T HE W AYFARER A PUBLICATION FOR THE SSA G LOBAL C OMMUNITY
N ORTH A MERICA E DITION
M AY /J UNE 2015 Cover Picture by: Eric Englehardt
T HE W AYFARER N ORTH A MERICA
M AY /J UNE 2015 I NSIDE
R EADY
FOR THE SUMMER ?
W
THIS I SSUE :
3 N EW G LOBAL B OARD M EMBERS
elcome to our May/June edition of The Wayfarer! I know everyone is looking forward to the summer break, with many of our Chapters already on holiday. In some others we are still finishing school terms before traveling, but we are all ready for a break in our routines. We hope you enjoy the stories from two of our most active North American Chapters: Anchorage and Houston.
T HANK
YOU
M EET THE G LOBAL B OARD
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C HANGE IS G OOD BY A NISA
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A
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A NOTE FROM L ASAIRIONA M C M ASTER
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A NCHORAGE
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H OUSTON
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M OVING SUMMER ?
THIS
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O FFICIAL SSA F ACEBOOK G ROUP
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S UMMER W AYFARER
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NOTE BY OUR NEW G LOBAL C OORDINATOR
We also have exciting news from the Global Board. New members to introduce to you! And a new Official SSA Facebook Group too! For some of us the summer means moving to a new location, and we wish you all a safe arrival. I have put together a list of useful tips taken from here and there… and if you have anything to add, don’t hesitate in sharing it with us!
Thanks for reading! See you next time. Elsa
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N E W G LO BA L B O AR D M E MB E RS As you know, the Global Board held elections for three new positions in the past month. Let me introduce you to our new GB members and join us in congratulating them!
LORRAINE ALBELTO, GLOBAL COORDINATOR
I’m sure you are already familiar with Lorraine. For the past two years, she was the Middle East Area Coordinator with great success and, after careful consideration, decided to run for the post of SSA Global Coordinator. She has a clear vision of what she would like for the SSA in the near future: Continue to grow and become stronger as a source of information and support for spouses. Lorraine has been with the SSA since 2004 and started serving in Local Chapter Boards in 2010. Her Schlumberger life has led her family to Aberdeen, Luanda, Egypt and Qatar. In every place she has experienced firsthand the importance of SSA in our lives and has met many of her dearest friends through SSA. We are very happy to have Lorraine leading our organization for the next two years. Please join us in congratulating her!!
“The SSA embodies what I was taught by my parents and what many of us practiced before there was a SSA –to welcome, to assist and to treat others as you would like to be treated. It is wonderful to have a "SSA family" in your location...not everyone needs it, but for those who do we are FAMILY :)".
“The positive impact the organization can have on members with the support provided prior, during and after their relocation, and the lifetime friendships that we make along the way. This is priceless.”
FAY HENNINGS, ASIA/AUSTRALIA AREA COORDINATOR
Fay is passionate about the role the SSA plays in the lives of Schlumberger spouses and she has been part of the SSA family for a long time. Her spouse’s transfers have taken their family to the Caribbean, North America, South America, Africa, Europe, New Zealand and Australia, and in many of those locations she has had an active role in the SSA. As part of the local board, Fay has been instrumental in many initiatives that have contributed to the growth of SSA Perth, expanding membership to over 200 members. We are happy to have her working as part of the Global Board, where we know she will do a great job.
MAHA SOUSAK, MIDDLE EAST AREA COORDINATOR
Until recently, Maha was the Web Coordinator in the London Chapter. She is originally from Syria, but lived almost all her life in Cyprus before joining her husband on the move. They have four wonderful children (Ameer 9, Marwa 8, Amjad & Reema 6) and SLB life has taken them to Libya, Algeria and the UK. They are moving to Saudi Arabia this summer. Maha is dedicated to support her children in their studies, including languages (she is fluent in Arabic, English and Greek). She enjoys meeting and creating special bonds through exchanging experiences and helping others. We are sure that Maha will be a key part of the team and will do an outstanding job helping the SSA members of the Middle East Chapters.
“I find the role of SSA extremely valuable and unique, including the opportunities it provides for spouses from all over the world”.
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We would like to thank our retiring Global Board members And wish them good luck in their new endeavors.
Deysy Lamas (retiring Ex-Officio Coordinator)
Madeeha Owais (retiring Asia/Australia Area Coordinator).
