T HE W AYFARER A
PUBLICATION FOR THE
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SSA G LOBAL C OMMUNITY
M ARCH /A PRIL 2015 Cover Picture: ©Noreha Yussof Day
S CHLUMBERGER S POUSES A SSOCIATION
T HE W AYFARER M IDDLE E AST E DITION
W ELCOME
I
M ARCH /A PRIL 2015
T HE
BACK !
have a confession to make. Putting together this edition of The Wayfarer has brought me immense joy. I promise I didn’t know that my family and I were moving to Saudi Arabia before deciding that this edition would be dedicated to the Middle East. It was just a very happy coincidence! Our wonderful Middle East Area Coordinator, Lorraine Albelto, was in charge of inviting all the SSA Chapters in her area to participate in The Wayfarer. And her efforts paid off big time! We received tons of amazing pictures and articles, which you will be able to enjoy in our pages. Don’t you just love the cover picture? It was taken by the very talented Noreha Yussof Day, who is a member of the Abu Dhabi SSA Chapter. Check out her article starting on page 11. And like
her, a lot of talented SSA friends have shared amazing pics and told us about the fun activities they enjoy in their respective adopted cities. Also check out Anisa’s article on Repatriation, a process that many of us know can give as much headaches and joys as moving abroad.
A note from our Global Coordinator, Pages 4-5
We have a new Africa Area Coordinator!, Page 6
F IND
THE ARTICLES FROM PAGES 8 TO 88
So sit back and enjoy. We always love to have you here. Send us your feedback and contributions for our next editions to
Abu Dhabi
ssa-communications@slb.com.
Al Khobar Cairo
Love,
Doha
Elsa Scheffler Global SSA Communications Coordinator
How to get login credentials to our website, Page 7 A Book Club in Cd. Del Carmen, México, Pages 89-91 Our 6th move, by Isabel Scheffler, Page 92-93
Dubai Kuwait Mumbai
I NSIDE THIS E DITION , YOU ' LL ALSO FIND : Meet the Global Board, Page 3
MIDDLE EAST IN 10 STOPS
Find out which region will be showcased in our next edition, Page 94
Muscat Pakistan Udhailliyah
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M EET THE G LOBAL B OARD Anisa Haddad
Nikita Goel
SSA Global Coordinator
SSA Global Webmaster
ssa-global-coord@slb.com
ssa-webmaster@slb.com
Deysy Lamas SSA Ex-Officio Global Coordinator ssa-exofficio@slb.com
Elsa Scheffler
SSA Global Communications Coordinator ssa-communications@slb.com
Lorraine Albelto
Sandra Showalter
SSA Middle East Area
SSA Global Secretary
Coordinator
ssa,globalsecretary@gmail.com
ssa-mideast-coord@slb.com
Lasairiona McMaster SSA North America Area Coordinator ssa-nam-coord@slb.com
Diana Sguerra SSA Europe/Russia Area Coordinator ssa-eur-slr-coord@slb.com
Madeeha Saif Petite Orteg贸n
SSA Asia/Australia Coordinator
SSA Latin America Coordinator
ssa-asia-coord@slb.com
ssa-lam-coord@slb.com
Brenda Echeveste
SSA Africa Coordinator ssa-africa-coord@slb.com
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A NOTE FROM OUR G LOBAL C OORDINATOR R EPATRIATION — SETTING REPATRIATION… It’s a word that can strike fear in the heart of even the bravest expat. The MerriamWebster dictionary defines repatriate (verb) as: to restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance or citizenship. What’s so terrible about that? The consensus among all those that I have asked is that there can be a lot wrong with repatriation, but being prepared makes the process at least a little bit easier. Surprisingly, repatriation is quite often described as being much more difficult than moving overseas in the first place. Although we may be returning home to a life that is familiar, we have changed. It may feel hard to fit in and we may face disappointment at the lack of interest that friends and family have in hearing about our expat experience. We may also face the issue of reverse culture shock – where we find ourselves questioning our society's own culture and values. (1) But does it have to be that difficult? Are there any ways to set up a soft(er) repatriation landing? In some respects, yes. Maybe surprisingly, some of the very same advice that rings true for those moving abroad is still very valid for those returning
UP A SOFT LANDING BEFORE THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
home. Here is a short list of practical tips, but it is also a good idea to spend some time researching the psycho/social aspect of a return home, especially if you have children. Children & Pets . As soon as possible after your transfer letter to your home country has been signed, inform your child(ren)’s school that you will be moving home and ask for all documents that will be relevant to your move. It is also a good idea to discuss with the school how grading (if different from your home country) can be interpreted by your child’s new school. Our four legged, winged or scaly children have different requirements that you will need to plan for. Check the quarantine requirements in your home country and make arrangement for pet relocation. If it is not possible to take your pet home with you, begin the process as early as possible to find someone to give your pet a loving home. Important Documents & Checklists. If you do not have one set up already, create a folder or binder with hard copies of all of your important documents and create a soft copy on your computer and a backup drive
or memory stick. Keep copies of all receipts for move related items and/or any items that will be used on your taxes or are expensable. Find out if any documentation requirements exist for the country you are moving to. If specific documents are required, it can be the case that only official paperwork that is certified can be accepted. Your home country’s embassy or consulate may be the best source of information about what, if anything, is required. Medical Records. Ask your Doctors, Vet and Dentist for copies of your medical records. There will be a lot of things on your “to do” list that are a priority, but obtaining copies of these records may take time and this should be at the top of the list. Bank Accounts. Find out early on in the move process what your bank’s requirements are for closing your accounts and to make life easier, try to make any final bill payments before your accounts are closed. First Purge, Then Pack. Many of us accumulate numerous “treasurers” during our time living abroad and although you may think at the beginning of the transfer process that you absolutely
R EPATRIATION NEEDS AS MUCH PREPARATION AS MOVING ABROAD . H AVE A LOOK AT THIS HANDY CHECKLIST FROM OUR GLOBAL COORDINATOR
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R EPATRIATION — SETTING … CONTINUED will not sell or give away any of those treasures, just remember…when you shipment arrives, you will have to unpack it! And just as important, will you really ever use or display any of these items again? In large part, probably not. Your electronics may not work in your home country and even if they will, are they in good enough condition to take up precious space in your shipment? Will you really want to use that living room, dining room or bedroom furniture fit in your new home or is it style specific to your current location? Give some serious thought to what you MUST HAVE and what you can let go of and let go of ALL of the things you think you can live without. Sell what you can if that helps you let go of your stuff and give away the rest. You can take some comfort in knowing that your treasures may bring help and comfort to others. Packing Up Your Treasures. Each country has different rules and regulations on items that can be brought into the country. Get a list early on from the moving company of any items that you will not be allowed to take with you to your home country. In many cases, a professional packer will show up at your
UP A SOFT LANDING BEFORE THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
door and shove… I mean carefully pack all of our items into boxes. If that is the case, it may not be possible to make a list of what items are in each box, so at the very least it is a good idea to make a list of what items are in every room. You should also make sure that the packers are labeling the boxes correctly. A little extra piece of advice from my own personal experience: Lock your suitcases in a bathroom or other room the packers will not be going into. Why? Because if you are like I was and have to leave the apartment, even for a short time, you may return to find your suitcases packed in one of the boxes that is not correctly marked because there was a shift change during the time you were gone! Yes, it did happen and not just to me. Laugh as you’re following this advice and know that you could be saving yourself from having a major headache. Good-Bye Process, the Final Countdown, and the Trip to the Airport. Many of us are adverse to the goodbye process. Not saying goodbye to the people who have been important in your life in your host country may seem easier now, but may be something that you strongly regret in the future. It does not have to be long and
drawn out, but it is an important part of any move. Whether you are going straight from your home away from home to temporary accommodations or straight to the airport – check, double check and triple check every drawer, cabinet, nook and cranny. It is amazing how many things can be found even on the triple check. Although the day you make your way to the airport for your trip home may be wild and wooly, make a concerted effort to appreciate every moment from the time your leave your home/hotel to when your plane takes off. This place has been your home, so just as you said your goodbyes to your friends, watch all of the sights and soak up all of the sounds of your home away from home on the way to the airport and remember that no matter where you go in the future, this place will always hold a special (and hopefully good) place in your heart. (1) Repatriating. http:// www.expatexchange.com/ returning.cfm Body of article modeled after The Moving Checklist Template. http:// www.expatinfodesk.com/ expat-guide/organizingyour-departure/calendarbefore-you-go/
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W E HAVE A N EW A FRICA C OORDINATOR !
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’d like to introduce you to Brenda Echeveste, our new Africa Area Coordinator. Brenda is from Mexico and has traveled the world with her family to many SLB locations. They started their expat experience in Aberdeen, where their eldest daughter, María, was born. She participated in the Welcome Committee there, and started to realize the important role that the SSA plays in SLB’s employees lives. From Scotland they moved to Shekou, China, where they lived for about two years. There was no school for the little ones there, so she gathered a group of Moms and opened a small play group to teach the children English, coloring, It doesn't matter where you are, counting, music, etc. After China they moved to Houston, Texas, where with the SSA you will always have a group of friends ready to help their second daughter, Alicia, was born. From there to Brazil, first in you, without any other interest than Macae, and then to Aracaju. In both to help you settle in your new cities Brenda was involved in helping I believe that we are lucky to location. new families with the relocation have the company's support. process. After that it was time to back to have been lucky all these years because thanks to SSA Mexico for a while, where she was very involved with the SSA in Poza Rica I have found "Angels" in each and Villahermosa. She also volunteered for the Red Cross and the SEED location that I have been to. SLB project. She faced the challenge of having no international school again in Villahermosa, and together with SLB worked to open an International School. Unfortunately, as it often happens, her husband was transferred to Kazakhstan, and they couldn’t see the project finished. But the School was opened with great success and now the families who move to Villahermosa can benefit from it! In Kazakhstan Brenda worked in the International School and was also part of the SSA Board. After coming back to Mexico City, she decided to study a degree in Gastronomy and became the Mexico City Chapter Coordinator. Welcome to the team, Brenda! We are very happy to have you =) Elsa
I want to give back to SSA all the good things that I have enjoyed during this 20 years.
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H OW TO G ET L OGIN C REDENTIALS FOR OUR W EBSITE
D ON ’ T
MISS OUT ! O UR OFFICIAL SSA W EBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING , AND WE ’ D LOVE TO SEE YOU AROUND !
At www.ssafara.net you will find lots of information regarding Chapters around the world, as well as HSE news and other useful resources. You will need an account to access all of this. Here’s how to get it: 1. Go to www.ssafara.net 2. Click on the “Need IT Help” link.
3. Fill out the form and send it to IT. - You will receive a Ticket number. - Please keep it for future reference. - If you send out the form and do not get a Ticket number in return, please let us know. It might not have been sent out. 4.Your spouse might be contacted to confirm his employee info and your account will be created. 5. Someone from the IT Team will be in touch with you either by email or by phone to help you finish setting up your account. PLEASE NOTE: All of this should not take more than 48 hours. If you are not contacted within this timeframe, please send an email to ssa-communications@slb.com and ssawebmaster@slb.com with your ticket number and we will follow up your case. Thank you! See you at www.ssafara.net soon!
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A NOTE FROM OUR M IDDLE E AST A REA C OORDINATOR
W
hen I received the offer for the post of MEA Coordinator I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat apprehensive at the same time. I had started as Chapter Coordinator in my current location a few months before and I was really enjoying working with my fellow board members and seeing the Chapter grow. I wanted both, but of course I couldn’t have that. I asked my husband what he thought and he said, “Just go for it”, and I did! I have no regrets. It has been deeply fulfilling and truly a learning experience for me.
locations. Work closely with Schlumberger and members to seek out and welcome new spouses. Contact spouses before they arrive to the location, where possible. Be imaginative and informative with your welcome bags/baskets. Try to welcome spouses as soon as they arrive and follow up to find out what support they need as they settle into their new homes and lives.
L
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t has been and continues to be a challenge but quite an enjoyable one. My personal goal when I took this role was to improve the welcoming process in MEA mainly because of my previous experiences. I did not want spouses to have a bad first impression of their location, after all, we get only one chance at a first impression. So I made it my mission to ensure, as best as we can, that spouses receive the information and assistance they need from SSA when it matters most.
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e have 11 active SSA Chapters in MEA and our volunteers give their time generously for the benefit of members. Most Chapters will be holding elections soon and I would like to pass along some helpful tips to our new volunteers. Our mission is to welcome and support spouses in their respective
spouses to get involved and assist with activities. Not every event has to be sponsored by SSA especially if you are on a tight budget. Pot luck events with dishes from all over the world can be quite an interesting experience. SSA is made up of professional and very talented spouses and I encourage you to volunteer to share your respective abilities with the Chapter.
