The Wayfarer Global - Aug 2021 by SSA Global

AUGUST 2021

THE WAYFARER SSA GLOBAL COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

Under the same sun during the pandemic Cover photo by Patricia Bonilla, SSA Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

SSA GLOBAL COMMUNITY FACEBOOK PAGE

CHANGES ARE CHALLENGES TAKE A PEEK! SSA GLOBAL COORDINATOR LETTER - 3 MEET THE SSA BOARD - 4 MY JOURNEY AS A SLB SPOUSE - 7 A DECADE OF PARENTHOOD - 10 SSA OUR "MAYKA" - 12 THE NEW NORMAL - 13 QUARANTINE IN MEXICO - 14 AUSTRALIA IN WONDERLAND - 16 RIO DE JANEIRO, A CITY TO FALL IN LOVE WITH! - 17 FAMILY/QUALITY TIME - 18 MOVING DURING THE PANDEMIC - 19 LET'S MOVE! - 20 MAYAN RUINS - 22 UNDER THE SAME SUN - 24 STUCK IN LOCKDOWN - 25 PUMPKIN/HURRICANE SEASON - 26 SUN & SAND OF THE DESERT - 27 ACTIVITIES - 28 RECIPES - 41

BY VALERIA BRASILI, NEWSLETTER EDITOR

After a year of prudency and waiting, we are back with a global edition of The Wayfarer! Our proposal is to change the regional approach to one full of stories around the globe. Some of the articles will let us know how you and your SSA Chapter cope under COVID-19 circumstances. Because, for the first time in our lives, we all are going through the same. We will also have some wonderful contributions about the life of a Slb spouse, full of insight from you who might be further in the path and can generously guide new ones. Finally, the last pages are full of mouth-watering recipes from all around the world. Thank you all for your wonderful contributions! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did and can't wait for another one next quarter!

Sending lot of love to all of you and hoping this SSA Community puts a smile in your face, once again.

BIG THANKS! The SSA Global Board has seen some changes in the past few months. We bid farewell to: Evelyn Bicelis, SSA Global CommunicationsCoordinator Nina Pikush, SSA LAM Area Coordinator Yara El-Emam, SSA Global Secretary Luciana Villanti, SSA Europe/Russia Area Coordinator We have welcomed the following new members: Maryesther Leon, SSA LAM Area Coordinator Shweta Bhat, SSA Global Secretary Valeria Brasili, SSA Global Communications Coordinator The following members were re-elected for a second tenure: Pallavi Vaid, SSA Africa Area Coordinator Preeti Kaler, SSA Asia/ Australia Area Coordinator 2

DEAR SSA MEMBERS, THE WAYFARER IS BACK! BY PIA DEY VERMA, SSA GLOBAL COORDINATOR

We are so excited to relaunch The Wayfarer with Valeria Brasili, SSA Global Communications Coordinator at the helm. We have all been through –and still going through– the toughest times of our lives. We have all been impacted by this pandemic: we have lost dear ones, borne through this illness, been apprehensive for our children, not been able to visit our families for months and have lived battling stress and anxiety, etc. but most importantly, we have survived. Its our grit, our creativity, our sense of humour, our bonds that helped us through these times. In the past few months, we have seen how the SSA chapters have rallied and adapted themselves to the new normal. Activities turned online and the sheer creativity of the local chapter boards took our breath away. We saw geographical boundaries dissolving and chapters holding joint online activities (I was a part of a few of them!). Take a bow, SSA Board members around the world! Personally, we have all taken this time to learn new things, volunteered our time to help COVID-19 affected families, moved to new locations, cooked, read books, painted, sang and more… And so, we wanted to hear your stories and be further inspired by them. Thank you to everyone who has sent in their stories, artwork, thoughts for this issue. Happy reading, everyone! Stay safe and healthy. Pia

MEET THE SSA GLOBAL BOARD

GLOBAL COORDINATOR/ INTERIM AREA COORDINATOR - EUROPE/RUSSIA: PIA DEY VERMA (PIA.SSA.GC@GMAIL.COM)

EX-OFFICIO GLOBAL COORDINATOR: ELSA SCHEFFLER (ELSASCHEFFLERSSA@GMAIL.COM)

Zodiac sign: Capricorn W hat's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. L.O.V.E. by Nat King Cole 2. Butter by BTS 3. Never, Never, Never by Shirley Bassey 4. Levitating by Dua Lipa 5. Me and Mrs Jones by Michael Bublé The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer 2. The Lord of the Ring series! I can't get through my day without: Coffee...lots of it please Text/Call?: Text Favorite accessory: Rings & sunglasses

Zodiac sign: Scorpio What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. Wait for it by Hamilton Soundtrack 2. Me pierdo contigo by Alex Ferreira 3. Bad by U2 4. Mundo Feliz by Fobia 5. Soñé by Zoe Unplugged The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Movie: Reality Bites (you can now guess my age!) 2. Book: The Whole Cemetery of Forgotten zaga by Carlos Ruiz Zafón I can't get through my day without: Lipstick, even under my face mask! Text/Call?: Text! Favorite accessory: Sunglasses

GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: VALERIA BRASILI (VALERIA.SSA.GCC@GMAIL.COM)

GLOBAL WEBMASTER: ERNA FARIZAN (ERNAFARIZAN@GMAIL.COM)

Zodiac sign: Pisces W hat's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. In my blood by Shawn Mendes 2. Cheap Thrills by Sia 3. Taki Taki by Selena Gomez 4. Acaramelao by Maria Becerra 5. Prisoner by Miley Cyrus The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Zoolander 2. Indias Blancas by Florencia Bonelli I can't get through my day without: Several cups of tea, any flavour works fine Text/Call?: Call Favorite accessory: FPS+50 & sunglasses

Zodiac sign: Aquarius What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. How deep is too deep by Ellie Goulding 2. A thousand years by Christina Perri 3. Lucky by Britney spears 4. As long as you love me by BSB 5. My love by Westlife The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Korean series I can't get through my day without: Nothing Text/call?: Text Favorite accessory: Watch & bracelet

MEET THE SSA GLOBAL BOARD

GLOBAL BOARD SECRETARY: SHWETA BHAT (SECRETARYSSAGLOBAL@GMAIL.COM)

AREA COORDINATOR - AFRICA: PALLAVI VAID (VAID.PALLAVI@GMAIL.COM)

Zodiac sign: Leo What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. Fight song 2. Words is all I have 3. Pal pal 4. Chu kar 5. Neele neele Ambar The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Book: Who Moved My Cheese? (I feel it very inspirational) 2. Movie: all comedy movies I can't get through my day without: Talking Text/Call: Depending on availability of time… Favorite accessory: Watches

Zodiac sign: Virgo What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. Taaron ke shahar by Neha Kakkar and Jubin Nautiyal 2. One love by Blue 3. Backstreets back by BSB 4. When you say nothing at all by Ronan Keating 5. Shekini by PSquare The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 2. Movie: Notting Hill, Speed I can't get through my day without: Watching an episode of Crime Patrol Text/call?: Text Favorite accessory: My smart watch

AREA COORDINATOR - ASIA/AUSTRALIA: PREETI CHOWDHARY (PREETIKALER83@GMAIL.COM)

AREA COORDINATOR - LATIN AMERICA: MARYESTHER LEON (LEONMARYESTHER@GMAIL.COM)

Zodiac sign: Capricorn What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. Ae zindagi 2. Radha by Dhwani 3. Raat Baki 4. Memories by Maroon 5 5. Señorita by Shawn Mendes The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Book: Pride And Prejudice I can't get through my day without: Run Text/call?: Text Favorite accessory: Sunglasses

Zodiac sign: Libra What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. Canción Bonita by Ricky Martin 2. Bonita by Juanes, Sebastián Yatra 3. Memories by Maroon 5 4. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 5. Un año by Sebastian Yatra, Reik The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Book: The Hunger Games I can't get through my day without: Breakfast Text/call?: Call Favorite accessory: Watches 5

MEET THE SSA GLOBAL BOARD

AREA COORDINATOR - MIDDLE EAST ASIA: IRMA INDRASARI (SSA.MEA.AC@GMAIL.COM)

AREA COORDINATOR NORTH AMERICA: ASTERIA SYLVESTER (ASTERSLY2018@GMAIL.COM)