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M EET THE G LOBAL B OARD Lorraine Albelto
Nikita Goel
SSA Global Coordinator
SSA Global Webmaster
ssa-global-coord@slb.com
ssa-webmaster@slb.com
Anisa Haddad
Elsa Scheffler
SSA Ex-Officio Global
SSA Global Communications
Coordinator
Coordinator
ssa-exofficio@slb.com
ssa-communications@slb.com
Lasairiona McMaster
SSA North America Area Coordinator
Sandra Showalter SSA Global Secretary ssa,globalsecretary@gmail.com
ssa-nam-coord@slb.com
Petite Orteg贸n
Diana Sguerra
SSA Latin America Coordinator
SSA Europe/Russia Area
ssa-lam-coord@slb.com
Coordinator ssa-eur-slr-coord@slb.com
Brenda Echeveste
Maha Sousak
SSA Africa Coordinator
SSA Middle East Area
ssa-africa-coord@slb.com
Coordinator ssa-mideast-coord@slb.com
Fay Hennings SSA Asia/Australia Coordinator ssa-asia-coord@slb.com
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A MESSAGE FROM OUTGOING G LOBAL C OORDINATOR
Change Is Good
T
wo years have flown by and as you read this, the SSA Global Coordinator election has already been finalized, my term as Global Coordinator has come to an end, and we welcome Lorraine Albelto as our Global Coordinator for 2015 – 2017. Lorraine will be an amazing advocate for our association with our SLB sponsors and other members of management because she truly believes in, and lives our Mission and Vision. Welcome Lorraine! Welcome change! As Lorraine begins her term as Global Coordinator and I begin mine as Ex-officio Global Coordinator, we both do so with the end of our terms in mind. Why? Because unlike paid positions, volunteer positions are not intended to be long term. Because Lorraine and I are both firm believers in the term limits that are written into our SSA Guidelines and because change is good. I can hear you saying “what?” That doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t volunteers stay in their positions long term? If volunteers have term limits imposed on them, won’t our institutional history be lost?” No. The SSA has been in existence for 25 years and we have Guidelines in place to help guide our Local and Global Board members as they become proficient in their positions and past board members willing to offer advice and a helping hand if needed. Change is good. I can also hear you saying “but there aren’t enough suitable board members to replace those who have already served out their term.” Actually, if given an opportunity to serve, there are. It’s tempting to let ourselves believe that our way of doing things is the only correct way… the best way, but we were all new in our positions once and learned how to fulfill our positions and others will as well. Change is good. Now I can hear you saying “OK…you may be right, but instead of spending time recruiting new board members, shouldn’t we spend our time on other, better things?” In my twenty-plus years serving as a volunteers and managing other volunteers, I feel confident in saying no. Why?
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C HANGE IS G OOD — CONTINUED
New board members bring fresh ideas to the board or to old ideas that did not work in the past, but whose time has come. When we make room on our boards for new members, we demonstrate that we welcome member engagement, ideas, and leadership. Term limits keep any one person or group of people from holding undue influence over our association. Term limits help to keep our boards representative of and responsive to our SSA community. They encourage new strategies that can help us to meet our mission, and can help us to focus on what is best for the association. Term limits give board members a break from service. People often are uncomfortable saying that they need a break from the demanding work of serving on a nonprofit board because they don’t want to appear disloyal but if there is the understanding at the beginning of a term that a position is only for a specified amount of time, then that pressure is eliminated. And last but definitely not least, because change is good.
As we embrace that changes that will come with our new Local and Global Board members beginning their terms, we must show our appreciation for those who have gone before us. On behalf of the 2013 – 2015 Global Board, I would like to thank all of our members who have served on a SSA Local Board. You helped our association to continue to be vital and to continue to grow. I also want to say a very special thank you to our retiring SSA Global Board members Deysy Lamas, SSA Ex-officio Global Coordinator and Madeeha Owais, SSA Asia/Australia Area Coordinator. Deysy and Madeeha worked tirelessly to support our members and their contributions to our association will benefit our members for years to come.
So to Deysy, Madeeha and all of our local board members who are ending their terms, THANK YOU but we will not say goodbye. Instead we’ll say: * Farewell * Despedida * Ciao * Adieu * Sayonara * Até amanhã * Rămas bun * Vi ses * … until we work together again.
Anisa Haddad SSA Ex-officio Global Coordinator 2015 - 2017
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F ROM L ORRAINE A LBELTO OUR NEW SSA G LOBAL C OORDINATOR It’s an honor and
Joshua. We have lived in Aberdeen,
privilege to have
Luanda and Egypt where we have formed
been afforded the
lifetime friendships with some amazing
opportunity to
people, both within and outside of SSA.
serve as Global Coordinator of
I am grateful for the opportunity to have
such a remarkable
worked with some very committed board
organization like
members and spouses in MEA, as the Area
SSA! I am looking Coordinator. It is truly gratifying to see the forward to working with the dedicated and
ownership and leadership from the teams
enthusiastic women on the Global Board
which underpin the success of the Chapters
and all our dear members.
and organization as a whole.