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rovide support to spouses. It doesn’t matter how many times we move, the experience is always the same: You are a stranger in a new country, with possibly no extended family members or friends. SSA becomes your family and support.
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hat I have found that really works well for Chapters is to vary activities so spouses residing in each part of the location have the opportunity to attend and be part of events. Plan events with due consideration for all members with regard to culture, gender and likes. At events, Board members should interact with spouses so they get to know members better and encourage
ike many of you I have lived in a few locations. Our first move was to Aberdeen, Scotland, and I loved every minute of it! It’s such a beautiful country and I enjoyed everything it had to offer. SSA there was quite active and the Chapter Coordinator at the time, Glenda, gave me excellent support. She was the first person I contacted when I joined the SSA Board in my next location. I also had the opportunity to work with Schlumberger, something which was not in the plan, but after working in an academic institution for 16 years I was looking for a change and it came in the form of Schlumberger. I met some really amazing people who ‘til today are very dear friends.
O
ur next move was a lot more challenging than I originally thought. However, Luanda had a lot to offer and we made the best of it. Within SSA we lived like family, supported each other and adapted to our new environment. It is a location where SSA is definitely needed and makes a difference in our lives. I
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remember our trips to Cabo Ledo beach and the fresh lobsters we grilled on the makeshift bbq pit on the shore. The parties in each other’s backyard until the wee hours of the morning, braving the mosquitoes and once a torrential downpour, are all very memorable. I think we will all agree that we make the best friends in the most challenging locations.
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ur move to Egypt was a dream come true! We explored everywhere. It’s difficult to put into words the feeling of seeing the pyramids for the first time or the beauty of the old buildings in Islamic Cairo. From Luxor to Aswan, Alexandria to Abu Simbel, Sham El Sheik to Ain Sokna, Memphis and Sakkara, we managed to try to do it all. SSA was a close knit bunch of spouses. We had many great times together and I am still in contact with each of them as they move from location to location, recounting our time together and planning our reunion. Egypt has a special place in our heart.
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t is extremely important for us to understand the culture of the location we are in and to also remember we are guests in someone else’s home. Qatar, my current location, is a very interesting place and I have learnt to embrace its diverse culture. I got involved in SSA soon after I arrived and we have a very vibrant and active group here. I am thankful for all the amazing spouses I have met and the friendships we have formed.
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ife is full of challenges. However, our approach and mindset make all the difference. We can choose to be happy and enjoy what the location has to offer and the beautiful friendships we make. We all have had challenging experiences but we cannot let them overshadow the good times and great friends we make along the way. As SSA spouses we are expected to hit the ground running and sometimes we get off to a good start and sometimes we stumble. Having friends to help us through this and a welcoming and supportive SSA can and does make quite a difference to our lives.
to our Chapters.
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o the SSA Global Team, a very dedicated group of volunteers, thank you for all you do for your Chapters and members and the support you have given me. A special thank you to Anisa Haddad, our Global Coordinator, who has provided me with so much helpful advice and unwavering support. I am truly appreciative.
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o my dear husband and best friend, Phinix Albelto, thank you for your understanding and support.
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y term as Middle East Coordinator will be ending soon and I would like to take this opportunity to thank every person who has supported me. A BIG thank you to all the Local Chapter Coordinators and Board Members, both current and past. We may have butted head sometimes but we persevered in the interest of our members. Thank you all for volunteering your time selflessly to SSA and making our lives a little easier and enjoyable in the location.
T
hanks to my sponsor, Qatar Geomarket Manager, Karim Malash. I have received excellent support from him and the HR Team, especially the HR Manager, Nancy Al Jaffari. They have also provided tremendous support to the Local Chapter. Our SSA Program Manager, Muriel Barnier, who listened to all my concerns and tried her best to help resolve them. The HR Managers in MEA both current and past for their continued support
Lorraine Albelto
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T HE M IDDLE E AST IN 10 STOPS Come join us in this AMAZING virtual trip to the Middle East in 10 stops. First we will visit Abu Dhabi, where wonderful adventures await those who dare brave the desert. From there we will go to Al Khobar, where we will meet the lovely ladies who live there. After that it’s on to Cairo, with great sightseeing and shopping. Our next stop will be Doha, where we will learn about new experiences and meet the new Local Board. After that get ready for sunny Dubai, where the SSA ladies sure look like they know how to have fun!! Kuwait then awaits to surprise us with beautiful views and fun things to do. Be sure to not miss meeting our young artists from Kuwait! Then, Mumbai… poems, recipes and lots of fun! In Muscat we will travel among beautiful Waadis and sail the bluest waters. Pakistan has a lot to offer: we will learn about life there and also how to prepare delicious Asian dishes from our very own personal chef! And last, but not least, we will stop in Udhailliyah for a unique view of life in Saudi Arabia. I’m pretty sure you won’t regret this trip and you will want to come back for more. Let’s go!
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A BU D HABI As a Schlumberger spouse who has lived in a desert country (The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) prior to moving to Abu Dhabi, I was prepared for the extreme heat of summer again. After the cold and wet UK for three years, UAE is a welcome location for me. Also from living in Al Khobar, I knew the summer would be indescribably hot, but the “winter” is extremely pleasant and is a wonderful time to explore the great outdoors. We have now lived in Abu Dhabi for more than three years and there are still many places that we need to explore, but we began with baby steps of exploring the desert, but loving every minute of our adventure here. As a novice desert driver, we were very careful when we first went out into the desert as the dunes are amazing, but it was a sand trap for us beginners. We bought the Off Road UAE Book and went through page after page to plan the right place to start. Our adventure started on the tarmac visiting the highest dune, The Moreeb Dune in Liwa. We watched the locals and expat experts go up and down the giant sand slope with awe. Then we went on the smaller dunes at the side of the monster dune and tried the sand boarding. It was great just tumbling down, but it was a pain to get to the top again! We watched the beautiful sunset and went back home with sand in our hair and everywhere – we had rekindled our love for the desert.
©Noreha Yussof Day
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A BU D HABI — CONTINUED
Then we thought, on our next trip we should get off the tarmac a bit and try to explore and camp out under the stars. Again we headed out to Liwa and turned off the main road and went on the tracks tried and tested by many campers before us and camped out not far from the track. Again, we just went out in one car and could not take the risk of being stuck, even though we had all the equipment need. We parked well off the track but on a hard compacted area facing the dunes and set up our camp. It was great, we had a camp fire, the barbeque cooking our dinner, and hot chocolate for later, as we sat around telling stories of our favorite places we have been. We went home feeling a lot more accomplished as desert campers and no longer beginners.
ŠNoreha Yussof Day
We started looking at the book to find more suitable places to camp next. We had many friends and families visiting so we took them out to the desert camps or resorts to stay the night and experience the dune bashing, camel riding and the usual evening meal with the entertainment, but we were itching to get more camping done. But the season had ended and it was too hot to do anything for a while until the season came back next winter.
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We began the new season in earnest by joining a hiking group to Jebel Qatar. It was a normal drive into Oman and track driving for a while to the base of the hike. It was a total of 9 hours hike, including an hour and a half waiting for a few lost hikers in the wadi! It was very tiring but the view from the top was fantastic and was really worth it.
©Noreha Yussof Day
The rest of the group drove back to Abu Dhabi, but we took a side road once back in the UAE, and set up a family camp again not far from the track. We took lots of long exposure shots of us writing names with our mobile’s phone lights, and it took us a while to get writing in the air backwards to spell everyone’s names correctly!
©Noreha Yussof Day
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A BU D HABI — CONTINUED
The next trip we planned with family friends, but they were total novice campers, so we decided to stay in the mountain resort in Jebel Shams in Oman and went hiking the next day. It was another grueling 7 hour hike along the narrow path of Wadi Ghul. We had wonderful views all the way as we walked.
©Noreha Yussof Day
Amazingly, we encountered a man on a mountain bike riding happily & very fast along the tiny path next to the precipice! We reached the old abandoned village where lots of Omani mountain goats still live. They are amazingly sure footed animals that can climb almost vertical cliff walls without hesitation. ©Noreha Yussof Day
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A BU D HABI — CONTINUED
As usual, winter brought in lots of visitors to our home in Abu Dhabi and we were always busy showing them around as tour guides. We showed them Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, kayaking at the Mangroves, Heritage Village, 360 View Point from Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Emirates Palace, Captain Tony’s cruises and to those lucky ones who were in Abu Dhabi during F1 season, we went to experience the Yas Marina Circuit. We also took them to Dubai to see the beautiful city, the gold and spice souk, the fountains at the Burj Khalifa, plus of course endless hopping at all the many malls that Dubai has to offer.
©Noreha Yussof Day
We also visited Al Ain a few times and we went to the zoo and the mountain resort at Jebel Hafeet.
©Noreha Yussof Day
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A BU D HABI — CONTINUED
Closer to home, we recently camped with our family friends again at Fossil Rock, close to Dubai, where we finally experienced the abject helplessness of being well and truly stuck in the sand. We made the classic mistake of stopping right at the top of a sand dune. The car was rocking front and back on the crest, neither the front wheels nor the rear wheels could get enough traction to move the car, so we had to dig our car out. It would have taken even longer if not for a kindly local on his motor bike who stopped and helped show us how to get out of the sand trap. We spent hours trying to get to Fossil Rock, digging both cars out of trouble, and when we got there it was getting dark, so we set up camp in twilight and did not get to enjoy the beauty of the place until the next morning. What we saw the next day was another amazing picturesque scenery that will stay with us forever. Please do not be apprehensive – if you have the opportunity, just go into the desert and you will have amazing experiences. By Noreha Yussof Day
©Noreha Yussof Day
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014 -2015 Annual General Meeting on May 27th, 2014
Following the AGM in May 2014 we had a new coordinator in this chapter – Ina Bruins. Ina is well known to most SSA Abu Dhabi members as she has been in Abu Dhabi for a long time and has previously been in charge of activities and hospitality. She will ably guide the members in the right direction. We thanked our previous Coordinator Azi for her great contribution to this chapter.
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED
Coffee Morning @Bentley’s
Some photos from Pottery Day
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED
Fun city event @ Marina Mall
Coffee Morning @Carluccio’s Eastern Mangrove
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Mother and Tots activity by Hartbeep at WTC, Sept 9, 2014
All went really well. We had a total of 18 children (age varying from 4 months to 3 years) along with their mothers taking part on that day. After the activity, children were exploring several play areas provided at Koolkidz, while mothers had a chance to relax from school runs, enjoy coffee and catch up on the long break away from the sandpit, Abu Dhabi. It was a real good start to getting back to daily routines in Abu Dhabi, and a great pleasure to see new and familiar faces of our SSA members. Thank you very much SSA Board Members for making this happen.
“It is a great venue in which children can play and a proper place especially for mothers to chat, feed the kids, have coffee, etc.” Suntaree Mathitano, Parent and Toddler Coordinator
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Welcome Back Lunch, September 30, 2014
The Welcome Back event was a lunch gathering for our members to meet up after a long break during the summer months. We had the welcome speech by Ina, our Coordinator, and then Diana, our Activities Coordinator, presented the feedback from “Activities Questionnaire” in detail. We had a break from presentation while we welcomed new members to our Chapter and congratulated mums with new babies. Azi talked about the upcoming HSE for Youth event. We had time for a short quiz on “Back to School”, followed by a presentation on “Safe Driving in the UAE” by Rana from SLB HSE, which was particularly informative. St. Regis banqueting organized a fantastic buffet lunch and all members had a great time catching up. By Noreha (Bing) Day,Treasurer
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Zumba at Abu Dhabi Country Club, Oct 15, 2014
Twelve ladies attended the Zumba activity at Abu Dhabi Country Club, which was a lot of fun. Everyone loved their morning exertion and felt rejuvenated; a few high-energy individuals enjoyed it so much that they are planning to join up. By Samina Baig, Secretary
Abu Dhabi Film Festival, from Oct 23 to Nov 1st, 2014
Members had the opportunity to view a variety of movies from different countries at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. These were Miss Julie (UK), Hope (France), Winter Sleep (Turkey), El Ott (Arabic), The Connection (France) and The Drop (USA). The movies were either in the VOX Cinema Marina Mall or the Emirates Palace. Everyone enjoyed the atmosphere of the annual event and some even met the director of El Ott after the show, which was a real treat. Thanks to the Zeineb and Dilek for organizing this special event!