Zodiac sign: Capricorn What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. Save your tear by The weeknd and Ariana Grande 2. We’re good by Dua Lipa 3. Beautiful Mistake by Maroon 5 4. The business by Tiesto 5. Higher Power by Coldplay The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Crash Landing On You (Korea drama) I can't get through my day without: Essential Oils Text/call?: Call Favorite accessory: Watch

Zodiac sign: Leo What's on my Playlist (top 5)?: 1. All of Me by John Legend 2. Come and get your love by RedBone 3. Africa by Toto 4. Viva La Vida by Coldplay 5. Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes The book/movie I can read/watch over and over again: 1. Seven Days Of Us (Francesca Hornak) I can't get through my day without: Cycling Text/call?: Text Favorite accessory: Flowers & sunglasses

ARTICLES MY JOURNEY AS A SCHLUMBERGER SPOUSE BY MONICA GULATI, SSA PUNE, INDIA

Thirty two years back, when a marriage proposal came from a ‘young well settled’ boy working with Schlumberger Mumbai, the big question was “SCHLUMBERGER? nobody has heard about that company!”. Uncles and cousins were summoned, discreet investigations began and the conclusions were positive. My father who was not only looking to marry his only daughter in the same city but within a 6 km radius, reluctantly agreed to let her go to ‘Bombay’. Thus, began my journey as a Schlumberger spouse! Within days of our engagement, the family was informed that the fiancé had been transferred to Dubai. The father was in a dilemma: The wedding to be or not to be? But by that time the daughter was committed and was hell bent on marrying the young man. So the first lesson learnt was that the commitment is to your spouse (in this case to the fiancé) and the family and not to the city or country. My father took a leap of faith and I’m glad to report that the ‘husband’ turned out to be an upright man who kept all the vows that he took around the fire (albeit one needs to remind him occasionally).

Since then, we have moved on numerous occasions and each time one got comfortable and ‘settled’ there was this niggling thought of when and where we would move next. Over the years one has learnt to be philosophical and look at each move as an adventure. I have discovered that when one is less uptight about the city/country, and more open minded, the city might actually surprise you. There will always be pros and cons and though some locations might not be as ‘developed’ as others, they more than compensate in other ways - small close knit communities, lasting friendships and great house help! Another question that kept rearing its head every now and then was “What about my career?”. Growing up one had mapped a career path and studied diligently to achieve those goals. I had spent hours and hours in the library going through the Malthusian theory, economic history, statistics and pulling my hair out solving econometric problems. I was working in a mid size company when I got engaged and had to bid fond farewell to friends and colleagues. Then in Dubai I managed to find a great job in a bank. I was happy, timings were great, salary wasn’t bad, found a multicultural, multiracial group to mingle with. Fabulous! Life was good till the news of the next promotion and move. WHAT?! Should I be happy for the husband or sad at my loss! Would I have to reinvent myself each time? That is when you need to sit down and have a serious and realistic conversation about priorities, whose career is the primary one and where do you go from there?

The next lesson that I learnt was that it is important to introspect earlier on in life. Are you ambitious for yourself? Would taking a backseat lead to resentment? Do you do well under pressure and can handle commitments towards family / children and your job with ease? Well, I learnt that I was ambitious but was not necessarily committed to my career, I learnt that I could continue to provide support to my spouse and further his career and be happy in his advancements. Basically, I wanted success but was not willing to compromise on my time with my kids and family (in other words I wasn’t willing to put in double the work!). Once the decision was made, I discovered the joys of being an expat wife! I also learnt that deciding to give up your career did not necessarily amount to losing your individuality. There were other ways of expressing yourself. I learnt a language, took up cooking courses, learnt yoga and signed up for fitness classes and finally discovered my passion- designing and beading! It’s been more than twenty two years since I started my own little company designing jewelry. No matter where in the world I was, I was able to recreate my own little space where I could string my necklaces and design my pieces. I was able to rediscover myself and I learnt that working in a nine to five job is not the only career option available to you!

It’s been a long journey and one where the learning curve has been steep and not always pleasant or easy. The kids have left home to carve out their own little niches in this world but they often talk about their experiences and very rarely are they negative. Children are resilient and observant. Living in so many different countries and cities sensitizes them to different cultures, religions and makes them malleable and more accepting. I’m so happy when I see them as ‘citizens of the world’. Not only are they proud Indians but they are also global in their viewpoint.

Given another chance, would I change my decision of walking besides the husband? Absolutely not.

A DECADE OF PARENTHOOD BY SHILPA ZACHARIA, SSA MUMBAI, INDIA

According to me, only when one becomes a parent does a person learn to live an unselfish life. Before that, it’s always about personal growth and success but after having a child, priority is the needs of the child , at least for most families. A newborn needs so much care and attention all the time, it is a complete energy draining experience for first time parents. Of course like anything else, it’s the basics that needs to be fulfilled first, like food, clothing, shelter, all wrapped up under unconditional love of the mother and father! Those first weeks, months and years are absolutely crucial for the well being of the person the child grows up to be. Just think about it, almost every positive and negative emotions about certain circumstances felt by a person can be traced back to similar ones they experienced in their childhood! It’s a time when the neurons are still making the right connections and that little brain is mastering one scheme after another.

That’s why the role of a parent is so important to try and make all of those initial experiences of a child safe, positive and as emotionally stable as possible. Therefore, she or he would grow up to be balanced, empathetic individuals who later in life are capable of making the decisions to choose the paths and lifestyles to be the best version of themselves that lives amicably in society. Also, it is ideal if the parents themselves are mature enough to recognise all these needs of a child and fulfil them. Often very young unsettled parents just give back what they got... basically behave like their own parents once were to them! This may or may not be good depending on the kind of behaviour that has been recreated. 10

Hence, being a good parent does require some planning. That being said, it’s not that unplanned children cannot grow to be great individuals, it’s just that the probability of that is lesser than that of a planned and well cared child. Of course, there are no perfect parents, only parents who try and be better by putting in the required effort constantly. Besides the basic needs, for well rounded growth, a child needs unconditional love, security & constant encouragement to reinforce good behaviour. This can only be provided by parents, who have developed that mental maturity themselves . While, I am not in favour of punishment, I do feel rewarding good behaviour helps a lot in reinforcing them. Showing your displeasure to a bad behaviour and reducing a few privileges works for my child. Nowadays, I reward my almost 10 year old son with pocket money and screen time. To discourage bad behaviour it’s reduction of those privileges. It has been working like a charm for us, let’s see how it changes in the coming years as he grows older and has new demands as rewards! Having an only child, my husband and I try our best to befriend him and have open conversations about almost everything he is curious about in the most age appropriate way possible. We try to discourage him from keeping secrets from us. We are not sure how long that will last, as we already see the pre teen & teenage years coming soon. We only hope, that they are also just as rewarding an experience as this first decade of being parents has been for us.

SSA OUR "MAYKA" BY MADEEHA BASHARAT, SSA ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

'Mayka' is a word in urdu, our native language of Pakistan, which is used to describe a woman's parents house or family. What does it have to do with the SSA and The Wayfarer?

A friend of mine with whom I was part of SSA Pakistan, would use this frequently to describe the group. She would say the gatherings were like going to MAYKA where you could offload yourself, get some great advice, learn from varied life experiences, be fed (most importantly) and be sent back with gifts. This could not have been truer on my last trip. During year 2020, the world went crazy trying to manage COVID-19 and we got wrapped in it. We were stuck in our compound at current location till airports re-opened. Missing everything familiar and seizing the opportunity of remote work and online school, we headed back to Pakistan only to get stuck in various medical issues. The SSA members stepped up in a big way although this was my previous location. Everyone sent their love, support and valuable suggestions on whatever they could. It didn't stop there, many sent special food for us: like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with only whole wheat flour. In the isolation of COVID-19 that year the communication between members stepped to fill in the void of loneliness. The jokes, the laughter, the shared memories all made the connection stronger. It became a one-stop info point for all home delivery options, to sales, to changing COVID-19 policies. The support was immense. From the old members I got to meet the new ones. While I was there the board changed and the new board extended the same level of help with all the lockdown on/off mode. The SSA Pakistan remains a 'MAYKA' to all who have been part of it. I hope this replicates to other locations because in these times this support has been amazing. 12

THE NEW NORMAL BY FATIMA IMRAN MALIK, SSA ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