I hail from the beautiful twin-island of
Our aim is to ensure that SSA continues to
Trinidad and Tobago, off Venezuela's coast grow and become stronger as a source of in the southern Caribbean. We are the
information and support for spouses.
birthplace of the steelpan and limbo, and
Strengthening our relationship with
the musical styles of calypso, soca and
Schlumberger, so that we can receive the
chutney. TnT has a diverse population, rich support we need to provide the support to in culture and traditions, with a distinct and our SSA community, is imperative. delectable cuisine. Information is key when relocating, for the
I reside in Doha, Qatar with my husband
more knowledge you have about your new
Phinix and we have two sons, Rostan and
location, the better prepared you can be to
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F ROM L ORRAINE A LBELTO — CONTINUED deal with the move. Our SSA website needs I would like to take this opportunity to to be fully functional with each Chapter’s
sincerely thank our retiring Ex-Officio
information updated so we can provide
Global Coordinator, Deysy Lamas, for the
information at the click of a button. We
support, commitment and dedication she
cannot achieve this goal without you so we
has given to SSA. We are truly grateful.
look forward to you volunteering for the position of Website Coordinators for your
Anisa Haddad, our new Ex-Officio Global
Chapters.
Coordinator, will continue to be part of the team and we are delighted to have her with
SSA members must have a better
us to provide continuity, guidance and
understanding of the organization, our
support.
mission, goals and objectives. Welcoming and supporting spouses is fundamental and
Your feedback is important and encouraged.
a very important element of SSA and this
Please feel free to send us your comments/
needs to be our focus. Having continuity in
suggestions. Visit our website at https://
our Chapters is also crucial so when spouses www.ssafara.net/ to find out more about relocate, while the places and faces would
SSA, Global Board members and Chapters.
be new, the Chapters functions the same.
Lorraine Albelto In order for us to continue to achieve success we need the support of our members. We need you to continue volunteering in your respective locations, not only for the Board, but to assist your
Chapter in whatsoever way you can. We can work together to make a difference.
June 2015
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L
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A NOTE FROM L ASARIONA M C M ASTER N ORTH A MERICA A REA C OORDINATOR
iving in North America, I've been presented with a unique opportunity. Whilst I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Canada yet, the United States is nothing short of an amazing place to be. I think the common misconception about this vast country, is that there's no way each of these fifty states could be sufficiently different enough to make you want to visit them all. If you learn nothing else from this edition of the Wayfarer, please believe me, when I tell you, that couldn't be further from the truth. Having been to fifteen of the fifty states in my six years here, I'm speaking from experience.
From the glaciers in Alaska, to the corn fields in Iowa, from Stax in Memphis, to Cafe du Monde in Louisiana. From the Sooner state, and the Golden state, to the Badger state and the Natural state. Each and every state has something special to offer. I have fond memories from each place I've been to. I can tell you my favourite meal and activity in each city, I can tell you how the cities smelled and sounded and I barely grazed the surface of what the states have to offer. This place? It's wondrous. It's a world of intrigue and exploration waiting to be discovered and enjoyed‌ And it's right on my front step. If you're ever offered an opportunity to spend some time here, with some of our amazing SSA chapters across the NAM area, I encourage you to grab it with both hands. We have sixteen vibrant and diverse chapters in NAM. Run by steadfast and selfless volunteers and, in this edition, you'll find a sampling of what some of them have to offer. Have fun taking a peek! Las
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ANCHORAGE The SSA Anchorage Chapter is made up of an amazing group of individuals from many different backgrounds and cultures bringing a unique and long lasting friendship to all members. Being challenged with many of our spouses working on the North Slope and constantly traveling, along with the extreme seasons (20 hours of darkness in the winter, and almost 24 hours of sunlight in the summer) that Anchorage, Alaska has to offer, our organization is always trying to adapt and bring out the best of times. This has allowed our organization to be extremely tight knit through constant gatherings in the form of numerous indoor and outdoor activities. Some of these activities include coffee mornings, movie nights, museum visits, season socials, knitting classes, Easter egg hunt, HSE presentations, family BBQs and much much more. As an organization, we feel it is very important to give back to the community and look for ways in which we can participate in community affairs, thus supporting our own city and helping those in need. Many of our members are doing just that, and we will continue to support these efforts as the years go on. One of these charity events include working at kitchen Beans Cafe where we serve lunch to hundreds of homeless and needy people. Another one is participating in the annual Alaska Run for Women that represents a fundraiser for breast cancer. We look forward welcoming all new members and their families into our Chapter and to contribute to our continued success as a thriving Schlumberger Spouse Association.