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Breast Cancer Awareness, oct 22, 2014
We had a fantastic guest speaker for our Breast Cancer Awareness event this year. Dr. Hind Abbas from the American Surge Center gave a brilliant, informal talk with lots of information, some of which was new to our members. The members had many questions, as they were interested in the subject, so she was with us for almost to hours! She stressed that early detection was most important and so regular self-checks plus regular health screening are vital especially if there are cases in the family. We then had a treat from Café Arabia and the delicious Mama’s pink cupcakes. Thank you to all who came and maybe we can use the vouchers from The American Surge Center as a kick-start for regular screening. By Noreha (Bing) Day,Treasurer
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Play Session at Fun City, November 6, 2014
The children had a relaxing informal playtime in the Fun and Learn area at Fun City in Marina Mall. This is usually a great time when children can be let loose and play with their friends in a safe environment and mums can catch up. We had coffee and the tots had snacks afterwards. By Noreha (Bing) Day,Treasurer
Pilates at Beach Rotana, November 10, 2014
The Pilates at Beach Rotana was a great experience. The instructor was really professional and understanding as she waited for the ladies who were running late. At the end we had 12 members attending the class. She did a beginner Pilates program with lots of stretching and core strengthening, balancing and posture exercises. By the end of the program, we were all 2 cm taller :)… Well, that’s what she promised us in the beginning of the class. We certainly felt 2 cm taller even though I’m sure we were not. The instructor can teach other fitness activities besides Pilates. She taught us Aqua Gym a couple of months ago. By Magdelena Dartono,Welcome Coordinator
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Art Tour at Manart Al Saadiyat, November 17, 2014
On this day, 30 ladies from the SSA enjoyed a wonderful cultural morning at Marnart Al Saadiyat in the Saadiyat Island Cultural District. “Seeing Through Light: Selections from Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Collection” is a collection of modern art with a focus on light. Amazing artworks by 19 internationally renowned artists were on display, divided into five sections: Perceptual, Reflected, Transcendent, Activated and Celestial. This was followed with a delicious brunch at FANR Restaurant, where all the ladies enjoyed the lovely weather while sitting and chatting in the beautiful garden outside. It was a wonderful November morning loaded with artistic beauty and members who attended had an amazing time By Diana Ghorayeb, Activity Coordinator Picnic at Al Bateen Beach, December 1st, 2014
To take advantage of the great weather, SSA members met up for a picnic at Al Bateen Beach with all sorts of food to share. We thank all the ladies who made it and we sampled many delicious dishes from different countries. It was a fun morning as the little ones were free to play on the grass and the playground nearby. The beach was closed off for the National Day Celebration Week, but that did not matter, as we were happy at the picnic site and had access to the playground and facilities. Thank you all for the yummy dishes! By Noreha (Bing) Day,Treasurer
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED End of Year dinner, December 11, 2014 Aqua Restaurant at the Rosewood Abu Dhabi
End of the year dinner was one of the most successful events of the year. Ladies arrived in their party attire without knowing that there would be a competition based on it. Everyone loved every bit of it –the Italian food, the ambiance, the venue and the gift exchange. It was very relaxing, as the mothers didn’t have to look after their kids. Every one asked to do this kind of event again as for a change, working spouses could join. By Samina Baig, Secretary
Some of the winners that night were Kiran Whabi, for Highest Attendance in Events; Cora Craven, for the Highest Heels, and Ata Faridah, for Best Dressed.
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED 1st Coffee Morning of 2015, Jan 27
We welcomed new members and catched up over cups of coffee and pastries at Raoul’s Café.
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Art Activity at Art Beat, Feb 23, 2015
SSA Members tried out their paining skills at a morning session at Art Beat, Abu Dhabi. They were all well pleased with their finished products.
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014-2015– CONTINUED Mother’s day Activity, March 10, 2015
To mark Mother’s Day, a fun day was planned with various activities. The members did not know what the activities were and so were taken by surprise when they had to take part in some physical activities that encouraged teamwork. This was followed by a picnic at the Al Bateen Beach park.
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R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES FROM SSA ABU DHABI 2014 2015– CONTINUED Annual General Meeting, March 15, 2015
In March, the Annual General Meeting was held. This was because our Chapter Coordinator, Inna, left Abu Dhabi. The theme of the AGM was Hollywood, and so there were photo shoots, best dressed competitions, a quiz on Oscars and the important task of electing the new board. The new SSA Board in Abu Dhabi consists of some members from the old board and some new members. Our Chapter Coordinator is Diana Ghorayeb, who has been responsible for organizing lots of activities for our members.
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A L K HOBAR , S AUDI A RABIA B Y D AMAYANTI H ONGGOWIJOYO
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i, I am one of the Schlumberger Spouses from the Al Khobar chapter. My journey here began in 2006, that time my eldest kid was just an 8-month-old baby. We arrived in sunny August, the temperature was around 40ยบC, hot and dry at daytime, hot and humid at night. The driver picked us up at the airport and I wondered what kind of life there was for me here. I live a simple life here in Al Khobar. Taking care of my baby and my husband, do the house chores, go shopping. It is a bit different from my life back in my home country. As the rule from the Saudi Arabian authorities that women are not allowed to drive themselves, we become very dependent of the drivers. But Schlumberger will provide you with transportation, or there are recommended private taxis that are safe for you to commute with. It is a simple yet rather laid back lifestyle that women have here in Saudi Arabia. Of course we miss our busy working life (if you were previously a working woman), but then again, our love for the family is what bring us all here. Just armor yourself with some hobbies, like cooking, drawing, painting, reading, or activities like yoga or other sport activities. If you live in a compound, you will be able to do some cooking classes, share recipes with your friends. For those who like reading, there are book clubs or you The SSA Khobar Board, from left: Donna, Anna, Esti, Sanaa, Mireille can start your own. For sport there are classes from the ladies that we can join. Yes, you will need these sports classes, I think, as with the relaxed life, coffee mornings, trips to the mall with friends and busy life with the family, we sometimes forget to keep ourselves fit and in shape like before :D. The SSA Khobar organizes events like Sports Day, where SLB Segments and OFS are divided into groups, and we compete with each other. It is fun, we bring our family to the Sports Day to support us. There is also International Day, where you have a chance to work together with the SSA ladies from your country, decorate a booth and provide the food from each country. Also there is a competition and the winners receive a gift. And of course, we have to wear our traditional national attire. It is a nice event.
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A L K HOBAR , S AUDI A RABIA — CONTINUED Just last week, the SSA had two events at a time: a presentation from the SLB Security Advisor about Personal Safety Awareness, followed by a Social Media Awareness training by SLB ARM IT. They gave us tips on how to keep ourselves and our family safe, both in real life and online, and how we must not post anything that can endanger our family.
The people of Al Khobar, as in any other city in Saudi Arabia, take modesty as a principle. Women wear abaya, a kind of long black cloak. The Arabian men wear thobe, long white clothes. Cafes and restaurants are divided into two sections: family and single sections. The family section, of course for family and ladies, and the single is only for men. Shops close at prayer times so always have a prayer time check on your phone because prayer times changes from time to time. In the cooler months, between October and February, the prayer time is earlier: Dzuhur is around 11.30 noon and Maghrib is around 5.40. From March to September, the Dzuhur is around 12 and Maghrib is around 6.30. If you come to the mall at prayer time you will have to stroll around the mall until the prayer is finished, about 30 minutes. Well, there is a saying that timing is everything. Arabic families love to have picnics. There is the Corniche, with green grass along the seaside. You can also have a picnic at the Corniche, just bring a mat with you, good food and drink and enjoy the fresh weather. Or you can go fishing at the Corniche. For you who love to go to cinema, unfortunately this is something that difficult to find, there is no cinema in Saudi. But you can enjoy the cinema at the malls of neighboring country Bahrain. Saudi and Bahrain are a causeway away, about it could take two hours to go from Khobar to Bahrain, depending on the traffic and the queue at the immigration border.
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A L K HOBAR , S AUDI A RABIA — CONTINUED I have met people from many countries, and some people come and go. A bit sad if a friend has to leave Khobar. Usually the ladies have a farewell for a friend that will relocate to another country. It is never easy to say goodbye to a dear friend but c’est la vie. This is a little about life in Al Khobar, from me, Damayanti Honggowijoyo
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C AIRO , E GYPT
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reetings fellow SSA members from around the World! Our new location, Cairo, is an amazing city that is rich in culture, history and eclectic vibes. There is a fusion of modern and traditional waves throughout the city that keeps it buzzing! Cairo has a lot to offer to various tastes and interests and SSA Cairo has managed to merge inquisitiveness and awareness into a delightful concoction of activities. From museum visits to sightseeing to workshop projects, SSA Cairo has a colorful tapestry of memorable events that members will continue talking about well past their stay in Egypt. Furthermore, SSA Cairo has been very helpful in easing new families into their new location and homes. There is a lot to discover in this land of unsurpassed beauty and mystery. Egypt is rich in history and culture and SSA Cairo opens avenues for its members to uncover. Thanks SSA!
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C AIRO , E GYPT —C ONTINUED
First time visit to the Pyramids of Giza
Mother’s Day Lunch at the Dusit Thani Thai Restaurant
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C AIRO , E GYPT — C ONTINUED At the Decoupage Art Café in Maadi, the SSA Ladies created practical various-shaped boxes by gluing cutout tissues onto painted boxes. They used them as tea boxes, jewelry boxes, storage and of course a Lego Box- if little hands find the box!
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C AIRO , E GYPT —C ONTINUED
Ladies shopping day at Zamalek
There were many treasures in the galleries we visited. From wall hangings to spinning mystical Dervish sets, accessories, antiques, carpets, furniture and anything found in old and new souqs. Even a stroll and window shopping will suffice in this part of town!
Beautiful SSA Cairo ladies
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C AIRO , E GYPT —C ONTINUED
Amazing times in Cairo
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"You can’t say that you have been in EGYPT if you didn’t take the Nile trip! With the warm sun of Cairo’s winter and the fresh breeze of the Nile, SSA took a 1.5 hour yacht tour to the heart of the city.We enjoyed our morning coffee with a charming view and a peaceful atmosphere. It has been one of my greatest experiences in Egypt and I’m looking forward to doing it again in the nearest future.THANKS SSA CAIRO”! Sarah Azzouz
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C AIRO , E GYPT —C ONTINUED Spectacular sightseeing!
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C AIRO , E GYPT —C ONTINUED
SSA 25th Anniversary Celebration
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D OHA , Q ATAR SSA Doha Chapter has been growing for over 3 years and now has over 70 members from 31 countries. Each new Board continues to maintain the momentum of the past boards by planning events and activities to keep the members on their toes. This year, as in past years, we started off our coffee mornings by getting to know all the members of SSA Doha. The Activities Commitee has found this to be a great start to the new year in order to help get to know all of the new and returning spouses. We are now off on to Culinary Adventure to taste all of the different countries traditional breakfasts while learning a little something about these countries along the way. As our Chapter is very diverse in culture, we have the wonderful benefits of enjoying many different events and activities. Every month we alternate between cooking classes that offer traditional dishes from the many different countries and educational clases hosted by our members. Other events and activities we enjoy include getting the kids together for monthly Kids Movie Night, couples BBQ, Ladies Night with karaoke and dancing, sports days to get everyone active, games night and ceramic, painting and make-up classes, just to name a few.
Over the last 3 years, SSA Doha has been very aware of the issues going on around us and are continually trying to come up with new ways to help raise much needed funds for the local charities. Within these events, our Chapter has been able to incorporate both SLB employees and their families by hosting Kids Sports Day, clothing and toy drives, along with book donations, and an International Buffet that was hosted at both the base and city SLB locations.
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D OHA , Q ATAR —C ONTINUED Our Chapter continues to maintain good relationships with SLB and has been invited to different SLB HR events and even enjoyed a presentation from the Geo Market Manager. We have also been very active in maintaining high quality HSE events over the years and have hosted First Aid and CPR Training every year, Youth Training, Drive Smart Training, and one of our biggest HSE events: Breast Cancer Awareness, which was hosted at the SLB base.
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D OHA , Q ATAR —C ONTINUED Last year, SSA celebrated 25 years. The 25th Anniversary was a great opportunity for the Doha Chapter not just to celebrate the SSA anniversary, but to raise awareness about the principles, mission and goals of the SSA as well. We wanted our members to explore their talents, work together, exchange ideas, understand one another and appreciate all of the different cultures we have within our community. We started the day with an activity that shows a perspective of priorities in life. The aim was to have spouses exchange ideas, draw, give their feedback and, most importantly, learn more about SSA goals and principles. We then enjoyed a presentation about past events and pictures of SSA Doha, focusing on how planning events is based on the SSA mission, goals and principles. Later, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast outside, which included a beautifully decorated cake donated by one of our talented spouses. We had over 30 spouses in attendance who all wore white and blue in order to represent the SLB brand. SSA Doha will continue to encourage our members to participate in events by offering a large variety of activities and feel we have been successful in building lasting friendships and a supportive family within our Doha Chapter.