I had finally achieved my dream of becoming a doctor, knowing it would be tough, but I never thought think it would be this awful, a living nightmare . I was expecting huge amounts of stress and a variety of diseases to treat, I knew that it would be difficult and that watching people die and suffer would be common. However, I did not know I would experience the horror of watching family members not being able to say goodbye to their loved one, of watching people stand outside wards begging to see their parents, of young and old clamoring for beds and oxygen to save the lives of who they loved. I still remember when things devolved into the nightmare of the first wave. There was fear and intimidation, the country was in complete lockdown. Cinemas had shut, restaurants weren’t allowed to operate, wedding halls closed, only essentials were allowed and masks were mandatory. Takeaways, delivery services and online shopping services boomed, schools and offices were closed. All conventional things had become unconventional. ‘Was this supposed to be normal?’ I wondered. I applied to my job in March 2020 knowing full well that this unknown virus was extremely dangerous and I could very much lose my life. I joined in April 2020 and hoped for the best, deep down hoping nothing would happen. Things really got out of hand on Eid ul Fitr at the end of May 2020. The holidays were 6 days long and people met each other as was custom. That meant COVID-19 made its rounds around the country and into our brittle glass-like lungs and shattered them. The cases essentially skyrocketed; suddenly N95 masks were sold like gold bars and oxygen was more rare than diamonds, people begged and screamed for beds to be made available and they were always occupied, phone calls to other hospitals ended on the same note: that was first sad and sorry, then eventually monotonous and hollow: ‘Sorry doctor, but no beds are available at this time’. Sometimes I caught myself staring at the clock whenever I had a rare minute to myself, I was waiting for the end of my shift, packed in a COVID19 suit for hours sweating in the June heat under layers and layers of protective equipment telling myself it would be over soon. It was lonely and quiet as all doctors and staff were spread thin. We fought with what we had trying to our best, often all we could do was help people breathe. We prayed for a vaccine and continued to fight the pandemic. Ventilators had become short, everyone breathless and their fevers running high. Only the voices changed but the complaints were the same, ‘Help me doctor’, ‘He said he couldn’t breathe’, etc. For months that continued until the wave have died down. People began to believe that everything would be alright and be back to ‘normal’. 13

Around August things seemed to improve and I still dream of those days, the workload was immense in the hospital but still it seemed hopeful. The number of COVID-19 cases had decreased in the entire country. It seemed the normal world would be back.

If only that ‘normal’ would exist: the virus yet again reared its ugly head around October 2020 in Pakistan. The cases began to rise and by November the second wave had already taken many prisoners with different collection of symptoms and a worse outcome. Currently the third wave is abound, Pakistan has just come out of another lockdown, slightly easing its restrictions only because of the hope that the large scale vaccinations would curb the mortality rate. With ‘normal’ now a thing of the past, one can hope that the ‘new normal’ sees an end to this virus.

LOCKDOWN STORIES QUARANTINE IN MEXICO BY VICTORIA VEGA CASTILLO, SSA MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

I am Victoria Vega Castillo de Castaneda (Peruvian), coordinator of the Mexico City SSA Chapter, and I will tell a little about what I experienced during the middle of the year 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The global pandemic of COVID-19 surprised everyone. Foreigners without family in Mexico, the pandemic distressed us and drastically changed our daily routine, especially our physical and mental state.

More than a year has passed and we have kept a strict quarantine as a family with all the necessary health and safety measures to be safe in body and mind. I consider that the family is very important and my children are the engine that drive my life facing difficulties, disturbances and low moods. My house as expected was divided into office rooms, virtual classes and constant games. We had to establish rules of harmony so that the children did not feel stressed for so many days in confinement. Antonella, 7 years old, and Sebastien, 3 years old, were always this engine of moving forward and with their faith always in God. My girl entered 1st grade and my boy entered 1st kindergarten attentive in virtual classes, a new modality that we had to understand and be patient with. 14

Within the play activities that I schedule so that they would feel happy, loved, calm and with the hope that this virus will soon go away, I turned a part of my living room into a small mural where they expose their talents, dance, tell stories, fantasy stories, costumes, etc. Just at the beginning of this year we started going out one day per week to exercise the children outdoors. Thank God they did not get sick during this time with a balanced diet, vitamins and exercise.

God always accompanies us in our lives and especially during this difficult stage of the pandemic that paralyzed many areas of the world. My family is my greatest blessing from God. Belonging to a family means being part of something wonderful. You will love and be loved for the rest of your life no matter what happens.

AUSTRALIA IN WONDERLAND BY SONIA BUMRAH, SSA PERTH, AUSTRALIA

Hello to My Lovely SSA World Family, I really do hope that you all are doing well and keeping safe at these times. Well, here in Perth as you might know we have been extremely lucky comparatively to the rest of the world. At the beginning of last year everything was normal until March, when Australia entered in a lockdown period just like the rest of the world, but everyone acted very fast and followed the rules. As a result, we were out of the confinement within 2 MONTHS! Since then, we only went into lockdown twice and lasted for a week or so. The restriction that is still on is we are not allowed to cross borders within Australia so if we have to travel we would have to do quarantine.

We are so lucky to have such an understanding community here that follows all the rules like social distancing, signing in when we enter any kind of business or restricting social gatherings to a small number of people. We can enjoy living an almost normal life with no other kind of measures.

Having said that, we face some difficulties as well, like over stocking the pantry or we could’t find some everyday use items in supermarkets as people were afraid and very uncertain about the situation, but we recover fast and didn’t lose the trust in our community. Everyone is ready to help if you need.

Now, regarding our SSA Family, we were very close! Before the pandemic started, we all have to bid goodbyes to a few friends as the Company was releasing them. Immediately afterwards this happened, so there was not much time to recover. Therefore, we took the first opportunity that we had to arrange meetings and activities, and keep talking to each other. I think that’s the most important thing: We keep in touch with each other. I do have a lot to say and share but if anyone knows me I am bit chatty so not taking much of your time and in hope that everything will come to normal again very soon I have to say bye and please keep safe! 16

RIO DE JANEIRO, A CITY TO FALL IN LOVE WITH! BY LAURA VERGARA, SSA RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Pandemic or no pandemic, this is a very special place to live. You have the opportunity to enjoy this marvelous city, even though many times it was just with your eyes.

2020 and 2021 were the years I saw my 2 little ones graduating from High School (I have 4 children)… Virtual classes, virtual exams, virtual graduations. It's amazing to see how the younger generations took this time to accept and go with the flow… I am so proud of them!

FAMILY - QUALITY TIME BY MARYESTHER LEON, SSA BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

During the look down we tried to do as many activities with our son as we could. From "Pool day" – a plastic pool in our very very small terrace hahaha – up to "Mother and son spa day". We decided that this was an opportunity to create a bond as a family and every Friday was party night with music – cocktails for mom and dad – and dancing. Every birthday and anniversary was like a big party with decorations, cake and everything just for us. We decided to enjoy the positive side of this situation.

COVID-19 JOURNEYS MOVING DURING THE PANDEMIC BY ELSA SCHEFFLER, SSA LONDON & GATWICK, UNITED KINGDOM

As I write these lines, sitting at home in my kitchen outside London, it is hard to imagine that only a few months ago I was sitting in my other kitchen in another continent in another house. We moved from Mexico City to London in September 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. Moving is always a complicated affair, and I think that after our 5th or 6th move (we’re on our 12th!) I started joking that I wouldn’t wish an international move even to my worst enemy (just to clarify, I don’t have enemies, I’m just prone to exaggerate sometimes). Even without pandemic, all the papers and procedures that need to be done before moving take time and patience. This time, all Embassies and Consulates were closed, so we had to wait for good fortune to smile upon us to procure our visas. Nothing was certain, so our kids started the new school year online in their old school in Mexico City, although they were already accepted in their new school in London, which had in-person classes, so there was no way they could join online. Two weeks into the new school year, our visas were granted and all of a sudden it was time to leave! Once we arrived in the UK, we had to do a 15-day mandatory quarantine, which was perfect to get over the jet lag before the kids could go to school. I can’t say enough how much I admire my children and their resilience. Even though the country was on lockdown, schools were open, and it was hard to understand why everybody had to stay home except them, they had to go to school! They handled it all with aplomb and grace, and luckily the school had strong measures to keep everyone safe. In the meantime, we found a house, just in time for our shipment to arrive on December 16. Unpacking 180 boxes while setting up the Christmas Tree was also a first! There is a kind of magic that happens without you even noticing it. That moment when you are sitting in your new kitchen in your new house in your new country and you look around and think “It feels like home”. Until next time!