Lourdes Nava SSA Anchorage Coordinator
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ANCHORAGE—CONTINUED
Baby Shower
Museum visit
HSE for Youth
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Family BBQ
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Family BBQ photos by Steve Fell
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Bean’s Café
Wine night
Ice Sculpture
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ANCHORAGE—CONTINUED
Easter celebration
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ANCHORAGE—CONTINUED
I wanted to share this too, my favorite recipe of salmon. We went fishing and I caught it! I make fresh homemade tortillas, so Salmon Tacos is one of our favorite meals at home. I have to say, I did not like salmon before, until I tried it fresh! Ingredients: 1 pound of Salmon 1 to 2 limes Olive oil Green Salsa (optional)
Lemon/pepper (to taste) 1 teaspoon of butter (optional) Corn tortillas
Put salmon on a tray and add the butter, sprinkle some lemon/pepper on, squeeze about half of the lime. Preheat oven at 350F, cook salmon for 15 minutes, uncovered. Remove from the oven. If it has skin, it will come out easily, then put the salmon in a pan with some olive oil, and more lemon/pepper and lime to taste, give it a good mix, cook for approx. 5 more minutes. Heat tortillas and serve the salmon, you can add some fresh cilantro (chopped) and green tomatillo salsa and even some avocado. Enjoy!!! Lourdes Nava
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ANCHORAGE—CONTINUED
Alaska Run for Women
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HOUSTON Howdy from Houston, Texas! We are very happy to share some information about our SSA Chapter in Houston. Houston, Texas is the 4th largest city in the USA and is a location that many SSA members call home at some point in their Schlumberger experience. It is a very multicultural city, a very enjoyable livable city with lots of sports, music, arts and culture. Below is some random information about our city:
At 655 square miles, the City of Houston could contain the cities of New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis and Miami.
Within the Houston Chapter, we also include the cities of Katy, Pearland, Sugar Land and the Woodlands, which make up the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Area. We do lots of driving here!!
The climate in Houston is classified as humid subtropical which is characterized by hot, usually humid summers and mild to cool winters.
Houston is the #1 city in USA for eating meals out per week, so you will find lots of great restaurants that cover all types of cuisine here. Texas BBQ and Southern food are what is famous here.You will get to taste BBQ brisket (beef), pulled pork, normally smoked to enhance flavor, always served with sweet iced tea, which is very refreshing in the hot summer days. Tex-Mex is also very popular in Houston.
Even though Houston is a large city, there are many green areas and parks close by, so there is an abundance of wildlife around us.
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED A MESSAGE FROM THE SSA HOUSTON CHAPTER COORDINATOR Hi,
ssahouston.welcomecoordinator@gmail.com and she will help you register with us and share the My name is Eileen and I am the Chapter Coordinator for the current year 2015-2016. I have latest information with you. been living in Houston since 2012. Fortunately for me, a great board of enthusiastic and positive As we are such a large group spread over a huge members surround me. A big thank you to the geographical area, we welcome our spouses with 4board members for volunteering and making the 5 newcomers coffees a year for all our areas. We commitment to keep SSA Houston active. Without are constantly welcoming members via email and a board, there would be no SSA in Houston. sharing the latest information about our activities and events so that you can meet some SSA members upon your arrival into Houston. We have six area SSA Houston is the largest Chapter in the world; coffees—Katy, In the Loop (inside 610), Memorial, we currently have over 600 members. With so many members, we have a wonderful large board to Pearland, Southwest (Sugar Land) and the organize and coordinate the many activities in our Woodlands. These provide a great way to meet people in your area. Chapter. Each month, we publish our newsletter, “Chat Line”, which has all the latest information about all Our aim is to provide a range of activities so that all the activities and how to sign up for them. You will our members have something they can enjoy with see upcoming events and all the board’s contact SSA Houston. We try our best, but everything is details. This information is very useful to help you not always perfect. The most important thing is that meet other SSA spouses and settle into Houston. we create opportunities where we can meet each other, share information, support each other and develop great friendships. Please get in touch if you are ever visiting Houston. We would love to meet you and would be very happy to welcome you at one of our events. We try our best to at least offer one activity of interest for all members and encourage members to create new activities that suit their interests. See you soon! Currently, we have 26 activity leaders organizing and leading different groups. We do a speaker series Eileen Corbett at on many topics throughout the year. ssahouston.chaptercoordinator@gmail.com If you are moving to Houston, please email Renee Muzerie, our Welcome Coordinator, at