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D OHA , Q ATAR —C ONTINUED Recently, the Indonesian ladies did a presentation of their country. It included food, arts and craft, several dances and they even model their lovely national dress.
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Indonesian Coffee Morning May 2015
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D OHA , Q ATAR —C ONTINUED
MEET OUR NEW BOARD
From left: Olfa, Dewi, May, Purnamawati, Lori, Nahed, Salwa, Amina & Linda Chapter Coordinator- Salwa Sayyed is from Egypt, has one son and worked as an accountant before moving overseas. She is an active participant in the SSA, volunteering as an Activities team leader last year and now taking on the role of Chapter Coordinator. Salwa is full of great ideas, including the start up of our SSA school. Her hobbies are reading, drawing and playing music and believes in the quotes “If you can dream it, you can do it” by Walt Disney and “Either I will find a way, or I will make one” by Philip Sidney. “I found in SSA, the family I left behind in my country, so volunteering on the board was like offering a hand to help my family and organizing gatherings for them compensates the feeling of being an active member of the team that I missed a lot in my previous work” Treasurer- Linda Bong is from Indonesia and has one son and one daughter. Welcome Coordinator- Fatima El Ragaig is from Libya and has three boys. Qatar is her first overseas location, she and her family moved here in 2009. She enjoys baking and surfing the net and is interested in interior design. “I have joined the SSA to meet and interact with the rest of the SLB community.” Communications Coordinator- Lori Meszaros is from the USA and has two daughters. Before taking on an expat life, she worked in design and actively volunteered at her daughter's schools promoting health and fitness through various walking and biking-to-school safety programs. This is her second time volunteering for the SSA, her first was in Australia helping with setting up the chapter as welcome coordinator. “I enjoy volunteering and find much pride in helping others.” Activities Coordinator- May El Karadawy is from Egypt and has two daughters. This is May’s second location. She is currently a stay home mum but before that she used to work as a market research professional. “I volunteered in SSA board to have fun while helping other spouses.” Secretary- Dwitia Abdillah is originally from Indonesia and has two daughters. This is her first overseas location. When Dwitia is not volunteering on the board, she enjoys cooking trying new cake recipes and has found a new passion in taking photos. She has done an excellent job providing the photos for the SSA. “I volunteered for SSA Secretary because I like photography and I am learning a lot as part of the SSA Board (how to manage and arrange events and leadership). Besides that I have to be busy with managing and joining SSA event to lose my weight.” HSE Coordinator- Purnamawati Tan is from Indonesia and has one son. Charity Coordinator- Amina Abboub is from Algeria and has one daughter. This is her first year living as an expat overseas and her first time volunteering on the board for the SSA. She enjoys cooking, reading and sports. She also hosted our Algerian cooking class recently, which was a big hit with the members. Activities Team- Nahed El Telawi is Syrian by origin. She has two daughters and one son. Qatar is her fourth location. She was Activiy Coordinator in Syria, then a compound representative for three years, and a hospitality coordinator for a year in Saudi Arabia. She joined the SSA Doha board for two consequent years as a hospitality coordinator and now as a part of the Activities Team. “It has been an exciting journey, I had lots of fun sharing knowledge and experience with the SSA ladies.”
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D OHA , Q ATAR —C ONTINUED
Straight from the Heart An Article by Hiral Shah, a former SSA Doha member My first experience of leaving Mumbai .. Hi! I’m Hiral Shah. Born and bought up in Mumbai, I love the city in the true sense of the word. The city’s fast life, the hanging down from the train and the road side food where the vendor's sweat and all the pollution add to the taste :) Born in a joint family, I lived with my grandparents, parents and younger sister. Being the first grandchild, I am a pampered child to the extent that I could not make even a cup of tea, let alone cook. God has been very kind to me -I continue to be pampered by my in-laws for whom I am the only daughter-in-law and as far as my life partner is concerned, I could not have expected a better one (Thank you, hubby!). After having completed my education effortlessly because I was good at studies, I worked in the area of my interest (i.e., as an equity research analyst covering India stocks). Things were rosy cosy till June 2010 when there came a big change. Not that there haven’t been big changes (like marriage), just that this was one I had never dreamed of and I wasn’t at all prepared for and not comfortable with at all: my hubby getting a transfer to Doha. While I love to travel and see new places, it is just for vacation. Not for going and settling away from my near and dear ones. My biggest fear came true. My comfortable life was uprooted and I had to manage the house, which I had never done until now. The nightmare of being responsible for so many things had just begun. Oh God!! I had to play so many roles. I had to be the cook, the cleaner, milkwoman, shop for grocery, fruits and veggies. The fire alarm kept ringing so often, that the caretaker of the building instead of coming home to check, would just call and say: “Madam, you cooking right?” That was so embarrassing. Initial months were horrible. Apart from playing so many roles, I was enclosed in the four walls of the house as I came here when it was summer and Ramadan. Also I did not know left hand driving. From a free bird in India, I was now caged. I kept taunting Ritesh: “Do you know what DOHA stands for? Darling is Obligated to be on House Arrest”. Things did not get any better as I had no Middle East experience. It was a double whammy, coming to Doha at the wrong time with irrelevant Middle East experience. I flew to India two times in 4 months and my friends would joke, saying she has a seasonal pass. Then I came upon a reading that said: “Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.”
I stayed there for nearly 3 years. I can proudly say that I can cook quite a few delicacies and mange the house well. Also have met wonderful people who are like a family to me. As I look back, I thank God for bringing this so called uncomfortable change in my life. All the things that I took for granted have now attained a new meaning in my life. I have known the importance of every single person in my life- whether it’s my family, friends, neighbors or even the helpers around like the maid, milkman, etc. I have evolved as an individual after my stay there and have grown leaps and bounds not physically but mentally! And I realized that Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. Thankfully, I am back in Mumbai and the pampering has spoilt me again.
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D UBAI What do I say? What have we not done? Where have we not done it? How have we not done it? When haven't we done it?
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hen I think about it all, it feels rather crazy and overwhelming. The excitement, the adrenalin, the crazy sleepless nights, waking up and scrambling to look at my messages in the wee mornings.... A year back I was in such a high and suddenly it is all so quiet and a little dull now, I should say.
2014 March was when it all started. 200 ladies and a 10 team board. Was it love at first sight? Not with everyone, with some it was love at first sight and with the rest it was an arranged marriage sort of love. Just like in a real marriage, we have had fights, we have had a few cries, we have had a lot of "in sickness" but we have been blessed with a lot of "in health" too. And like in all good marriages, we have lasted the test of time. Kind of a short marriage (1 year) but we sure did it with a BANG. What have we NOT done? We dined in amazing restaurants, we exercised, we danced and belly danced too!, we ran a race, we cuddled with camels, we caked and baked, we painted, we shopped, we cooked, we read, we learnt, we DID IT... Almost every verb we can possibly use in a politically correct way. Where have we NOT done it? We did it in Anantara, we did it in Dubai Mall, we did it in front of the Burj Khalifa in the amazing Palace Hotel, we did it in the SLB office, we did it in the Palm Jumeirah, we did it in the camel stadium, the old souk, Zabeel Park, and a million other places that most of you may not even be able to pronounce! How have we NOT done it? We have done a Bake Sale for a charity, an amazing Race for Breast Cancer Awareness, an HSE Youth Workshop on internet awareness, an Arabian night with carpets and belly dancing, a Bollywood night with Bollywood dancers, a family day with all the works, a tour in the old souk, a tour to the fish market, a cultural tour and talk, and so many more. I wonder HOW we did it all in a year... When did we NOT do it? Well, like any good marriage... we did it all the time!! We didn't stop until we were totally exhausted. We did as many things as we wanted because, we loved doing it and it was so much fun. WHY did we do it? BECAUSE we loved it. We had an amazing team and we loved each other and wanted to bring out the best in each other... we were soul mates and partners in crime. We had an amazing year because we all fell in love with each other and made our team work and perform for each other. So, my marriage with my board ended this March but my friendship with them remains stronger than ever!! What a crazy year I had!! Arunaa Phalippou Ex SSA Dubai Coordinator, happily married :)
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED TONYA KLAUDI COFFEE COORDINATOR 2014/2015 SSA Dubai provided members with many amazing activities this year, but The Amazing Race for Breast Cancer Awareness was a favorite. Donned in pink to show our support, teams had to figure out clues, riddles, puzzles & challenges all involving local landmarks & culture to find their next clue. If this wasn't challenging enough, the search for the next clue meant navigating the Dubai Mall, one of the biggest shopping malls in the world! Clues took the teams past the Burj Kalifa, through the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, tasting treats from local shops such as Bateel Dates, and finally crossing the finish line at The Majilis where the teams enjoyed coffee and pastries all made with camel milk. The winning team received camel milk soap and one lucky winner received a gift basket courtesy of our event sponsor, The Majilis Dubai Mall. Everyone had a great day and we were able to give back to our community by raising awareness and making a generous donation to Safe and Sound, a local charity to raise awareness for breast cancer. Amazing Race Team at the Burj Kalifa
Amazing Race Team making Turkish ice cream
Rita and Hanh waiting for the Race to begin Navigating Dubai Mall to raise awareness for Breast Cancer
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED HANH MAI ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR 2014/2015 The Great Gatsby Gala, SSA Dubai's year end party, was an unforgettable night to remember! Set in the luxurious hotel, The Palace, with the best views of The Dubai Fountains and The Burj Khalifa, the venue couldn't have been more perfect as the ladies were dressed in Gatsby style with pearls and boas as they competed for the best dressed and sashayed the red carpet runway. Another friendly and fun competition to see who was the best dancer as the ladies showed off their 1920s moves followed by professional dancers The SSA Board waiting to welcome in their fab frocks who danced to a special choreographed piece for the audience. The best surprise of the night was most notably the board members who performed a burlesque show! So many other surprises including Arunaa's video for the board members and as the night ended, the wait staff wheeled out a giant cake to celebrate 25 years of SSA! What an affair to remember as the ladies walked away with great memories, laughs, great photos, gifts and a bottle of sparkling date juice!
Elda strutting her stuff on the red carpet fashion show
Our gorgeous members embracing the era
Fun at the Photo Booth
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED RITA KHETRAPAL FORMER WELCOME COORDINATOR, CURRENT SSA COORDINATOR 2015/2016 A beautiful year full of amazing activities. You don't know which is the best one. The one that touched my heart was the Bake Sale. The effort the ladies put in to make some amazing dishes was heartwarming . The SLB employees who came forward to buy the home baked goods, the ones who did not even take back their change and said "please donate it" was really touching. The donation went to Al Noor School For Children With Special Needs. The children were so sweet when we went to handover the money to the school. They gave us a certificate thanking us for what we did for them and they gave us biscuits made by these precious children in the school. With a twinkle in their eyes & smiles on their faces they posed for us while we took their pictures. I am sure in the future our SSA ladies will come forward with their helping hand to have some sales like these to help another special school who needs our help. We thought we helped them, but they are the ones who touched our hearts that day.
Maggie selling baked goods to SLB employees
SSA Board Members visiting the Al Noor School for Children with Special Needs
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED
Breakfast with a view Welcoming members with a basket full of useful Dubai goodies
Welcome to Dubai! We love welcoming new members and connecting with old friends at our Welcome Coffee Mornings. This year they were held at Mekong, Anantara on Palm Jumeirah where we escaped from the daily hustle & bustle of Dubai life and entered an Asian inspired palace, and at Omnia Gourmet at the fish harbor where we played games & enjoyed brunch with an amazing view.
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED Out with the old, in with the new! At the Annual General Meeting held at the beautiful Maison Mathis we said goodbye to our fun, goofy, spirited 2014/2015 Board and welcome to our new board led by Rita, our new Chapter Coordinator.
A beautiful brunch in a delightful setting full of SSA friends, fun & crafting. Our members decorated their own burlap bag to take home while enjoying the company of friends at The Arabian Tea House for Valentine's Day.
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SSA Dubai is always ready for a fun party full of delicious cuisine, delightful costumes, and dancing the night away. This past year we held both a Bollywood & an Arabian Night evening.