Cheers to you if you are moving soon, I wish you patience and good luck!

LET'S MOVE! BY NEERAJA NICHANAMETLA, SSA PUNE, INDIA

Move! The minute we hear this word, we all feel restless till we find a home at our new location (or at least I do). On top of that, there’s dealing with the amount of stress with the existing pandemic. It was just 19 months for us in Abu Dhabi, and we were not expecting a move anytime soon. Then suddenly, we came to know about Schlumberger’s reorganisation and we had to move. We were asked to relocate to Pune, that was back in April 2020. At that point in time, there were no international flights, everything was a mystery. We were able to catch a lucky break as we didn’t need a visa this time. At least there was one less thing to take care of. Then, we hit a standstill. Nothing seemed to be running till the end of June. We tried exploring options through Vande Bharat (an operation to get all Indians stuck outside of India back home) but to no avail. The tickets were under great demand and only people with health issues or extenuating circumstances were given preference. The days felt so long with no solutions popping up or an end in sight. Then, we thought we had caught our break when our tickets were booked from Pune office. We were relieved, winding everything up, packing dates were fixed and hotels in Abu Dhabi and Pune were booked. Things kept going on and we managed to snag a packing date. Just one week left for packing and then the bombshell email arrived in my inbox. I couldn't believe what I was reading: flights were cancelled and nobody knew when they will be rescheduled. The situation was back to square one again. Without a flight, the rest was in vain. My son and I were very upset, but there wasn't anything we could realistically do. The days kept passing and packing dates were postponed for another two weeks. We were keeping our fingers crossed and just hoping for a solution.. Every morning was like the day’s briefing that police officers have. All of us were reading updates for flights to India and sharing them. Eventually, it became a routine for us. One specific day during morning tea we were sharing all the knowledge about the updates on flights. I had heard that the 4th batch of the Vande Bharat mission was going to start and the Government of India had eased its rules. They were allowing all people to travel in Vande Bharat flights! This was the break we needed but also our last resort as the Government was not allowing any other flights than Air India.

So I, anticipating the demand, rushed to get the tickets at its respective stand. By some stroke of luck, they didn’t open the windows for other cities, so the Air India office was pretty empty and I was the first person that day to fetch the tickets. From then on, it was relatively smooth sailing as everything went as per our plans. However, just before the day of packing I was feeling overwhelmed thinking about the journey ahead of me until we settled in Pune. My whole body was drenched in sweat and I almost got a panic attack. Fortunately, a friend was there to comfort me, 20

she said “There are so many people traveling and they are safe.” It was the confidence I needed. After our packing days, I went shopping to buy all the safety attire which was very much needed for my mental peace. I was cooked! The entire family moved to a hotel at the end of July and on August 4th, we landed in Mumbai. Schlumberger had arranged everything that was needed to reach Pune from Mumbai. However, that was not without its struggle! After a bit of saying something over and over again. The airport authorities relented and gave us the permission to leave the airport. We left the airport, and settled down in the car and took a VERY deep breath. Our day started before sunrise in Abu Dhabi but by the time we got on the road to Pune it was late at night. We were exhausted and finally got the chance to realize that all our stomachs were growling. I then remembered that we couldn’t stop anywhere because of lockdown restrictions. I couldn’t believe my eyes to see the streets of Mumbai so empty, the same streets that you can’t imagine without gridlocked traffic. The city that never sleeps seemed to finally be taking a nap. Like a blessing, the driver handed over a bag full of snacks with a drink to each one of us. I couldn’t ask more than that. I have to say that we were overjoyed, thankful for the wonderful arrangements made and for making every step of the way easy in Pune. The next part of the journey was a little slower. We quarantined for a couple of weeks in Marriott Suites. I eventually started hunting for homes online, but I had to take a few days of break first. Then we did something that I never imagined doing before. We took virtual tours of houses and finalized the final one within our quarantine period. Something about finalizing my house with a virtual tour is comedic to me. I suppose this could be the future, not just during lockdown.

Exactly a month after leaving our old home in Abu Dhabi we stepped through the doors of our new home in Pune. After this roller coaster ride, we entered a beautiful home that we couldn’t be happier with. I am happy to be able to share this experience with all of you in the pandemic. It’s an unbelievable (and at times a ragtag) journey. We had to meet many people, beginning from packers to plumbers to get the move done. Makes you think about everything that has to fall into place even during a regular move. Finally however, with blessings and the support from Schlumberger, the journey is a retrospective cakewalk.

MAYAN RUINS BY IRINA GARAEVA, SSA VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO

We moved to Mexico in February 2020, just before quarantine started. And it was such a pity to live close to the famous places preserved from the times of ancient civilization and not to be able to visit them! I’m talking about Mayan ruins. Eight months after our arrival we could finally travel by car and visit some open archaeological sites nearby. Because of the anti-COVID-19 measures it was almost impossible to go to these sites after lunch because there were restrictions concerning maximum number of people that could visit them per day. In the time of our visit, it was 600 people per day in Palenque and 3000 people in Chichen Itzá. Because of that rule, for example, we couldn’t enter Cholula pyramid as at 12.30pm all the tickets available for that day had been already sold. As a measure of prevention crowding in a confined space it was also forbidden to climb any pyramids in any place or to enter inside the temples. By now we have visited 5 remnants of Mayan cities. Of course, a book can be written about each one, but I’m going to mention just some facts: The most magical city we have visited was Palenque (Chiapas). It’s hidden inside the rainforest and the atmosphere there is really magical. They say that a lot of resources are needed to clear the territory, because due to high humidity, any building quickly becomes overgrown with vigorous vegetation. That’s why a huge part of the city is still covered by jungle. Palenque is a unique place because its highest pyramid was not the most important religious building like in other Mayan cities. It was a tomb of its famous ruler – Pakal. Chichen Itzá (Yucatan state) is a worldwide celebrity. And it’s really worth visiting: it’s huge and very well preserved. But you must be prepared to be surrounded by a lot of tourists (even now during COVID-19 restrictions!) and to be hailed by many souvenirs vendors. It’s also hard to enjoy the city because of the weather. Even in December when we were there it was unbearably hot! As you may imagine it could be better without the masks, but not these times. Cobá (Quintana Roo) is a quiet place with several distinct areas connected by “sacbeob” or “white roads”. There is evidence that they were originally coated with limestone stucco or plaster. It was a pleasure to walk there! The highest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula is located in Cobá. Tulum archaeological site (Quintana Roo) has an incredibly beautiful location on the seaside. This city served as a major port for Cobá and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Edzná (Campeche) is a relatively small city that is interesting due to a mixture of several Mayan architectural styles.

Amazing evidence of a great ancient civilization! Unfortunately, now we can travel only with masks and sanitizers. But still, we can enjoy seeing new places and learning more about different cultures. And for sure we hope for the better future! 22

UNDER THE SAME SUN BY PATRICIA BONILLA, SSA RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

When the pandemic first hit, I was living in Mexico City, a country that I had fallen in love with. We had received notice of our transfer to Rio de Janeiro a couple months prior and so I found myself saying my goodbyes in an unusual way and discovering a new place in a social-distanced way.

I had the wonderful opportunity to say goodbye to the beaches of Mexico in a short trip to Acapulco in June 2020. We spent four days there and enjoyed the stunning sunsets.

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro in early August, and found a wonderful place to live across the street from the beach of São Conrado. I have been waking up really early in the morning to appreciate the beautiful sunrises.

In the end, wherever we are, we all enjoy the same sun. These moments under the sun really give me a sense of appreciation for the small things we have every day and sometimes forget to appreciate.