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED Meet our fantastic SSA Houston board members, who were elected in April:
Back row, left to right: Frederique Terk (HSE Coordinator), Aimara Machado de Lucia (Newcomers Coordinator), Sylviane Dosou Houeto (Charity Coordinator), Pam Filas (Secretary), Stéphanie Cogoni (Database Coordinator), Iryna Tokaryeva (Treasurer), Jenya Menkhaus (Non-regular Activities Coordinator), Olga Gretskaya (Assistant Non-regular Activities Coordinator), Ekaterina Lecerf (Activities Calendar Coordinator) Front row, left to right: Thaïs Ide (Special Events Coordinator), Damaris (Dee) Hossain (Regular Activities Coordinator), Sureka Pradhan (Newsletter Editor), Chi Duvan (Website Coordinator), Eileen Corbett (Chapter Coordinator)
Left, Renee Muzerie (Welcome Coordinator) and right, Salma Alaoui (Ex-officio)
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED
CHARITY SSA Houston has a great charity program. Each month our members get involved with local charity or have a meeting with one to learn more about the organization. Recently, we have worked with Hope for Three, Brookwood Community, Texas Adopt-a-beach clean up with Schlumberger, Habitat for Humanity Build, Can Do Houston, and Fort Bend’s Women Center. Throughout the last year, we have also worked closely with the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.
Our member Olga participating in the Habitat for Humanity build in Houston recently.
Since 1985, Alliance has provided education, social well-being and economic opportunity to refugee, immigrant and low-income communities. It celebrated its 30th Anniversary Stars Among Us Gala on Friday, May 15, 2015. At that gala, Alliance presented an award to SSA Houston for their significant contribution to this wonderful nonprofit organization.
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED Here is what Alliance had to say about SSA Houston: In early 2014, members of SSA Houston Board approached Alliance about the possibility of developing an ongoing relationship. Since the launch of our partnership in April 2014, SSA members have helped Alliance in a range of ways.They have raised funds through a silent auction, hosting a special shopping event in our honor at Ten Thousand Villages and showcasing our Naya Designs at one of their major events, as well as supporting the Stars Among Us gala.
SSA members have also contributed in-kind donations including personal hygiene products, clothing, toys and books.They provided over half of all the Christmas gifts distributed to our Kijana after-school participants in 2014. As well as giving financially, SSA Houston members have given their time. As a group and as individuals, they have contributed volunteer hours to the Alliance, from our career days to assisting with tonight’s Stars Among Us gala.The largest team at last year’sWorld Refugee Day was combined SSA member/Schlumberger employee group. In addition, our relationship with SSA Houston has provided us with an opportunity to educate their members about the issues facing refugees in Houston and in turn, they have helped to introduce us to other individuals and organizations to help us achieve our mission.
Our Charity Coordinators Sarah Black (2013-2015) and Sylviane Dossou Houeto (present) accepted the award on our behalf.
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED
REGULAR ACTIVITIES Each month we have many regular activities (these are activities that are held at least once every month, some more often). Our regular activities include Cooking Clubs, Craft Club, Book Club, Language Classes (Spanish, French and English) at various levels, Canasta, Bunco, Painting Club, Moms and Kiddies, Baking and Babies, Photography Club, Arts in the City, SSA Night Out, six area coffee mornings and two lunch groups. Our range of regular activity groups evolved over time in response to the demands and interests of our members. Of course, this is dependent on our wonderful activity leaders coordinating these activities and having members willing to host them. Big thank yous to all our activity leaders and hosts/hostesses.
Canasta
Craft Club
Spanish lesson
Cooking Club
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED
NON-REGULAR ACTIVITIES Each month we do a different non-regular activity, which is a one-off activity that we think our members will enjoy. Some non-regular activities we have done this year include a guided tour of a Monet exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, pottery painting, strawberry picking, bowling, winery tour and Zumba classes. We encourage our members to make suggestions for these activities.
Zumba class
Winery visit
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED
SPECIAL EVENTS SSA Houston has three socials each year. We start the year with our Winter social, followed by our Spring Social and AGM (with the announcement of our anual election results and thus introduce the new board). Finally, we have our Fall social a few weeks after our members have settled back after the summer break. Other special events we celebrated include our Mother’s Day celebration in May and Holiday Gift Exchange in December.