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED Coffee Mornings are never dull in Dubai. Our members channeled their inner Audrey Hepburn at our Breakfast at Tiffany's themed coffee morning complete with a jewelry exhibition from local designers. We also had a Tea Party coffee morning at a local cafe where hats were a must. SSA Dubai has several groups of members with shared interests that meet regularly. They include Spanish & English conversation groups, Book Club, and our cooking group Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice. Each month a member of our cooking group invites the group in to teach us how to make a favorite dish or two, then we all enjoy a wonderful lunch and leave with new recipes to try at home.
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D UBAI —C ONTINUED Rita Khetrapal - Chapter Coordinator My name is Rita... I am from India. I have lived in this lovely city for 17 years. I have 2 kids (32 & 26). As your new Chapter Coordinator I will do my best so that my team & I give you all a great year ahead and give you a family away from home... My motto in life is “The best is yet to come in life so be happy & smile…” Nicola Hill - Treasurer I have been in Dubai since 2012 and have 2 children aged 11 & 13. In my spare time I love running, cycling, Pilates & cooking. I have previously lived in Paris, Aberdeen & Oslo. Tonya Klaudi - Secretary My name is Tonya. I'm from the United States of America and have lived in Dubai 2 years. I am mom to two amazing little boys. My family & I enjoy traveling & spending time at the beach. Nanees Afiffy - Communication I am Nanees Afiffy, Egyptian, and have 2 kids (10 & 7). We have been in Dubai for almost a year and a half. This is our 3rd assignment with Schlumberger & this is my second term as SSA Dubai Communications Coordinator. SSA has always been my gateway to having new friends who turn into family away from home.... Feeling so grateful to be part of it. Carol Nuñez - Activities Co-Ordinator I am Carol from Venezuela. I am the mom of two boys - Hector and Jose (9 & 7). We moved to Dubai from Rio 10 months ago. Life’s Motto: “Well done is better than Well said.” Dursun Allamyradova - Coffee Coordinator Hello, my name is Dursun, originally I'm from Turkmenistan. We moved to Dubai a year ago, after living in Moscow & Rio de Janeiro. We have two wonderful daughters, Meryem & Aylar (9 & 6). I'm very glad to be here & to be part of SSA Dubai this year as a Coffee Coordinator. I hope that with our wonderful team we will welcome & help newcomers settle down all this year! Elda Binda Beschi - Welcome Coordinator Hello I am Elda, I am Italian and the mum of two teenagers. We moved to Dubai last August from Houston. I love food, traveling with my family and a good chat with friends. One of my dreams is to swim with dolphins and I’m pretty sure Dubai will be the place where I can realize it! Maggie Onuki - Health and Safety Hi there. My name is Maggie Makiko Onuki. This is my 4th year in Dubai and 2nd term in the board position. I am looking forward to exciting SSA gatherings with all of you!
Glenna - Newsletter Hi, I’m Glenna and I am in charge of the newsletter. We moved to Dubai 18 months ago and it is out first time out of Scotland. We moved with 2 out of 3 of our children although the 2nd will be returning after the summer so it’s constant changes. I enjoy reading [when I get the time] and eating -always! If there is anything you want in the newsletter feel free to let me know and I will try my best.
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K UWAIT GREETINGS FROM KUWAIT! The “city state” we live in has a fascinating history. This region is said to be one of the oldest inhabited places in the world. Archaeological evidences go to say that Kuwaitis are amongst the earliest seafaring people in the world. This region grew from a fishing village into an important center of all boat building and trading activities in the Gulf region during the late 18th century and was at its peak during the 19th century. In addition, Kuwait also had a flourishing pearl industry declined in the 1930s due to the Great Depression and Japan’s development of the process of making cultured pearls. However, Kuwait entered it’s Golden Era of prosperity due to the discovery of oil in 1938. At present, Kuwait owns about 8% of the world’s proven oil reserves—ranking it 5th on the world’s chart. Here’s a bit of trivia: Did you know that the Kuwaiti Dinar is the strongest currency in the world?
After its Independence in 1961, Kuwait rapidly grew into a modern state until its invasion in 1990 which ended on 26th February 1991 due to the military intervention by UN led forces. Kuwait celebrates this day as “Liberation Day”
and if you are in Kuwait on Liberation Day you will see people dressed in traditional clothing and the Kuwaiti flag colors of red, black, green and white spilling on the streets and turning them into an impromptu carnival!
With its innumerable restaurants, cafes, shops, schools, theatres, Kuwait is a modern day city which retains its old world charms in the form of fascinating souks, whiffs of burning incense and the Dewaniya culture amongst others. On weekends when the weather is fine, you can see families and friends flocking to the open grounds and palm dotted beaches where they spend the day playing, relaxing and barbecuing. Yes, the weather in Kuwait is extreme, with temperatures going past 52º C in the height of summer and getting cold enough to have us pull out our warmest woollies in winter—but that’s the desert for you! As I am writing with my window wide open, I can see the rain beating down on my window sill.
Guess summer will be a little more delayed this year.
The Chapter We are currently a 112 memberstrong chapter, represented by over 29 nationalities (our International Days are glorious, believe me!) and an energetic Local Board that keeps the spirit of SSA high. Our Chapter has welcomed more than 25 members since October 2014 and we are constantly delighted at the increased participation of members in our events. We usually plan two or more events every month. These include cozy inhouse coffee mornings, breakfast meets, bowling nights, movie nights, karaoke, Ladies Night (much awaited event, by the way, as it gives us a chance to wear our bling!), cooking demonstration and once, even a team cook off! We also commemorate the Cancer Awareness Month and International Women’s Day through our monthly events. The Silver Jubilee of the SSA was celebrated in style last year by the Kuwait Chapter—the Board pulled out all stops by arranging
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K UWAIT —C ONTINUED for a fabulous dinner and kept the mood up with party games and lots of singing. Planning for events is a group effort and everyone from the Chapter Coordinator to Nadia, the Treasurer and Erica, the Secretary, pitch in their ideas and carry them through. Welcoming new members to Kuwait is something that this Chapter takes very seriously. Members are welcomed with a hamper that is representative of Kuwaiti culture—containing traditional sweets, coffee cups, engraved wooden box, incense burner, dates and guide books to Kuwait,
Consuelo Balcazar, Erica Rojas, Doris Jeha, Ludivine Taboada, Karla Murillo, Olga Sobko, Flor Rojas
Consuelo Balcazar, Irawati Dwinofita, Harpriya Garg, Madiha Zohdi and her son
among other things. Each new member is welcomed into our midst at our events. Our Welcome Coordinator, Consuelo, makes sure that she calls and meets the new members till they feel settled in their new location. The ssafara.net Chapter page is constantly kept updated by Priti, the Website Coordinator, with our beautifully written monthly newsletters (we have Aditi, the Communications Coordinator to thank for those!) and changes in the Local Board.
Consuelo Balcazar and Irawati Dwinofita
Lilian Quiñones, Consuelo Balcazar And Liz Ramírez García
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K UWAIT —C ONTINUED in the 2011-13 SSA Kuwait Board as Website Coordinator. I am glad to volunteer again for the 2014-15 Board. I love listening to music, watching movies, traveling and gardening, etc. 5. Erica Rojas, Secretary
Meet the Board: It is my privilege to introduce the fabulous team that I have the pleasure of working with. Here they are—in their own words: 1. Consuelo Balcazar, Welcome Coordinator I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am the new SSA Welcome Coordinator for Kuwait’s Chapter. Although I am originally from Ecuador, I have spent over 15 years outside my country. I’ve had the privilege to live in Venezuela and Mexico prior to moving to Kuwait in 2011. After I left my country, I joined SSA, and I have been an active member. As the SSA Kuwait Welcome Coordinator, my objective is to contact all new SLB employee spouses as soon as they are notified that their destination is Kuwait, or prior to their arrival. My goal is to provide them, as well as their families, with the most helpful and welcoming environment as possible and to make their transition to Kuwait smooth.
Spouse. Prior to my marriage, I used to work as a Software Consultant. Currently, I am a full-time housewife and mother to our son, Ehab. I love meeting new people, seeing new places and exploring new cultures—I appreciate the SSA for making that possible. 3. Aditi Jain, Communications Coordinator I am from India. I arrived here in Kuwait about a year ago. I am a Finance professional and was working for a leading international bank in India before I decided to quit and join my husband. We recently had a lovely li’l baby boy, Kabir, and now my world revolves around him! I keep toying with the Stock Market for my daily thrills! Besides that, my hobbies include traveling, snorkeling, SCUBA, reading, DIY, dancing. And as a team, we aim to welcome everybody with the same warmth that we were welcomed with in this new country. We are all committed to make Kuwait an experience to reminisce in the years to come for all the Schlumberger Spouses out here.
2. Nadia Usman, Treasurer
4. Priti Shah, Website Coordinator
I am from Pakistan and grew up all over Pakistan as the daughter of an army officer. I moved to Kuwait 5 years ago –making me one of the oldest spouses in Kuwait. It is my first transfer location as a Schlumberger
I am Indian. I have been in Kuwait for the past three years and I have enjoyed every day of it. Kuwait is my first move. I made many friends and learned so many things about various cultures in this country. I was
I’m from Mexico. I left my beautiful country in 2004 to follow my husband’s career with Schlumberger. We lived first in Malaysia, then China, then United Kingdom, and now in Kuwait since 2012. I was very lucky that in every place I got a lot of support from the SSA ladies, making it very fast and easy to feel at home. I enjoy reading, dancing, traveling, shopping (of course!) and spending quality time with my family and friends. I’m very happy to contribute my time with the new SSA Board as the Secretary. 6. And yours truly—Pia Dey Verma, Chapter Coordinator I am from India and have been living in Kuwait for the last 1 1/2 years. I am an HR professional and worked for India’s state owned Oil company for 13 years before moving to Kuwait. The role of a stay-athome-mum was absolutely new to me when I moved to Kuwait –and I have to say that I am enjoying very bit of it! I am a voracious reader, passionate about theatre, love listening to soft jazz, country & western and not totally averse to pop. I enjoy DIY projects, traveling, coffee, shopping (of course!) and yes, the company of people. I joined the SSA Board in Kuwait almost as soon as I arrived in September 2013 as the Communications Coordinator and am back this year as the Chapter Coordinator. I have often said that the SSA provides our members with a wonderful platform to reach out to each other and encourages a sense of community with bonds that span the earth. May our tribe grow!!
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K UWAIT —SSA 25 TH A NNIVERSARY
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K UWAIT —C ONTINUED SSA Chapter Members who served on the Board during 201415 are: 1.
Flor Rojas, Chapter Coordinator
2.
Madiha Naseem, Activities Coordinator
3.
Karla Maria Ulin, Activities Coordinator
4.
Oddra Rivera, Activities Coordinator
5.
Mariela Rodríguez, Communications Coordinator
Well Readeres, that, in a nutshell is a glimpse of our lives in Kuwait. And if you are coming our way, do drop us a line—we will be waiting with open arms for you. Pia Dey Verma Chapter Coordinator, SSA Kuwait
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K UWAIT —Y OUNG TALENTS
LIFE AS AN EXPAT CHILD By Samuel Balcázar Age: 15 years (Son of Consuelo Balcázar, Welcome Coordinator, SSA Kuwait)
W
hen thinking of the word expat, the reaction of many is almost always the same - luxury, unconditional joy and a way of lifestyle many desire. However, we often forget about everything we are forced to give up as an expat, yet we are all willing to make sacrifices, as we are lucky enough to be embraced by different cultures, inspired by outside thoughts and encouraged by foreign words. I, as a young person that has lived his entire life outside of his country of origin, often question my real nationality. As an expat, no matter where we come from or where we are now, there is always a gap between both places. This gap is obviously physical, but also emotional. The distance between both places not only changes our perception of things, but also encourages the thirst of knowledge as we slowly begin to fall in love with all of the cultures we come in contact with. The interaction and the contact with all of these ideas and societies, shape who we really are, as we are slowly changed and touched by everything we approach. I am sure I do not only speak for myself when I conclude that I am not only from one place. I am not from two places either, but all of the places I have lived in have taken a great part of my lifestyle, my thoughts and most importantly, my heart. These places are part of me, and I am part of such places. All of the barriers one must come across as an expat, such as leaving your family and friends behind, have new beginnings every now and then, and the endless cycle of a mind desirous for knowledge, all pay off when you suddenly realize that you don't only belong in one place. You belong in many.