STUCK IN LOCKDOWN BY VALERIA BRASILI, SSA ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

It was March 6th, 2020. I was drinking my morning tea on a Friday that looked as any other in my hometown in Argentina. My husband had traveled to our new location a month ago: Abu Dhabi, and he was just recovering from a strong influenza that he got one week after arriving. COVID-19 was starting to give some headaches, but his results came positive for Type A Influenza which gave him fever for a week. The plan was that on March 11th, 2020 I would be traveling to Abu Dhabi as a tourist to get to know it and to be of some companionship to my convalescent hubby. That would cheer him up! I would spend two weeks there, a week in Madrid visiting friends, and finally would go home to finish the move as by May 2020 my Residence papers would be ready. I would also be arriving in Buenos Aires just in time for my best friend's wedding, taking place in April. But life had different plans! That Friday morning, out of the blue, I received a call from my husband telling me he had bad news: He had just been informed he would be leaving to the field in 5 days and would stay there for 2 months. “If you don't come today to Abu Dhabi, do not come at all”. But I was 30 hours away from Abu Dhabi! Long story short, two days afterward I arrived in Dubai with a 11kg suitcase, enough for a few days of holidays. Lucky me, as on the 18th March the airports of the country were closed for good, the oil fields delayed their operations and the rest is history... My bestie's wedding had to be postponed, my own wedding was postponed (and then cancelled). My parents and friends had to empty our old apartment in May and we could finish our move to the other side of the world in January 2021! COVID-19 strongly reinforced the impredictability of life!

LOCAL STORIES PUMPKIN SEASON! BY MIHAELA VARIU, SSA HOUSTON, UNITED STATES

During the month of October a lot of Pumpkin Patches are available for families to go and pick their own pumpkins to carve. They are not really for eating, more for decorating the porches and the houses. Kids are doing activities at school, clubs or at home related to pumpkins (for instance, my kids had an activity sheet to estimate how many seeds are inside, if the pumpkin would float on water and carving jack'o'lanterns).

The special meal is for Thanksgiving in November and it has indeed some pumpkin varieties (smaller size than the ones for decoration) that can be cooked as appetizers, side dishes, soups or even desserts (pies).

HURRICANE SEASON! BY MIHAELA VARIU, SSA HOUSTON, UNITED STATES

Regarding Hurricanes, maybe the locals got used to it, but for us it's quite a headache! In Houston, hurricane season starts in June and lasts until November. All this time, we need to have an emergency kit with food, water, lanterns, and even generators, ready (Texans usually have a generator for the hurricane season). The weather channel and apps are followed daily as they announce the potential tropical storms forming in the Gulf and their trajectory, if they come towards Houston. There is an alphabet list for each storm and last year was so active that they finished all letters in the Latin alphabet and more than half of the Greek one. Last year hurricane Laura hit Louisiana and only some border cities in Texas and by the coast were affected. Houston was fine but under emergency warning as the storm trajectory can sometimes be unpredictable.

Some people do indeed leave their house before a major storm is announced, but they have to lift from the floor things that may get flooded and secure in the garden all items that might be affected / flying in the storms' strong winds. Also people usually want to protect their houses in case high water comes or even looting can occur unfortunately if houses are empty.

THE BEAUTIFUL OF SUN AND SAND OF THE DESERT BY IRMA INDRASARI, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Winter season is the best time to go outdoors, that's why this year we decided to go camping at Al Khatim desert which is located on the way to Al Ain from Abu Dhabi, about 80 kilometers from Abu Dhabi city. Because summers in the Gulf Countries are very hot, reaching more than 55 Celsius degrees of Feels like, we can only enjoy outdoor activities during winter. So, to spend our weekend, we chose the fresh air and the nature views of the desert. We have been living in Abu Dhabi for about 2.5 years, and finally I fell in love with the sand of the very beautiful desert, the best view during sunrise and sunset refreshed our mind.

We are so excited to welcome next winter and we are ready to explore!

SSA ACTIVITIES KIDS ART SSA PORT-GENTIL, GABON. MAY 2021

SSA MEMBERS FRAME MAKING SSA PORT-GENTIL, GABON. MAY 2021

ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE BY NEDJOUA YAKHLEF, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Beginning of 2020: AGM & the new SSA Dubai Board… I was honored to be elected as SSA Chapter’s Coordinator, after a previous role as SSA Activities Coordinator. In either position, it was very pleasant to be a part of the team and contribute in voluntary activities. I believe the SSA team has a great potential, and the best is yet to come. The results achieved so far are the outcomes of team efforts and dedication, the team spirit made me eager to deploy my leading skills and manage the board matters too with an outmost commitment and cooperation. Together as one group, we were stronger for longer. Kickoff Activities for 2020 After our great AGM, prepared on January, we held an in-person meeting as usual for board handovers. As part of activity planning, the team proposed Yoga and Zumba classes in an outdoor pleasant environment (Safa Park). The workouts and exercises were organized through February and March 2020, right before the lockdown and were much appreciated by all our guests. Lockdown and safety restrictions in Dubai Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and in-line with UAE safety initiatives and Schlumberger Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) has requested to temporarily postpone all in person SSA events until further notice. The rules of social distancing and lockdown became challenging as time passed. And since these conditions were applied on the global level, the quality of social life got sensitively affected and options for activities and entertainment were reduced to a minimum that guaranteed the personal and group safety. At this point in time, every member had a clear understanding upon the new situation related to COVID-19, SSA members were aware that people safety was the outmost priority and that the SSA events have been postponed for a good reason. Despite the lockdown, time did not allow the usual members interaction and gathering. The effort to limit the pandemic spread became one of the SSA Dubai's targets. Online meetings involvement… When COVID-19 outbreak and teleworking first hit the fan, the board was reaching out to find out options in order to keep members engaged during the lockdown. The pre-COVID-19 plans were reviewed and adapted to comply with the ongoing safety measures, furthermore, we have looked into ways to boost the team’s wellbeing during these extraordinary times. Adopting new ways of having meetings and planning our events, presented new challenges and uncertainties on the way of motivating the team and managing the events. I was often wondering how do I make to regroup the most board members in one-day time? And how do I make sure team members that are working from home are still feeling involved and part of the big picture? 29

Finally, the SSA Dubai Board had a chance to held multiple online meetings with a variety of topics. It was fundamental that the SSA continues to assist our community through online support that may creatively bring the team together across the digital world. While there are many aspects of in-person events that might not be replicated on digital form, the board planned few Quizzes’ competitions, Language classes, cultural events and Toddlers group activities. These opportunities have definitely strengthened the link between members and were beneficial for all on the long run. The Quizzes’ Competition… TIME OF EXCITEMENT SSA board was continuously preparing these online quizzes and competition times for the wellbeing of its members, aiming to maintain a dynamic spirit within the community. We have seen more engagement and proactive contribution from our valued members, which had definitely increased the group motivation and kept the SSA energized. 1. FOOD OF THE WORLD QUIZ, April 2020: to participate, it was simply required to answer a set of questions and send them by email. The winner of the prize was the first person with the most correct and quickest answers. 2. KAHOOT QUIZ, May 2020: We used Kahoot, which is a game-based learning platform that made it easy to create, share and play the quiz. The event was played on 3 rounds over 3 weeks. Instructions and Pin code were sent to participants and 3 top ranked received a prize. 3. ONLINE LANGUAGE CLASS, May 2020: A short video was shared online with SSA Dubai members to learn some words in Arabic and German Language. 4. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ, June 2020, This was played with code access to Nearpod. One winner & one prize. 5. WORLD FOOD QUIZ, October 2020: the SSA Dubai organized a quiz competition about World’s Food Day to celebrate the 75th Anniversary. International Day… THE EXCLUSIVE EVENT During this time of severe Lockdown, the SSA Dubai had organized an ONLINE INTERNATIONAL DAY, with cultural content as virtual countries visit passing through art galleries, cultural costumes and global recipes. Major information has been shared through videos across one week of festivities. This year the journey took us to: Algeria, Egypt, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Malta, Russia, United Kingdom and Ukraine…reflecting the team diversity. Our Cultural Event was eagerly successful due to considerable efforts from our valued members who strive to represent their cultural identities. The event was special and astounding in terms of uniqueness and exclusiveness. It helped us to stay connected and learn about each other’s diverse cultures... The occasion was to promote culture and highlight the meaning of its diversity as an agent of insertion and positive change. It was an opportunity to celebrate culture’s manifold forms. We had great moments discovering beautiful countries, different places from the same globe trips via short videos posted in Facebook page and we had a chance to explore the countries in less than 05 minutes.