SSA members enjoying the garden center at our recently held Mother’s Day and all areas coffee morning.
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED Back left to right: Aimara de Lucia Machado, Sandra Sanchez, Nohemi Garcia Front, left to right: Leticia Silva and Shirley (Lorena) Ujueta
Enjoying our Spring Social and AGM in April 2015.
The main organizers of our Ornament Gift Exchange last December.
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H OUSTON — CONTINUED
HSE SSA Houston has an extensive HSE program provided to us by Schlumberger HSE Team in Houston. Throughout the year we have participated in Drive Smart, CPR and First Aid, Heat and Hurricane Preparedness, IT and Personal Security, Safe Road Home and a Benefits sesiĂłn. These sessions are invaluable to us, very useful for our new members and also a refresher session for many of us and are a great resource to be able to access the latest information. This is the group who participated in both the Heat and Hurricane Preparedness Session and a Road Safety Campaign on June 9th. These two seminars were very useful as they covered two major risks in Houston. Hurricane season is officially from June 1st to November 30th and driving is a vital part of everyday life here in Houston.
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MOVING THIS SUMMER? B Y E LSA S CHEFFLER
Moving. We are so familiar with this word, that it is a part of our daily lives. It is frequently in the back of our minds, because you know that one day, you’ll get a phone call from your dear spouse and it will go something like this: SLB Employee/Love of your life: “Hi”
So you try to go about your daily life, knowing that you are soon leaving, but not being able to share it with the world just yet. It is a bit like living in a slow motion picture. Life goes on as usual, people around you make plans, and you secretly wonder if you’ll still be here for that.
SLB Spouse: “Hey, what’s up?” SLB Employee/Love of your life, short pause… “Well, guess what?” And then you, my dear SLB Spouse, know. You know that your world is about to change forever yet again.
Moving can be every bit as exciting as it is frustrating. Leaving what I call your “safety net” is quite a challenge. It means leaving family that can support you in an emergency; friends that you have known forever and can call with short notice for a coffee if you are in need of friendly advice; a neighborhood where you know where everything So you wearily ask: “What?” is and how to get there; the doctor that you have SLB Employee/Love of your life (???): “We’re moving been taking to your kids since they were born; to …. (insert either an exotic place you had never those informal family gatherings on weekends; the heard of before, or somewhere that you had coworker who joins you for a run; and a hundred heard of before but never in a million years other little things that make your pleasant daily thought you were going to call home someday) routine. This all changes when you move. You find …” yourself standing in a place that you know very little of, where you might not speak the language, where you And so it starts. It is exciting, there don’t know a soul (or if you do, is no denying it. You go straight to Every new beginning chances are that your relationship is find the place on a map. You still in early stages of friendship), and comes from another probably Google it. You start this is quite daunting. Especially if you thinking of friends who live there beginning’s end. find yourself with a sick child, or or who have lived there before and have a traffic incident. Who to call, make a mental note to ask them “Closing Time” what to do? for tips. You wonder about by Dan Wilson from schools, places to live, job Semisonic Over the years, I have read a lot opportunities, how long is the trip to get there… Hundreds of about it, and have experienced it 10 questions circle your mind. It can times (two of which were moving be quite frustrating to have so many questions back to my own country, which, let me tell you, that don’t have answers yet. You want to know can also be quite challenging). There is no everything right now! But that is not what moving blueprint to follow for a successful move, but is like. Moving is, above all, a test of your patience. there are certainly a few tips that could help make At first, you can’t tell anyone until it is “official”. it less painful. I have complied a list from multiple
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M OVING TIPS — CONTINUED sources (i.e, friends, the internet, my own experience…) that I hope can help you. PATIENCE This is a no brainer. You will need lots of it. Getting all frustrated because there are still no answers to your many questions is of no use. Just know that ALL of those answers will come, in time. It WILL all work out. You WILL find a place to live, a school spot, maybe even a new job. Just be patient. If you have children, you have to be sympathetic to their frustrations as well. Be prepared to answer as many questions as you can, but also reassure them that those answers that you still don’t have will come. When you get there, you will need lots of patience for getting settled too. You might need to get a hold of a plumber or electrician without any idea of where to start looking for one, or encounter a visibly frustrated neighbor that might be telling you something important that you don’t understand a word of, or even going to the supermarket and not finding familiar stuff to cook. Just think that there is a solution for everything, and that your problem-solving skills and creativity will most certainly improve. LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT YOUR NEW HOST CULTURE BEFORE YOU GET THERE Arriving with at least a little knowledge of your new city will prove to be one of the best things that you could do. So many things will be “different” than what you are used to, that being a little bit familiar with at least a few will make your first few days easier. If you can, learn at least basic words or phrases in your new language. Be respectful of traditions. You might find them curious or even strange, but if you see them with