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K UWAIT —Y OUNG TALENTS
Alorika Chakravorti, Young artist from Kuwait
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K UWAIT —C ONTINUED BEING A WEBSITE COORDINATOR FOR AN SSA CHAPTER By Priti Shah
W
hen I moved to Kuwait in October 2011, I was introduced to the local chapter of SSA through some newly made friends. I was enjoying attending the SSA events and making new friends. In one coffee morning, I came to know that the SSA board was looking for a new website coordinator as the previous website coordinator was moving out of Kuwait. And thus this opportunity presented itself to me and I accepted. When I accepted this position I had no prior experience in maintaining a website. My computer knowledge was very basic. A quick meeting between the outgoing website coordinator and me was arranged. We had a short session together in which she explained to me the things she had done so far. She handed me a few folders of the works she had done and explained to me how to upload a content on the website. I realized that I would not be able to contact her later as she was soon leaving and this was the only training session I was going to have. At that time, the ssafara.net website was not live and all uploads were being done to a test server. The content that was required for the website was researched general information about Kuwait, its culture and history, providing important information such as types and locations of schools, hospitals, markets, places of interest and so on to expats who had just moved in. The previous coordinator had just started to write the content and the bulk of the job of writing lay in front of me. I immediately got myself into collecting the materials for further uploads. I started doing my research by surfing the web, reading available books and talking to people who had been in the country and knew the places. I was surprised to find that the task of website coordinator was not difficult, both from technical skills requirement side and from efforts requirement side. Even at the peak of my research I did not have to invest any hours beyond my free time. As a matter of fact, as I continued doing my research I started enjoying it, many times marveling at the information I stumbled upon. Kuwait was a totally new country for me with no prior knowledge about its culture and history. As I was starting from ground zero I realized that this engagement was giving me a grand opportunity to know more about this new country. My husband now often tells me that thanks to my engagement as a website coordinator I know much more about Kuwait and the Kuwaiti culture than him. I kept working as a website coordinator without expecting anything in return. I kept doing it because I loved doing it. Then one day in a board meeting, Karen Rimmer, our chapter coordinator, announced that she had received a call from the Area coordinator congratulating her for the excellent work being done by SSA Kuwait chapter in many fronts. The website was one of them. She said that the Kuwait website was ahead of all other SSA websites in the Middle-East region in terms of extent and quality of content and in prompt uploads. I was overwhelmed with congratulations and appreciations from other board members. Karen in particular was very
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K UWAIT —C ONTINUED appreciative. Before this I had no idea where my efforts were leading to, and least of all that my content uploads were being viewed with appreciation from all over Middle-East. I took this feedback with humility as a token of appreciation of my sincere efforts. After volunteering for nearly two years as a website coordinator I took a break expecting not being actively involved in board activities again. But last year I came to know that the formation of the new board was facing some hurdles because of dearth of volunteers. And so I offered to handle website coordination activities for the second time. But this time around my experience with the website has been very different, in fact much easier than the previous time. Now, the SSA website is already operational and live for all SSA members. Since the content uploads had already been completed in my previous tenure, the current task is simple maintenance of the content and uploading monthly newsletter and event photos from time to time. Every time I am told that Kuwait chapter website is the only location in the Middle-East that is regularly uploading and updating contents, I wonder why that is so. If the responsibilities of a website coordinator can be carried out by a professionally-inexperienced home maker like me then I think it can be done by anyone with basic computer knowledge. All one needs is a commitment towards sincerity in one’s efforts.
The responsibilities of an SSA local chapter website coordinator depend on the current status of the website.
Stage 1: UNDERSTAND: Understand what type of content needs to be uploaded. The content is mostly related to concise and verified information about important aspects of the location that the website is representing such as historical and cultural aspects of the country, information about schools, markets and their specializations, hospitals, channels of entertainment and so on. Stage 2: RESEARCH: Do research through available channels such as surfing the web, reading books and asking people. Stage 3: PREPARE: Writing the content in your own language from the collected material. Stage 4: UPLOAD: Uploading the content for different sections. Stage 5: MAINTAIN: Maintaining the content, updating information which have gone obsolete. Uploading chapter newsletters, event photos and board contact list.
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K UWAIT —C ONTINUED
The end of my SSA journey By Flor Rojas Starting was a challenge. I was somewhat nervous as people say that the Kuwait Chapter Coordinator is a complicated
position.
Nevertheless, this
feeling
changed right away when I found great people who shared the same desire: to keep the SSA running in Kuwait. We gave all our best efforts to involve every
single SSA member in our activities, and we all worked hard to show how friendly, enjoyable and successful our organization could be. With time, things became easier. More and more members wanted to participate in our popular activities. Volunteering for this job is a reward unlike that of money. It is about self improvement, the experience of meeting and understanding people from various cultures, and learning to respect everyone despite their beliefs. I have been part of the SSA for many years, and I am glad I got to spend my last months in Kuwait with talented and dedicated people. I have enjoyed every moment of taking part in this organisation, and I’d like to thank every single member for this experience. It was an honour to be your Chapter Coordinator and I wish the best in the future for both the SSA and your own lives. Hope I get to see you again in this small world.
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Bowling and Karaoke
Movie and Dinner
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M UMBAI , I NDIA Warm Greetings From SSA - Mumbai Hello everyone, We are here to help SSA members make Mumbai their new location a place to call home which we are proud of. We are large and diverse, speak every language imaginable, and yet we all have one thing in common which is a desire to welcome Schlumberger families with hospitality, goodwill and compassion. We are open to all spouses/partners regardless of gender, nationality, beliefs, etc. As a Coordinator of SSA Mumbai, I hereby would like to present the activities which we initiated. The first activity for the new term was a welcome lunch held on 4th September at WaterStone Hotel where Shalini Dubai, an experienced dance teacher, was invited. She taught Bollywood dancing, hip hop and salsa and the ladies had a great time twisting to the music. After that we got a good opportunity to meet the new board members through the AGM . There was a lunch organized for all the ladies. How can SSA events be complete without charity events? A Charity Fundraising and Coffee Morning was organized by our charity team. The event was combined with a Baking Class & Cookie Decoration Demo held on 11th November. The event saw excellent participation which was headed by myself and was a wonderful experience, coupled by Reham with her lovely cookie decorations. A cake walk by all the ladies was an icing on the cake. The money, toys, clothes & other stuff received for donation by the members was given to an NGO empowering children “Make a Difference�, which was conceived to create a more equal world for children. It works with nearly 4,500 children in street shelters and orphanages in 23 cities across India. With a highly trained network of 2,500 volunteers it desires to provide these kids a better tomorrow. We will look forward for some more charity events in the coming months by our charity team.
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED Held on 14th December, at Waterstone club, “the family day” was the last event for 2014. It was an afternoon of lunch, entertainment and fun in celebration of the holiday season. There were games, yummy food, surprise Santa visit and presents. The kids (in fact all the elders too) had a great time. The activity team deserves three cheers for making the event a grand success. The first event of 2015 was held at Citrus, The Leela Hotel on 22nd January, a good get together to catch up after the vacation. Last but not least, SSA Mumbai came up with a great idea of a course on ceramic pottery. Conducted by Sonika Sachdeva, the classes started in December last year and continued till March 2015. Overall, I can say that to date we have been able to synchronize our events with our budget in such a manner that SSA Mumbai members get the best out of everything. I sincerely hope and wish that we
keep on organizing such events which not only provide a sense of belonging but also an added value to our members in their stay in Mumbai!!! Bobby Deka SSA Coordinator Mumbai
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED Mango Mania, by Hiral Shah This is a season of mango here in India. So make sure, you enjoy the king of fruits. It is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is said to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Mango is an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-
carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A. Together these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to pro-
tect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers. It is a good source of potassium, vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E and copper. It also controls homocysteine levels within the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in CAD and stroke.
India exports mango worldwide. So if you get mangoes in the supermarket near your house, make sure you relish them. Here are few recipes for mango lovers.
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED MANGO KULFI An all-time favorite, flavor that never fails to please. Preparation Time: 10 mins. Cooking Time: 15 mins Ingredients 2 1/2 cups (500 ml) milk 1/4 cup milk powder 1/2 cup condensed milk 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup alphonso mango pulp Method: Combine all the ingredients except the mango pulp in a non-stick pan and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes till thickens. Cool completely. Add the mango pulp and mix well. Pour into 6 individual molds and freeze till set. Unmold and serve.
FRUITS IN MANGO DRESSING Preparation Time: 15 mins Makes 4 servings Ingredients 1/2 cup chopped mixed fruits 3/4 cup lettuce leaves
For The Dressing
For The Garnish
2 tbsp mango pulp
4 tbsp pomegranate
1 tbsp fresh low fat curds
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp low fat milk
Method For the dressing Whisk all the ingredients well. Store in the refrigerator and use within 12 hours as required. How to proceed Spread the lettuce leaves at the bottom of a large bowl and arrange a layer of mixed fruits over them. Refrigerate. Just before serving, pour the dressing on top and toss well. Serve immediately garnished with pomegranate and walnuts. ** The recipes are from famous Indian chef Tarla Dalal.
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED Ceramic Pottery SSA Mumbai enrolled in a nice creative course on ceramic pottery. In 8 sessions we learned different forms of making pots by method of pottery wheel and pinching. We also learned tile, slab and wall hanging. Pottery is made by forming a clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln which removes all the water from the clay, which induces reactions that lead to permanent changes including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape. Prior to some shaping processes, clay must be prepared. Kneading helps to ensure an even moisture content throughout the body. Air trapped within the clay body needs to be removed. This is called de-airing. Wedging can also help produce an even moisture content. Once a clay body has been kneaded and de-aired or wedged, it is shaped by a variety of techniques. After shaping it is dried and then fired. The whole experience was very good and our SSA Mumbai members showed a great talent and appreciated the gathering in a new artistic atmosphere
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED
Dream A Poem by Ayakpo Shado SSA Member Mumbai The man I saw when I closed my eyes, greeted me with a smile as I regained my sight His ivory teeth sparkling, his lips thick and curvy His exaggerated grin screamed excitement, truth and honesty His face glowed with the brightness of life Just like a dream, the man my imagination formed as a little girl, brushed my cheek gently, with his fingers
Kissed my lips, so softly and held me tight with every strength he could muster Like a dream, he swept me off my feet, captivated me with his undying love and ensnared me with his charm I shook myself, like one waking up from a deep sleep I looked in the mirror and I saw my dream staring back at me. A reflection of beauty and purity I try to feel my heartbeat, but instead I feel synchronization, harmony, a collaboration of hearts
My pain torments you My joy excites you My challenges bring you close My victories draw you even closer Years later, I look in the mirror The reflection I see is yours I feel your heart dancing to the rhythm of life, inside me My dream is my life with you Let’s dream some more
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED
Moving to Mumbai By Alfiya Nikolenko Former SSA Mumbai member, now enjoys the SSA Yuzno-Sakhalinsk Chapter activities
L
ast year in November, my husband and I moved to India. We didn't have enough time to think about it. We understood that we were in India only when we have already settled in our apartment. Now we don't want to move to another country, we like India a lot. We are from Russia, where weather is a real -30ºC in winter. And we are happy that in Mumbai it is +30ºC every day. We don't need to wear 3 pants, 2 jackets and fur coats to stay warm. We are not very typical Russians. We are vegetarians, so for us India it is like a food paradise. So many different vegetarian restaurants, and even in typical fast food cafes, like KFC, it is possible to find a vegetarian choice. Mumbai is quite an expensive city comparing to others in India. But fruits and vegetables are very cheap here, especially in markets, like IIT Market near Hiranandani Hospital or Crowford market in Colaba. I like, that most of the Indian people are smiling all the time. If they are not smiling, just smile to them first and they will reply with a big and kind smile. I heard a lot of times that Mumbai is a city of contrast, but only now I can say that I have truly understood it. You can see contrast everywhere. I went to some slums near the sea, and after 15 minutes by taxi I was in a fancy restaurant. I saw so many times very expensive cars like Lamborghini and autorickshaw or cows in the same road.
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED In India, we have an opportunity to discover a new culture and to visit a lot of extraordinary places. For the last 3 months I went to see Elephanta caves on Elephanta Island, visited Hill Station Lonvalla, ran a 10K (RunPowaiRun), finished 1 course of Happiness in The Art of Living and made some really good friends. Elephanta Island is one of many islands in Mumbai Harbor, to the east from Mumbai. This island is a popular place for tourists, both local and international, because of the island's cave temples, the Elephanta Caves, that have been carved out of a rock. It is a nice place for leisure in nature surrounded by monkeys, and other tourists if you go there on weekends.
Lonvala, or Lonavala, is a town and a hill station Municipal Council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is about 96 km or 3 hours by car away from the city of Mumbai. It is known for very beautiful “must see” points. I did a lot of pictures of this place as well.