Mother Language Week: Challenging part The SSA Dubai held an online event to celebrate "Mother Language week" on December 2020, entitled: "Languages without borders". The contribution consisted on translating a basic sentence in English into other languages. We had great moments learning new languages through 9 constructive videos. Toddlers & Kids inspiration: The Cherished group We have always given importance to our toddlers and kids in the SSA Dubai. The association organized an artwork competition for children between 5 to 19 years old. SSA Dubai's got Talent theme: World Children's Day Celebration. “Happiness & Joy". The SSA Dubai also organized a virtual activity for toddlers under 5 years overlapping the UAE national day. Lockdown Newsletters During this lockdown, we were focusing on the best way to produce Newsletters. We made 6 editions with cultural information, recipes, Dubai’s attraction and more. I hope that our members and the global community have enjoyed reading them as we posted them via Facebook pages. The SSA Dubai in 2021: New year, New hope CHARITY EVENT: AGENDA’S PRIORITY The gift of giving is a wonderful feeling. It’s a happy moment seeing the smile on the faces as they open each gift you’ve picked out just for them. Acting on these projects is a great way to reinforce your personal values and feel like you are living in a way that is true to your ethical beliefs. The SSA Dubai was energetically working to shape the first activity this year: “Charity Event” and invited all the members to be part of this volunteer day in order to renew the annual commitment to the association.

WELCOMING NEWCOMERS 2020-2021 Aiming to support the community during this pandemic, the SSA Board has made enormous efforts to welcome the newcomers with appropriate process inline with the safety restrictions and measurements. The SSA Dubai is always present with open arms to introduce new members and be a part of our strong team! We hope we can together help the community grow bigger and broader. 31

PARTY AT HOME & DONATIONS BY DENNIS CAMINO PALADINES, SSA BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

We wanted to enjoy a great moment with all of our members and celebrate mothers and fathers! Due to the pandemic, we haven´t seen each other's families since early 2020; however, we wanted to spend a great afternoon together by Zoom. This time we enjoyed the participation of 43 members and their families. In this opportunity, on May 29th, we decided to bring the celebration to our homes, organizing a party cooking and cocktail classes via Zoom! We cooked a wonderful Colombian dish “Arepa de Chócolo”, with a great Cowboy Meat and a delicious wine sauce and for cocktails we enjoyed being our own bartenders and made a marvelous sangria. We spent together a great afternoon with our families and friends! We carried out a campaign for Charity to help babies and their mothers through the Foundation “Fundmadre”, which is a non-profit organization. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life of pregnant mothers in a situation of poverty. The participants donated baby stuff including cribs and baby carriages. The donations were delivered on May 28th to the foundation.

In June, we organized another campaign to collect food and diapers in order to collaborate with "Foundation Santa María de Guadalupe" to help the elderly in a state of abandonment.

KETTLE PAINTING VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SSA MUMBAI, INDIA. JANUARY 2021

The SSA Mumbai, embraced January 2021 with its first activity of virtual Kettle Painting Worskshop, wherein the members who had signed up for the event, joined and collaborated for a splendid session of art and painted diverse designs on the kettle like pros, all gathered on Zoom. It was an hour and a half activity session, duly enjoyed by the members, which winded up with some extraordinary creations evident on the respective kettles very distinctly. The activity team does a lot of planning in making these events happen seamlessly. We used an event management company that organises a lot of workshops like these. The activity coordinator generally collects the names and addresses of the members interested in participating and sends them to the art instructor. Due to the pandemic, most of our members had moved out of Mumbai to their hometowns. The art instructor then sent us all the kits for the kettle painting workshop to our respective addresses. This reached us few days before the planned session date. The workshop was conducted on Zoom and the instructor walked us through the process step by step. It was a huge hit amongst the chapter and the kids got involved too.

Since then we have done a few more art workshops like Resin art tray making, kids Christmas decoration painting and we have an alcohol ink painting and macrame workshop coming up in the future too.

DOODLE ART BY NABANITA NAG PAL, SSA MUMBAI, INDIA

I have been doing this for quite some time. I do freelance science illustration but these life related realization is new and was developed during lockdown period.

HSE ACTIVITIES SSA LAGOS, NIGERIA

After more than a year, the SSA Lagos members finally resumed with their activities. The first meeting was an online conference held in March with topic #choosetochallenge in commemoration of the Women’s Month and it was a big success. The second meeting, held on 29th April, was the first physical meeting in a very long time and it was a delight for the members to be together again. The main highlights of this event were the election of the board members and the HSE talk presented by the Nigeria HSE Manager Omolara Ibikunle. The meeting started at 9.30am at Palmspring estate’s club house. After the welcome speech delivered by the Chapter Coordinator, the members proceeded with the election to fill the vacant board positions. Thereafter, the Nigeria HSE manager shared a presentation on mental health. The presentation has been really appreciated by the spouses as many of them were able to relate to the subject either because they had to face it personally or because some relatives or friends had to. Mental health in COVID-19 time is an important topic and knowing more about it can help maintain a healthy lifestyle and save lives.

The SSA Lagos hopes to organize many fun activities this year for the spouses and the families with due respect to COVID-19 barrier measures so stay tuned!

FROM FACE TO FACE TO VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES BY BARBARA JOOS-VANDEWALLE, SSA HOUSTON, UNITED STATES In an effort to keep our SSA members motivated, our chapter active and their minds off this pandemic, which is scary for us all, I encouraged all SSA Club Leaders to consider taking their monthly clubs online. We had 14 clubs hosting an online activity every month during the pandemic, up until May 2021. Book Club: I would say slightly increased attendance with virtual clubs allowing more members all over Houston to join in. Craft Club: always popular, but virtual classes were able to accommodate more members. An average of at least 20 members attended per month. Games Club: attendance increased substantially with virtual classes Moms & Kids Club: I do believe attendance was higher in person, as different things were done with the kids at different locations each month. However, an average 4 members and their children joined the online club and they did themed crafts. Photography Club: attendance was much better in-person, but during the pandemic, our Club Leader hosted many informative online teaching classes. Yoga Club: as a member of this club, I do believe prior to the pandemic, inperson attendance was slightly higher, but our yoga teacher has been really resourceful in keeping monthly attendance at an average of 11 members every month. English, French and Spanish Clubs: our 3 language classes are very popular amongst our members with an average of 7, 5 and 13 members respectively attending virtually per month. From past experience though, I think in-person classes did have a slightly higher attendance, but our leaders (all new leaders I might add), are doing an absolutely amazing job keeping lessons fun, interactive and exciting for the members. Coffee Clubs: we have 5 different coffee clubs that hosted monthly coffees inperson prior to 2020, which were really very well attended. As a chapter, with decreased attendance to the individual coffee clubs held via zoom, we opted to try one All Area Coffee club. Although on average we had about 15 members attend monthly, our coffee clubs definitely did not fare as well, at all, in the virtual format. So on our joint calendar shared with all the club leaders, they each enter a date on which they will host their club in the month. I then set up a Zoom Meeting and send them the zoom meeting ID and password for their club, for that day. The leaders send out Eventbrite invitations to all their members and the Zoom meeting information is then forwarded to only the members that registered to attend the event, a day or so before the meeting. All members then joining the zoom are checked in on Eventbrite and a photo is taken to post onto the SSA Houston Facebook page afterwards. It has taken a little tweaking here and there to get it to work, but with an amazing Chapter Coordinator, our motivated and always willing-to-help Board members, along with eager, proactive and adaptable Club Leaders, the online format has worked for us! However, everyone is keen to be able to meet up in-person again, as soon as it is safe to do so. 36

VIRTUAL YOGA BY ANA PAULA CAMARGO, SSA HOUSTON, UNITED STATES

It has been a pleasure to be able to help with the SSA activities. I started with the SSA Yoga Club online last September 2020 and it was very easy and manageable. It was something new that we had to adapt to the pandemic we were facing at the moment and I was impressed by the interest of people even being something new for them. I am having good attendance so far, and I feel that the participants are enjoying the class…so am I :) ! There are always some advantages and disadvantages for physical versus online presence. The good point about online activities is that people from different locations, from far way can participate. They don’t need to drive long distances to be present and they have more flexible time. On the other hand, physical presence can be more personal and the "teacher" can better observe the participants and more easily guide them with their postures.

I am very glad that the SSA could continue with most of the activities by making them online and could continue to provide opportunities for the spouses to learn new things!