an open heart, they will seem less daunting. This will all give you a broader look of the world and will make you and your family more adaptable to new things. DO NOT COMPARE EVERYTHING TO “HOME” This is not to say that you should not compare anything. We are humans and it is only natural to think: “Well, back home we do things differently” or “In our last location, it was not like this”. But it is also human nature to idealize the things that we remember fondly. We never think of the hideous traffic from “back home”, or the awful commute to the kids’ school in our last location. Try to embrace your new location with open arms. The traffic is terrible? Well yes, but maybe the school your kids go to is amazing. The food tastes “funny”? OK, maybe you’re not used to it, but you might learn how to use new ingredients and adapt them to your tastes. The weather is awful? Well, it also rained back home, so try to focus on the positive. If you compare every single little thing to “back home” or anywhere else in the world, chances are that you will be miserable. Open your heart and your mind to new things. It And sometimes you close doesn’t mean your eyes that you can’t miss your And see the place where home or your you used to live previous location. But if When you were young you miss them “When you were young” while By The Killers embracing the new places you’ll visit, you will feel
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M OVING TIPS — CONTINUED happier. And you will build a stronger character and tolerance.
found the time? Bring it along. Enjoy it. Go for walks to explore your new neighborhood. Sit in a café all by yourself and watch people go by. Listen others speaking the language, take in the new smells. You might find yourself with new interests and this could lead you to meet new people. But if not, it is OK to just take it as inner growth and strength.
NEW FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS It is almost certain that in your life as an expat you will meet lots of people from many different backgrounds. You will like some, and maybe others not so much. This is OK. Surround yourself with people that WHAT ABOUT “THE make you happy. If you want LOCALS”? to enjoy your new life, avoid people who bring you down. Some cultures are more A lot of strong and lifewelcoming of foreigners In spite of myself, and all of lasting friendships are than others. It might be formed as expats. Your new difficult sometimes to get to these nursery songs friends become like your really know local people, new family. Slowly but surely My heart beats with a ceaseless because you might find you start weaving your new yourself living in an all expat longing of a yearning to safety net. Expats are very compound, or socializing belong... solidary by nature. They only with expats from your experience the same feelings kids’ school or from your “Cucurucu” you do. So be sure to own language school. There By Nick Mulvey is nothing wrong with this. explore this new world with joy, and you will certainly But if you’d like to get find yourself surrounded by acquainted with the locals, amazing people who will why not join a class of bring good things to your something that you like to do? You will enjoy going there and practice the life. language with your teacher and classmates.
ENJOY YOUR TIME ALONE TOO Being an expat sometimes means being alone. Especially at the beginning, while you are sorting out house, school, maybe even a new job. Embrace it. This alone time will build your character and will help you explore your own interests too. You might have more time to do things that you couldn’t before. Like reading, painting, writing, etc. Remember that book that you have been wanting to read for ages but never
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL SSA Take advantage of everything the SSA has to offer in your adjustment to your new location. It doesn’t matter if this is your 1st or your 10th move, it is always nice for a friendly face to greet you there and assist you. The first time you go to a coffee morning in your new location can be a bit stressful if you don’t know anyone and you see groups of friends laughing around you. Don’t
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M OVING TIPS — CONTINUED worry. We have all been there. In no time you will be laughing with them and welcoming new spouses too. In no time you will be able to answer your family’s questions, because your SSA friends will be there for you and provide you with answers to questions that you didn’t even know you had. I don’t know about you, but a few times my husband has noticed that even if I have been in a new place for only a few days, I already know where everything is, or how to get a pizza delivered… and more often than not is thanks to my new SSA friends.