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RunPowaiRun I did it! Marathon Run Powai Run on the 5th of January 2014 - 10 kilometers. It was great. It was my longest run! On summer 2012 I couldn't run more than 300 meters and now I run 10K. I started jogging 3 times per week at the end of November. Now I totally believe I can do anything. Everyone can do whatever they want, it just a question of what will you do for your dream to become real. More than 5000 people participated in the marathon. The man who finished first did so when I was running my 5th kilometer. It took 1 hour and 10 minutes for me to finish the run. I think the fastest finished it after 25-30 minutes. There were different people, men and women, adults and children. Some of them were more than 60 years old, some were walking in the end, some were feeling very bad, but everyone finished this race! It was a very interesting experience with music, applause and entertainment.
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M UMBAI , I NDIA —C ONTINUED The art of living “Everything in our life comes in the right moment” and this is what happened with me. One day at the beginning of January, I was walking in the Heritage garden and met one old man. He was very nice and kind, helped me to do pictures of myself and invited to visit him and his family someday. He was very smiling, patient and nice. He told me about international yoga school named The Art of Living. Now this school operates in more than 150 countries. I just finished my first course there, it was really nice. The teacher explained to our group the basic things about Yoga, about lifestyle, showed us how to lose stress and shared a simple knowledge of being happy. Before my blog on leclairka.livejournal.com was in Russian only, but now I have started to write in English also. The latest blog is here leclairka.blogspot.com. You can find a lot of stories of my adventures in India and other countries. Alfiya Nikolenko
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M USCAT , O MAN Land of friendly people, beautiful mountains and picturesque beaches. It was our first move as a family (our origin is from Karachi, Pakistan) and I had lots of excitement and fear, side by side J. SSA Muscat Chapter always did a great job to bring people closer and has been headed by some very kind and helpful ladies. Right now this is done by our very lovely Maryam Tahouri. I have always found SSA very open and ready to help newcomers.The gatherings are very friendly and in no time you will find yourself part of these happenings.The best part is that we get to meet each other usually for a coffee morning and a lot is discussed and shared regarding daily life in Muscat. Our SSA chapter is the finest blend of all nationalities.There is always something of common interest. From trips to the Grand Mosque (one of the landmarks of Muscat) to Amouge perfume factory, local museums and much more. I have loved this place from the time we landed here.The weather is especially good from November to March and there is a lot to explore. Waadis (Valley), forts, rich heritage, clean beaches, parks, museums and fine dining. I would recommend this place as one of the best places to raise children. Amazing schools, value for spending and safe. Peace of mind is what Oman is all about. Oman is definitely my second home. By Maheen Marghub
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 81
I SLAMABAD , P AKISTAN
H
ello everyone,
SSA Pakistan had a very active and fun filled 2014 year and it continues to be in 2015. We welcomed many new members and it’s sad to good bye to our good friends and fellows. In Pakistan SSA is in Islamabad. Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, and is situated at the foot of beautiful Margalla Hills. Since its foundation, Islamabad has attracted people from all over Pakistan and abroad, making it one of the most cosmopolitan and urbanized cities of Pakistan. It has scenic views; the climate is a humid subtropical climate with five seasons. All SSA members really enjoy their stay here and finding it hard to leave. SSA Pakistan has regular coffee mornings every month at very nice places. Pakistani food is famous for its taste among locals and foreigners. SSA members are always looking forward to attend coffee mornings in company of their friends and good food. Apart from coffee mornings we had a cooking class at Serena Hotel conducted by their Chefs. It was a live demonstration conducted in Serena Hotel Kitchen, by a pastry chef and a head chef exclusively for SSA members. It was a fun and learning experience for the SSA members and we had a chance to eat and enjoy all the nice pastry and savory dishes. SSA also had a First Aid training session with the help of SLB HSE. Members were given a briefing by a doctor and a demonstration on how to perform basic first aid. All members were given certificates at the end. We also had a security briefing for members, again conducted by SLB HSE. It was very informative and also, had an IT security briefing conducted by SLB-IT. There was also fun activity at a summer family gala. Kids enjoyed the magic show, juggling show and jumping castle. There was a bowling activity for kids and mom also. SSA family brunch was organized at the beautiful Monal Resturant on Margalla Hills from where the view is breathtaking. SSA also organized a cooking class/potluck conducted by one of its members, Weike. She volunteered to conduct it at her house and made some really good Indonesian dishes. It was a fun day for all. Another member, Mariam, also volunteered to host a Eid Party at her house, in her beautiful large garden. Kids and moms attended the event where they played lots of games, had henna done, luck draw etc. So we celebrated Eid party and the SSA 25th anniversary together. It is always nice to see members volunteering and becoming active participants. I would like to say thank you to all global SSA team for their support and efforts, especially our area coordinator Lorraine and also the SLB Pakistan for their assistance and support to SSA. Hope this year continues to be wonderful. Uneza Amaar
SSA Pakistan Coordinator
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 82
I SLAMABAD , P AKISTAN —C ONTINUED
What I love about being part of SSA By Zahra Ali
A
SSA Pakistan
fter getting married, one of the best things my husband’s job had to offer me was SSA.
Its concept is simply awesome. Bored from routine, staying at home in an unfamiliar city, I really needed a social way out to feel good. SSA did exactly that. From coffee mornings to family events, cooking classes and our private get-togethers, it gives us a chance to meet with people belonging to culturally di-
verse regions. Sometimes all you need in life is to have a good company to enjoy your cup of coffee with. At least I got to learn a lot from these gatherings, made so many new friends and felt more connected to my husband’s work. The best part about being an SSA family affiliate is that
you never feel alone in any of the events that you have to attend with spouse. If he has his office colleagues and friends there, well so do you! Another thing I found fun was experiencing all kinds of exotic places, cafes and restaurants in town, which I would have hardly experienced otherwise. SSA Pakistan has been actively providing us with a whole range of diverse social gatherings throughout the year and hopefully it will continue to do so. Thank you SSA Pakistan!!
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 83
I SLAMABAD , P AKISTAN —C ONTINUED
C OOKING F UN AT SSA I SLAMABAD P AKISTAN AND P AKISTANIS LOVE TASTY CUISINES . C OOKING FROM SCRATCH AT HOMES IS A TRADITION SO , AMONG ALL THE COFFEE MORNINGS , WE HAD A COOKING CLASS HOSTED BY W IEKE R OSALINA , MEMBER OF OUR EXPAT COMMUNITY , ON 18 TH N OVEMBER 2014 AT HER RESIDENCE . W IEKE IS FROM I NDONESIA AND NOT ONLY LOVES COOKING ( AMONG OTHER THINGS ), SHE STUDIED AND A TRAINED AS CHEF IN
B OGOTA ,
C OLOMBIA . T HERE WERE THREE THINGS ON THE MENU : C HINESE BUNS , E MPANADAS AND V IENTAMESE R OLL . T HIS WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY DISHES YUMMYLICIOUS DISHES BOUGHT BY OTHER SSA MEMBERS . WE
HAD TWO VARIETIES OF THE
C HINESE B UNS . O NE
WAS SWEET
WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING AND THE OTHER SAVORY WITH CHICKEN FILLING .
T HE V IENTAMESE R OLLS
NOT ONLY LOOKED SUPERB , BUT WERE
TASTY AND HEALTHY AS WELL .
T HE P ASTEL
WAS EXTREMELY POPULAR BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE A
LOCAL SNACK ! I T CONSISTED OF NOODLES AND RICE . THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS EXPERIENCE !
N OT
ONLY DID IT INVOLVED AMAZING FOOD , IT ALSO GAVE EVERYONE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE ABOUT AND MINGLE !
C HECK
OUT THE RECIPES IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES .
T HE
MEMBERS
P AGE 84
T HE W AYFARER
I SLAMABAD , P AKISTAN —C ONTINUED Chinese bun Recipes (Bak Pao)
Original recipe makes 24 steamed buns 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon white sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup warm water 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Preparation: Mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup warm water, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vegetable oil. Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic. Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until triple in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Sprinkle baking powder evenly on surface, and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 2 parts, and place the piece you are not working with in a covered bowl. Divide each half into 12 parts. Shape each part into a ball with smooth surface up. Put each ball on a wax paper square. Let stand covered until double, about 30 minutes. Filling recipes: 8 ounces chopped meat 1 (4 ounce) can shrimp, drained and chopped 1 teaspoon salt 2 green onions 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon white sugar ground black pepper to taste 2 1/2 tablespoons water Cook chopped meat in a wok over medium heat. After 3 minutes of cooking add chopped shrimp if desired. Cook until meat is well cook. Drain, season with salt and set aside to cool. Mix together green onions, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, oil, sugar, and pepper. Stir in minced meat. Stir in water and mix thoroughly. Chill in freezer for 2 hours, or in refrigerator overnight to firm up and blend flavors. Prepare dough for Chinese Steamed Buns. (recipe above) Shape dough into balls. Roll each out into a circle (like Won-Ton wrappers). Put 1 tablespoonful of prepared meat mixture in the center of each circle, and wrap dough around filling. Place seams down onto wax paper squares. Let stand until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bring water to a boil in wok, and reduce heat to medium; the water should still be boiling. Place steam-plate on a small wire rack in the middle of the wok. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit onto steam-plate leaving 1 to 2 inches between the buns. At least 2 inches space should be left between steam-plate and the wok. Cover wok with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes. REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 85
I SLAMABAD , P AKISTAN —C ONTINUED FRIED PASTEL (PASTEL GORENG) Pastel Goreng is Indonesian snack I used to eat a lot when I was younger. My Mom made it herself though. It is similar to Empanadas, not so much similar to Calzone, because Calzone is using bread dough, while empanadas have a crust almost like pie crust, similar to Pastel Goreng. The filling is totally different, but then again you are free to use any fillings you want to. I used chicken, carrots, peas, green beans and rice vermicelli. As for the wrapper, we can use a pasta maker to thin the dough or simply use a rolling pin and roll it as thin as you can and cut it using a small bowl. Not as bad as I thought it would be, so I am pretty happy with the result :) For the wrapper you need: 300 grams of all purpose flour 25 grams cornstarch 25 grams rice flour/powder Salt and pepper 1 beaten egg 50 grams of melted margarine 100 ml. of water
1. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients together. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the water, egg and the margarine. 2. Make a well in the center and pour the wet ingredients into the well, mix it with a wooden spoon, and finish up with your hands. Knead it until it becomes a smooth ball . 3. If you have a pasta maker use it. If you don’t, divide the dough into 3 or 4 small balls , and then roll it out with your rolling pin until it’s very thin (where you can see your fingers when you lift up the dough, but not too thin where it might tear). It needs to be strong enough to be folded. Cut the dough in circles of about 10cm diameter and then add your fillings. Shape just like the picture. For filling you need: 1/2 lb of ground chicken 2 large eggs, diced small Green beans Boiled potatoes , diced small Peas Carrots Chicken cube Water Salt and pepper Flour Shallots and garlic 1. In a skillet heat up vegetable oil, add shallots and garlic (chopped, minced), then add green beans and carrots (also chopped well), and then add chicken. Cook until no more pink. 2. Add chicken cube, frozen peas and mix well. 3. Add a little flour, about 1 tbsp., and cook for about 1 minute. Then add water or milk, it should thicken up really well. Simmer for a little bit, you don’t want it to be too dry. It needs to be a little moist.
P AGE 86
T HE W AYFARER
I SLAMABAD , P AKISTAN —C ONTINUED Vietnamese Spring Rolls
These little treats are one of our all time favorite snacks. They are quick and easy to make and also very healthy and fresh. They’re packed with fresh veggies and herbs which give a delicate, light and refreshing flavor with each single bite. They make a lovely appetizer or afternoon snack and they’re especially cool when dipped into one or two (spicy) sauces. To make 4 rolls we used: 8 prawns, cooked and halved Rice vermicelli, cooked per package instructions 4 rice paper rolls 8-10 fresh mint leaves ( if you like it) 1/2 medium carrot, finely sliced into sticks 1/2 medium cucumber, finely sliced into sticks 2 big lettuce leaves, finely sliced 2 chives, vertically halved Bowl of lukewarm water Before starting to make the rolls, we made sure all the ingredients were prepared, cooked, chopped and arranged in individual bowls around our chopping board. From there on everything was easy. To make our first roll we took one rice paper, dipped it in water for 1 -2 seconds and placed it on the chopping board, rough side up. We placed 2 pieces of prawns in the middle, 2-3 mint leaves on top, then some lettuce, vermicelli, carrot and cucumber sticks and one piece of chive. We began the ‘rolling’ by first folding the sides of the rice paper on top of the mix. We then folded the bottom part on top of everything and gently rolled it upwards to close it. The technique is just like making a simple paper envelope. We served the rolls with two dipping sauces: a basic Vietnamese fish sauce and a hoisin sauce. For the fish sauce we used: 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 Thai or red chili, finely sliced (or minced) Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lime 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 cup fish sauce 1/2 cup water For the hoisin dipping sauce we used: 1 and 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lime 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp chili sauce
P AGE 87
T HE W AYFARER
U DHAILLIYAH , S AUDI A RABIA
A View of Saudi Arabia Through Rose-Colored Glasses by Stephanie Houchaimi
deciding factor was the fact that great adventure does not come without taking a blind road ahead and I was to follow my husband and trust he would take care of us. The journey was endless. We were all miserable with terrible colds and exhausted within an inch of our lives. I was also scared of this new place. Hearing so much and not knowing my place in a new country was enough to render me speechless for days.
