSA, I would love to include them in the next editions of The Wayfarer. They don’t have to be from the last century like mine!! You might be a young newlywed in your first location like I was 19 years ago… Let me tell you that you might not know it yet, but your SSA friends will be with you for a loooong time. Some of them will become like family. Cherish each moment and learn from each person that you meet. And when you have a chance, volunteer in your local board. I can guarantee that you’ll have a blast while helping others! 67
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Above: In one of our rare outings out of the NTC Camp. Shantha, Camille, Adelia, Jane, Danielle, Lamia, Gaby, Maria, Michelle and Mary Lynn. I’m glad I wrote down all the names in my photo album! Right: With my dear friends Adelia, Alice and Shantha
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Latin America Edition / Spring 2016 Our farewell dinner in Pau, with Philippe Agostini and Alexander Popov (in the background)
One of my best “souvenirs� from Pau: meeting my dear friend Fernanda Brocoletti. SLB life has taken us far away from each other, but our friendship stays strong despite the distance and time. Here we are in Mont-de-Marsan. 69
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Last but not least... You should have already received the link to the new Global SSA Membership form. If you haven’t filled it already, you can find it on our website or you can follow this link: http:// ssafara.net/membership-form. Thank you for filling it out! It will help us keep our Global database updated.
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For the second year in a row the Summer Wayfarer will be dedicated to showcase our SSA artists! Send pictures of your works of art to ssa-communications@slb.com before June 30, 2016. Any SSA member and their extended families can participate. If you want to take a look at last summer’s Art Edition, visit https://issuu.com/ssacommunications/docs/ the_wayfarer_art_edition Looking forward to your amazing contributions!
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SSA MISSION STATEMENT The Schlumberger Spouses Association (SSA) is a global, voluntary, social organization for all spouses and partners of Schlumberger employees. We aim to create and maintain a welcoming and supportive environment for all members and their families. The SSA fosters fellowship through ongoing social events and community involvement.
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Remember you can send articles and pictures for future editions of The Wayfarer to ssa-communications@slb.com anytime! We’re on the Web! www.SSAfara.net Get your login credentials by clicking on the “Need IT Help” link and fill out the form.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ SSAGlobalCommunity/
Come and join the SSA Global Community on Facebook! If you’re still waiting for approval, send an email to ssacommunications@slb.com with your Chapter, spouse name and segment, and we’ll make sure to approve your request ASAP.
All images and content in this issue may not be reproduced without the express written approval of their authors.