- If they have no control over moving, give them control over other things, like how they want to decorate their room, or choosing the school they like best if that’s OK with you. Involve them in researching your new city, finding fun things to do once you are there. If they ask you a question you don’t know the answer to, be honest and maybe you can find out together. Perhaps the answer will present itself until you get there, but at least they will know that you are all in it together and that you, as parents, are making an effort to understand how they feel. - During the transition period, be vigilant of their feelings. Some kids have a SPECIAL TIPS FOR But if you close your eyes hard time expressing them. Help them gently. Ask them MOVING WITH KIDS Does it almost feel like what they think. Tell them a - Keep in mind that your kids story about a similar situation might feel that they don’t have Nothing changed at all? that you lived when you were a choice in this important their age, how you felt and Does it almost feel like decision. That their world will how you dealt with it. change forever, like yours, but You’ve been here before? - As soon as you tell them they will experience the move Pompeii about the move, choose a in a completely different notebook to make a manner. They will not be By Dan Smith from Bastille scrapbook and leave it worried about finding a house available to everyone in the or how to find a plumber, but their worries can be as simple and as complex as yours. family. You can all add things to this book: maps; They might worry about how much they will miss pictures; drawings; feelings; questions; places that you’d like to visit before you leave; places that their friends, or what will happen to a pet they can’t take with them. They might worry that their you’d like to visit in your new place of residence; etc. One of my kids likes to draw what she grandparents are getting older and they will be too far away to see them often. They might worry imagines that our new neighborhood will look like, the other one likes to draw what he’d like his about the weather or the natural disasters that new room to look like (new Star Wars bed could happen in your new location. Whatever it is, respect their reaction to the news. They might sheets for his new bed are a hot topic right now). It then becomes a memory book that you can rebe angry for a while. They might be afraid. They visit many times. Once you are settled into your might seem really cool but then act out in some new routine, it is quite a fun read, all those seemingly unrelated aspect (like failing a test in questions you had that are now answered and school or not wanting to go to soccer practice anymore). It helps to be firm in your explanation made you stronger. - If the kids are old enough, help them figure out of why the family needs to relocate. Help them how they will communicate with friends and feel safe and, very importantly, hear them out.
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M OVING TIPS — CONTINUED family back home. Decide if it will be via email, or will they be allowed to use social media? Make sure they get the contact info of the friends they might want to keep in touch with. - Pack with you their favorite items, like a pillow case or the stuffed bear they sleep with every night. Even their little night light or small lamp can fit your luggage and can help make their new home seem a little bit more familiar while your shipment arrives. Books, crafts, magazines… anything that can keep them busy while you sort things out is great to bring along too. Let them pick out a few things. They might seem of no importance to you, but they are important to them. And then you pick out some others that they might have overlooked but you know they will enjoy seeing once they get to your temporary accommodation. - If you have a long flight ahead: Arm yourself with more snacks thatyou think you might need, they can prove to be a lifesaver if they get hungry before you get any offered any food. If they have mobile devices for entertainment, make sure they are charged and bring extra battery packs just in case. If you are into that sort of thing, you can buy a little surprise that you think they might enjoy for them to open on the plane (for example, new colored markers, a rubik’s cube, a small toy). These could help pass at least a little bit of time. One thing that has worked wonders for me is to explain to them what to expect in terms of “schedule”. It helps if you know more or less how the flight usually goes. For example, I told my kids they were going to serve our dinner about an hour after takeoff, and when they cleared our trays we were going to visit the bathroom, brush their teeth and come back to our seats to sleep. So when the time came they knew what to do and when to do it, and it was easy for
them to adjust to sleeping in a cramped airplane seat because I had explained to them that during night flights “everyone” sleeps (Except me. I can’t sleep on planes. Ever. But don’t tell my children that!). Of course things might not go exactly as you expect, so you can decide how specific you want to be.
Life’s like a road that you travel on When there’s one day here and the
next day gone “Life is a highway” By Tom Cochrane
And so off you go, to your new family adventure! You will get to see how brave your kids are. You will feel proud of your spouse/love of your life for taking on a new assignment or learning a new language. You are about to discover so many things about your new host country, but mostly, about yourself. You will know that you are strong, creative and brave. And you will have so many places to call home, that you will continue to be a citizen of the world.
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Introducing our new Official SSA Facebook Group The time has come to create an Official SSA Facebook Group. It is in the early stages of development as we are finishing this edition of The Wayfarer. The Global Board is always trying to be closer to our members from all over the world. We are happy to add to our forms of communication and be able to reach you via Facebook, following the Best Practices suggested to us by our sponsor, Schlumberger. We hope to create a safe and fun environment in the group to help you find the information you need. The name of the group was chosen via a contest where all SSA members had a chance to participate. Thank you for the 60+ names you sent! The winning name came from our amazing Stavanger, Norway chapter, and they will be receiving their prize very soon! So if you haven’t been added yet, look it up under
SSA Global Community. The group will be for SSA members only, so we beg you to be patient while we add everyone See you there!
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We have already received many contributions for our Summer
ART/HSE Wayfarer Edition. Thanks to all the artists who
have already sent in their work. Stay tuned!! Have a great summer everyone. Stay safe, use sunscreen, and enjoy.