PART 1 It was in March on a brisk, Canadian spring day in our honeymoon apartment when he gave me the news that we were getting transferred. It would be Saudi Arabia, and we had a few days to decide. I had just moved my life from my birth town in Texas to be here. This was it. My new life with an international mobile employee about to take off again. Needless to say, there were concerns. Not only would I be across the world, away from civilization (as I knew it), but my family, friends, and even my dear in-laws would be thousands of miles from me. We were about to embark into the unknown. How would we survive? Is this what responsible parents do? Our daughter was only 6 months old. After wavering back and forth, the
We arrived at our new home. The furniture was scant and we had only the bare necessities loaded in a few suitcases. For the first week, we all slept on the floor of an upstairs bedroom. We arrived in December, and it was cold. The long black Abaya, stipulated by law for all women to don was my cover at night. Some rolled up clothes were our pillows. There we lay in the dark, cold, scared, and sick. He had to be at work the next morning. I spent the whole day crying along with my baby, as I tried to comfort her and myself and re-evaluate this bold decision we had made. I cried for my parents who missed me back home. I cried for my language, which I was sure not a soul would speak. I cried for the unknown. Then, it happened. My doorbell rang one day, soon after my arrival. She stood there with a smile on her face. Who is this lady? How does she know me? She said "hola" and my heart broke in a million pieces. This beautiful soul welcomed me to Saudi Arabia. She was part of the Schlumberger
P AGE 88
T HE W AYFARER
U DHAILLIYAH , S AUDI A RABIA —C ONTINUED Spouses Association and she spoke Spanish! She handed me a gift bag and explained everything inside. An Abaya, our mandatory garment for life in this kingdom, a picture frame of a beautiful door, representative of Arabic tradition, a mug for my coffee with the company logo. It was my first and only dish in the house. She took my demographic data and told me she was only down the street and would be checking in on me from time to time. I lead her back out and closed the door. This is my new chapter, and I'll be okay here.
was wearing, looked so elegant. The floated by gracefully smelling of rich flowered perfumes, their heeled shoes lightly tapping the floor. Their makeup was so intricately and dramatically illustrated. They walked with an air of delicacy and femininity despite being covered head to toe. Beauty is different here. There is no skin to bare, no hair to flow, no silhouettes to showcase. All of my previous knowledge of beauty has evolved. Being here has changed me. I've broadened my perspective in the most precious ways possible. I've come to know a different side of myself PART 2 and the people I share the world with. While I My first outing was to a local mall for some know there is a mountain of underlying issues blankets and pillows (wink wink). I noticed all that accompany these views, that is for a the black dresses walking around me. How different conversation. For my happiness and bizarre it was to be in a mall that looked like ability to thrive, I see the world in rose. any place I'd see back home, but the people were so black and white. Literally men wore white and women wore black, including me. I also wore the traditional hijab or hair scarf, which I had taken to quite well, although I felt like I was not doing something right. One morning, while passing a mirror at a hotel, I caught my reflection in a mirror. I felt so plain. Where had my beauty gone? Who is this old lady cloaked in black? I was so young and beautiful back home, what has changed? Was it because in the west beauty was in my long, flowing hair, or because I could show off my SSA Spring Brunch 2015 outfits to everyone in public? Why was it so important to show off my clothing and hair to everyone? How did that make me beautiful? Even more strange was that the women here, although dress in precisely the same thing I
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 89
C IUDAD
DEL
C ARMEN , M EXICO BOOK CLUB
S
ince I was a very little girl, my parents introduced me to reading, because it is not only a good habit, it also opens up your mind and makes you a cultured person. Sadly, as you grow up and have more responsibilities and activities, you leave reading aside. At least that is what happened to me. One day in October 2014, analyzing why this happened, I thought that maybe I could share this passion for books with other people, and so the idea of proposing a Book Club to the SSA ladies in Cd. Del Carmen came to be. I thought maybe 3 or 4 ladies would join and we could start. But I was quite surprised when in less than one hour we had more than 10 interested ladies who couldn’t wait to get started!! So we got to work: we created a WhatsApp chat, proposed 5 books and voted. The winner was Adulterio, by Pablo Coelho. We set a one month deadline and met to talk about the book. This is how we started the Cd. Del Carmen Book Club! These past 5 months we have become more popular, and we are up to 20 participants now! So far we have read:
The aforementioned Adulterio, by Pablo Coelho Los Días del Arcoiris, by Antonio Skarmeta El Tiempo entre Costuras, by María Dueñas Yo soy Malala, by Malala Yousafzai El Psicoanalista, by John Katzenbach La Cabaña, by Paul Young Arráncame la Vida, by Ángeles Mastreta
As you can see, the type of book is quite diverse, so we can read things that we would normally not read and explore other alternatives. Hoping that this little review of our Book Club motivates you to create your own at your location, I say goodbye.
Janira Soljancic SSA Cd. Del Carmen Coordinator
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 90
C IUDAD DEL C ARMEN B OOK C LUB —C ONTINUED Some comments by our members: Luz Maygualida Malavé Cordero My experience with the Book Club has been wonderful. I have always liked to read and I always wanted to join a Book Club. To participate in our monthly gatherings is amazing, sharing the same interests with friends is really good for the soul. I have always thought that books call to us, and in Book Club I have read books that I normally wouldn’t have, and I have still liked them. Others were not engaging to me at first, but I continued reading because I have the commitment with the group, and in the end I enjoyed them very much. All the books that we have read so far have had an impact on me, mostly positive, but the one I enjoyed most is I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb. I liked it because it presents in a very simple way a very different culture that I knew little about and which I was curious to know. Reading this book I understood many things, besides feeling great admiration for Malala, for her wisdom in spite of being so young, and for the unconditional love of her parents, her father especially, in a culture where women are often seen as less important. I am thankful for the opportunity of belonging to this amazing group and enjoy every day that I’m in it, reading the books we select and then discussing them with the group. Carmiña Rodriguez
I am part of the Book and I like it because we express ourselves and defend our points of view. It helps us to listen and value others’ opinions. And also because reading is an escape valve of the routine, a way of doing something totally different and enriching with my time, and have a great time with a really nice group of friends. My favorite quote: “Let’s make our future now and let’s make our dreams be tomorrow’s reality”, from the book I am Malala.
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 91
C IUDAD DEL C ARMEN B OOK C LUB —C ONTINUED Monica Peña Correa For me it has been very exciting to be part of the Book Club, because even when everyone has different opinions from the same subject, and the literary genres are so diverse that I had never dare explore some of them (like horror and suspense), I have enjoyed it immensely. The book I’ve liked most is “El Tiempo entre Costuras” by María Dueñas, because it contains history and even when some of the characters are fiction, they are found in a historical context, and it shows the strength of a woman to reinvent herself before adversity. Idalia Grace Martinez When I have the time to read I can transport myself to other places and other times, the number of stories becomes infinite. Reading invites us to reflect and meditate about our life and the decisions that define us. It is nice to have an open forum to share those thoughts in our Book Club. So far, my favorite book has been “El Tiempo entre Costuras”.
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 92
O UR 6 TH MOVE B Y I SABEL S CHEFFLER 11 YEARS
O
n Friday Jan 23, 2015 I had my 11th birthday party. It was a sleepover where I invited six BFF’s but just 5 stayed to sleep. The next day, one of my mom’s friends invited us for lunch and we all went together. We made a puzzle and my mom and dad talked and talked with their friends. We stayed there until very late, so when we arrived home we went to sleep. On Sunday morning my dad, mom, brother and me were eating breakfast, when my dad started saying “Schlumberger transferred me again”. I interrupted and said “Where?” and my dad answered my question immediately: “To Saudi Arabia, to a city called Al Khobar”. My brother and I opened our mouths in shock and in my head I was thinking “Well, it’s not that bad. Besides, we have already lived in Poza Rica, Bogotá, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico and right now in Cd. del Carmen…” We continued eating breakfast, and my mom said “Yesterday, we told our friends, and we asked them not to tell their kids until today”. My head in that moment was a puzzle, I was thinking “If the told their friends yesterday, when did they discover that we’re moving? When are we going???” So I asked them “When did you discover it?” and my dad said “On Friday they made it official”. So I asked “When are we moving?” and my dad answered “In the summer”. We always move in the summer, except when we moved to Rio de Janeiro. We had so many questions that couldn’t be answered in that exact moment. My dad was going to go to Houston at the end of February for 3 weeks and then to Saudi Arabia. About a week later my dad was participating in a triathlon in Mérida. On Saturday morning my mom woke up feeling sick and she knew that she had a kidney stone. My brother and I were still asleep, so my dad woke us up and we went to a Star Medica to EMERGENCIES and there my dad, my brother and I stayed for ½ hour, and then we went to eat a delicious breakfast, but we were nervous. My mom was probably going to need surgery, and my dad the next day had the triathlon. Later, we received the good news that my mom didn’t need surgery, so my dad went to the triathlon station to put his bike in. The next morning, we were going to see my dad during the bike and running part of the triathlon. My mom’s friend was going too so we got up early and had breakfast. We were walking towards the race when my mom checked her phone and she saw that she had millions of lost calls from a number she didn’t know. Then a paramedic called her and told her that my dad had an accident. “Your husband is in a hospital near the start line of the race”. In that moment we went to our car and went to the hospital (that was 40 minutes away). We arrived and my dad was sitting in a bed, a nurse had put a provisional cast on his leg, and that’s when my dad confirmed that he broke his Achilles Tendon. We were in a total shock, then my dad explained that when he was running to enter the water he felt someone was kicking his leg really hard and thought that the pain was going to pass, and continued running. When he was almost swimming it didn’t pass and he looked back and there was no
T HE W AYFARER
P AGE 93
O UR 6 TH
MOVE ,
B Y I SABEL S CHEFFLER , 11
YEARS —C ONTINUED
one behind him. Then he remembered that one of his friends who also broke his Achilles Tendon told him that he felt like someone kicked him in the back of his leg, so my dad in that moment knew that he had broken it too. He stopped running and went with the paramedics who took him to the hospital. Then all four of us went to the car and to the same hospital were my mom was yesterday to EMERGENCIES and we were told that my dad was going to get emergency surgery the next day in the morning. He stayed in the hospital. The next day in the morning we went to the hospital and an hour later my dad came from the surgery (with a cast). He was a little sleepy. Later my mom, brother and I went to eat lunch , returned with my dad and stayed with him all day long. The next day we went to the hospital to go get my dad. We picked him up and went to eat and then (my mom driving back to Cd. Del Carmen) finally arrived to our house. My dad couldn’t go to Houston and Saudi Arabia so soon, so he was going to go in the middle of March. He had to sleep downstairs because it was difficult to climb stairs, and I couldn’t do my first triathlon because he couldn’t train me. But we got to watch all six Star Wars movies together. A month later my mom and dad went first to Mexico City so they removed my dad’s cast and he could put on an orthopedic boot so he could walk. They went to Houston. Four days later my mom came back and told us that in two weeks we were going to Houston to see my dad before he left for Saudi. Two weeks later we finally saw our dad again (and of course went shopping). My mom, brother and I went back to Mexico, and my dad traveled to Saudi. We cried and all but well, such is life. Now my dad is in Saudi Arabia. I just saw him on FaceTime. I’m kind of sad but we are going to see him again. What adventures await us in Saudi? How will our life be? We don’t know yet, but I’m sure it will be fun! Isabel Scheffler April 9th, 2015
M IDDLE E AST E DITION
OUR NEXT STOP….
North America, here we come! Attention all NAM SSA Chapters: Our next edition will feature your region. So get ready to share with us all the fun things that you’ve been doing. You will receive a Call for Applications very soon!
A delicious way to celebrate the SSA’s 25th Anniversary from our friends in Dubai.
P AGE 94