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB BY BARBARA JOOS-VANDEWALLE, SSA HOUSTON, UNITED STATES

I joined the SSA Houston Book Club as a member as I wanted to read more and reduce my TV time, although I love my TV shows! I inherited the Book Club as their Club Leader, just to keep it going, and it has grown from 2 members attending in August 2019 to when I took over in September 2019 growing to 5, then 8, then 0 all the way to 14 members in January 2020 and 11 members in February 2020 in person, to when lockdown due to the pandemic, commenced. I decided to keep the Book Club going during the pandemic, as it would help keep our members positive, with something to do, to achieve and something to look forward each month. We started with 8 members attending virtually in March 2020 and finished up with 13 members attending in May 2021. I would say we have a monthly average of 10 members attending over that period. We also continued with Book Club during the summer last year, and are doing so again this year. As the club leader I do encourage ongoing member involvement: - requesting members to send in 3 book suggestions they'd like to read, for that month's specific genre - which I then check (number of pages in the book, does it fall within the month's genre, is is readily and freely available online and in our local libraries) - then I prepare a summary of the selected books that meet all the requirements, and this is sent out to all members to vote on (I ask for their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice). The book with the most votes is the one then selected for the month's read. At Book Club I also let our members know that they can read the book in any language, but our discussions will be held online, in English. When we met in person prior to the pandemic, we did alternate locations, to accommodate all members near and far. Zoom or virtual Book Clubs allows members from all over Houston to join in, irrespective of where they live. In the case of Book Club, going forward I would consider a hybrid model of in-person and virtual discussions, accommodating all members. We also have exciting, lively discussions about the books we read and each member rates the book read for the month, out of 5. Preparation by the leader, for Book Club, I think would be no different if we met in person or online.

As a thank you for attending the virtual Book Club, I either send the member a $5 coffee voucher (if we met in person I'd buy them a coffee) or sometimes I'll find a gift that fits in with the genre of the month we're reading, e.g. In March, we read a Western all about Texas, and I gifted the ladies with Texas shaped earrings. They loved it! They would either collect it from my front door, or it would be a direct delivery to their front door or an email gift card. 38

SSA QUIZ TIME! BY BARBARA JOOS-VANDEWALLE, SSA HOUSTON, UNITED STATES

With the pandemic raging through the entire world, my family and friends, scattered all over the globe, decided to have a monthly zoom meeting and to avoid talking about the pandemic. We did online quizzes together, where we each took a turn to prepare and host the quiz! And what fun that was!!! I always left these online get-togethers thankful for having escaped the craziness of what was happening, happy and hopeful, and looking forward to the next quiz ... which couldn't come soon enough! And then I thought, what about bringing this feeling of joy and escapism to my immediate SSA family here in Houston and as such I started the SSA Quiz Time club in June 2020, hosting a monthly quiz for members via zoom. When the club leader of the SSA Houston Board Games club left Houston, during the pandemic in 2020, I inherited that club too and merged both clubs together, calling it the SSA Houston Games Club.

So I prepare a quiz for our SSA members monthly, placing emphasis on just having fun together! It is made up of 5 different categories, with 8 questions and 1 bonus question in each category and they change every month. The total quiz is out of 50 points. I ask the joining members, the questions in a category, and then the member online, self marks their answer, giving me their score at the end of each round, which I tally. Although we do keep score, it is all about fun and perhaps "teaching" the members something new - anything from traditional dress; brain buster puzzles, road signs, fire and ems safety in the home, to logos and currencies, spot the difference games, guessing movie titles from their famous soundtracks, to missing ingredients in food recipes and guessing odd celebrity baby names! Anything goes and the members really have lots of fun! We always have a good giggle and a laugh, especially when someone says "I know the answer, but only in French", so we end up learning and sharing additional experiences from each other about ourselves and customs in our home countries!

At the end of each monthly quiz, each member receives a games-related participation gift that they either collect from my front door or is delivered to their door (sometimes one member who lives a little further away will collect for him/her and his/her neighbours close by). And one member, each month, by the spin of a wheel after the quiz, randomly, wins an additional lucky prize. So with regards to stats, the SSA BoardGames Club, prior to the pandemic had 3 members including the leader, attend monthly. Since doing the quiz, online, it has grown from 5 members attending the first quiz in June 2020 to 15 members a month attending in May 2021! Definitely a success! I find that zoom works really well. I prepare an animated presentation that I share on the screen, so whilst reading the questions out loud to the members joining, they can see them on the screen as well. All they need is a pen/cil and paper to play. I do the answers in the same way via the presentation, and then share the leaderboard stats after each category as well, promoting a little healthy competition amongst our members. If we do start meeting up in person again, I may very well continue the quizzes with our members, alternating an activity and a quiz, in person and online, every month, as I do feel that keeping the online component, if possible, will allow certain members who live an hour or so away from where I am, to still feel part of a group, a club, an extended SSA family!

Running a successful Games Club does take a bit of preparation and work on the part of the leader, but if it's something they enjoy doing, almost a passion, it's no work at all! And for me, seeing the members laugh and smile, having fun and learning something new each time we play online together, and so excited about next month's quiz before we even say goodbye this month, is what gives me the drive to do it all again for them next month!

SSA RECIPES BABA GHANOUJ BY ZAHRA YALLAOUI, SSA ABERDEEN, UNITED KINGDOM

To start spring in a healthier beat, the SSA Aberdeen launched a healthy cooking challenge. And it was a hit! More than 50 recipes and pictures of delightful meals were shared in our Facebook group, varying from breakfast to dinner, smoothies to bakes, appetizers to desserts! Ingredients: 2 medium roasted aubergines 2 cloves of garlic 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt 2 tablespoons of tahini Juice from half a lemon Salt to taste Instructions: Blend with a few ice cubes (2 or 3) to make it smoother (or use a food processor). Drizzle with olive oil. Pomegranate molasses is optional. Adjust the tahini and lemon to your liking.

UKRAINIAN SYRNIKI (COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES) BY YULIA ZAGORODNIA, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ingredients: 400 gr cottage cheese. 1 big egg. 5 tbsp. of sugar. Vanilla essence. 4 tbsp. of all-purpose flour

Instructions: Mix all the ingredients. Prepare separate plate with another 2 tbsps of flour in it. Scoop the mixture and roll it in the plate with flour to make a small flat round shape pancake. Fry on medium heat using sunflower oil. After getting the golden color, switch the sides. Usually to be served with sour cream 41

MALTESE BREAD BY CARMEN MAGRO, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

There is something undeniably special about the aroma of freshly baked bread. Why does it smell so good? What makes it hard to resist? Why had I not tried this before! Ingredients: (No Knead Method) 3 Cups of strong flour. (I only had Chapatti Flour which made a nice wholemeal loaf) 2 Tablespoons of yeast. 1 teaspoon of salt. 1 Tablespoon of olive oil Instructions: (makes one large loaf or four small ones) In a large bowl mix well all ingredients. The mixture will look rough and dry. Not to worry it will sort itself. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for at least 12 hours. I prefer overnight. When you are ready to bake, flour lightly a surface and transfer the now risen dough to it. Fold the dough three or four times and smooth to a ball. Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and leave to proof for a further hour. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Sprinkle some flour onto bottom of an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven. When oven is hot, brush top of dough with oil, then score it a few times with an oiled sharp knife. Sprinkle top with flaky salt. Put the dough on lightly oiled grease proof paper and very carefully transfer that to the Dutch oven. Cover pot and bake 35 minutes. Remove lid and bake until golden brown, 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack at least 30 minutes before consuming. Since then, I managed to make five loaves with varying success! And I loved it!

Maltese Sandwich Ingredients: Good quality tomato paste (known in Maltese as kunserva) Capers and slices pitted olives Chopped Onions and garlic Tinned tuna in oil, drained Tinned Cannellini Beans, drained, rinsed and dried Sea salt and pepper Flat leaf Parsley or Basil, leaves picked FRESH Extra virgin olive oil Instructions: Cut the bread middle horizontally. Spread tomato paste over the inner of ‘ftira’ bread. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and fill the bread. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil

PASTEL DE PAPA RECIPE BY ELINA OLASCOAGA, SSA RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Ingredients 700gr ground beef 1 yellow onion diced 1 scallion (green) onion, minced 3 boiled eggs, sliced 1kg white potatoes, smashed green olives, sliced pie dough salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, olive oil to taste it uses a 27cm diameter and 5 cm deep serving tray

Instructions: In a cooking pot sautee the yellow and green onions witn olive oil. Add the ground beef and mix all until it gets cooked. Add salt, paprika, pepper and cumin to taste. Reserve. Prepare the mashed potatoes in a firm consistency with butter, salt, pepper, little milk and nutmeg to taste. Pre heat the oven 250 degree Celsius. Grease the bottom and sides of the serving tray and then cover it with the pie dough. In the bottom layer put the ground beef mixture, then the boiled eggs slices and green olives and then the mashed potatoes to cover all to the top. Cook for 45min and Enjoy!

AYAM GULAI PADANG, PADANG STYLE CHICKEN CURRY BY LYDIA LUMBANRAJA, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ingredients: 2 tablespoon cooking oil, 3 lemon grass , bruised and chopped, 7 kaffir lime leaves, 6 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ star anise , 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces, 50 gram palm sugar, 5 gram tamarind pulp, 750 ml water, 200 ml coconut milk Grind the following into spice paste: 50 gram red chilies 40 gram galangal 10 shallots 3 cloves garlic 5 candlenuts 5 gram ginger 5 gram turmeric 2 teaspoon coriander ½ teaspoon cumin 2 teaspoon salt Instructions: Heat oil in a soup pot and fry the spice paste, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, and star anise until fragrant, around 3-5 minutes. Add chicken, palm sugar, and tamarind pulp. Cook until chicken pieces are no longer pink. Pour water into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked and tender. Pour the coconut milk and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn of the heat and serve immediately with steamed white rice. Enjoy!

MANGO WHOLEWHEAT PANCAKES BY SHILPA BHARAT, SSA MUMBAI, INDIA

It was Mango season and I’m always looking at ways to include more fruits and eggs into my sons diet. So I decided to experiment with mangoes and I’ve used Wheat flour in place of All purpose flour to make it a little more nutritious. You can substitute the mango with any other fruit or even vegetable to make savory pancakes, even add some nuts powder or oat flour to it. The options are endless. Ingredients: Wheat flour- 1/2 cup Baking powder- 1 tsp (skip this for babies) A pinch of salt 2 tbsp brown sugar Milk – 2 tbsp Pureed mango- ¼ cup Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp 1 egg Butter for greasing the pan Instructions: In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, whisk to combine the egg, vegetable oil, mango puree and milk. Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together without any lumps. Heat a non stick pan and grease with butter. Scoop out the pancake mix into mini sized portions and cook till you see bubbles forming on the top. Flip them and cook the other side. Serve it with honey or sliced fruits. My son loves it with cream cheese (Odd combo, I know right)!!

ALGERIAN COUSCOUS BY NEDJOUA YAKHLEF, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ingredients: 1 kg Couscous 500 g Lamb or Beef 2 Onions 1 fresh Tomato 3 Carrots 2 Zucchini 6 small Potato Some Chickpeas Half cup Oil Salt, black pepper and Paprika (plus any spices) 1 tbs Tomato paste 1 tbs Butter Instructions: Seal the meat with onions, oil, salt and pepper and other spices. After 5 min add one and a half liters of boiling water into the sauce pan with the meat and let cook for 20 minutes. Peel all the vegetables and cut into large pieces. Once the meat has cooked through add the vegetables into the sauce and leave to simmer on a low heat. To prepare the Couscous, add 2tbs of oil and pour 2 cups of water, then mix in the Couscous and leave to soak. Once soaked, steam for 10 to 15 minutes (repeat this step twice). When the Couscous is fully steamed add the butter. Put in the plate and serve with sauce, vegetables and meat.

EGGS WITH BASTERMA BY IJLAL REFAAT, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

It's very common in Egypt and one of the best breakfast dishes. Ingredients: Eggs Egyptian Basterma Butter Onions and chili (optional) Salt and pepper Instructions: Heat your nonstick pan, add the butter and Basterma cut in pieces. Stir for one minute. Add your vegetables. Then the eggs. Cook them you favorite way… Sunny side up, scrambled or omelet. 46

NO FROST CARROT AND WALNUT CAKE BY PALLAVI VAID, SSA ACCRA, GHANA

Hello there! This is Pallavi. I am currently living in Accra Ghana. It’s our 3rd year in Ghana and I cannot complain. I like it here. It is cozy, it is quiet and you can get all the help you need with your household chores. This last one year has been a crazy ride for all of us with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the human race. Many of us did lose our loved ones to this pandemic and it was too difficult to keep your sanity intact amid all the crisis. The first COVID-19 case was detected in Accra on 13th March 2020 and then schools decided to shut their gates close on 15th March. 2 months of online school followed by 2 months’ holidays and again 5 months of online classes when finally, things started to look little better here the schools did partial opening for kids whose parents were willing to send their wards for in person learning. I am one of those parents though it is little difficult sometimes since the scare is not completely over here as well and the fear stays in your mind. Too many what ifs keep messing your thought process now. With online lessons and kids at home all the time I was spending more time in kitchen cooking all the fried snacks they demanded, baking like thousands of cookies, cupcakes. Like million others I did enjoy first few weeks of lockdown doing all sorts of social media challenges, Dalgona coffee, one pot feta cheese pasta and tortilla sandwich wraps to name a few. Then my weighing scale scared me even more and had to resort back to healthy eating habits but not before trying all the fad easy to lose weight diet plans. The foodie inside me was quiet but sometimes it was too difficult for me to shut him up and I used to give it in all to its demands but not without adding some healthy twists to it (That’s how I try to pacify my brain to think that what I am eating is healthy). For North Indian kitchen baking is not a usual thing. Baking is once in a while affair for us. Our love for curries, lentils and vegetables and Indian breads is so strong and loyal that we just cannot devote enough time to any other form of cooking. But then once you get out of that comfort zone and start to experiment a bit with something out of it you get a different high in trying out new foods from different culture. The love for Jalebi and Gulab Jamun (Indian desserts) has not faded away but I now enjoy the company of Tiramisu and cakes more.

Ingredients: 2 large eggs 3/4 cup canola oil 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon dash salt 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups grated carrots 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until combined. Mix in the flour, stirring until the flour is fully incorporated in. Fold in the carrots and walnuts. Grease your baking tray well. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-37 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once the cake has cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve. This one tastes heavenly with a cup of coffee. You can anyway frost the cake with your choice of frosting but cream cheese frosting goes best with this cake (That’s what the bakers say).

PASTEL GORENG, INDONESIAN CRISPY FRIED PIES BY LYDIA LUMBANRAJA, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ingredients: Pastry 250 gram plain flour, 60 gram butter, 60 ml cold water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 egg Filling: Oil for frying, Boiled potatoes, finely chopped, 2 carrot, finely chopped, 100 gram beef minced / chicken minced, 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped, Salt, pepper & Sugar Instructions: Make the filling first. Heat oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add meat & carrots. Fry until the meat and carrots are done. Then season with salt, pepper and sugar. Add the potatoes and hardboiled eggs. Mix well and leave aside to cool. For the Pastry: Mix the flour with margarine, egg, and salt. Knead well and then add water little by little. Let it rest for 1/2 hour. Thenput a tablespoon of Oil and knead again until smooth. Roll the dough into paper thin. Cut the dough into circles 8 cm in diameter. Take a tbsp of filling and place in center. Fold pastry over to make half circle and crimp at edges. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.

NO ALCOHOL, NO CREAM TIRAMISU BY PALLAVI VAID, SSA ACCRA, GHANA

Ingredients: 3 large eggs. A packet of Lady finger biscuits. 250 gms. Mascarpone cheese. Black coffee (any coffee of your choice). Icing sugar half cup. Half cup small grain sugar (granulated sugar). Vanilla essence. Cocoa powder for sprinkling on top. Instructions: Make a pot of black coffee of your choice. Bring it to cool down to room temperature. Separate your egg yolks from the white in two large pots because you need to whisk them separately. Add granulated sugar to your egg yolks and with your electrical whisker whisk it until well combined. Add Vanilla essence to it. In a separate bowl add powdered sugar to the egg whites and whisk it till soft peaks and the white turns into a fluffy non dripping meringue consistency. Add mascarpone cheese to your egg yolk and sugar mixture and combine well. Once combined, add the egg whites gradually and keep folding into the mixture and not mixing it swiftly. You don’t want to lose the airy texture. Once mixed, dip the lady fingers to your coffee, quick count to two and remove it and layer your tray or container. Once you get a layer of soaked lady fingers, add a heaped spoonful of your eggs and cheese mix on top and smoothen it. Then another layer of soaked lady fingers followed by another layer of eggs and cheese fluff. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top and put it in refrigerator for at least 5-8 hours before you start enjoying it. I hope you like these two recipes. These are my all-time favorite easy to make desserts.

I hope and pray for this pandemic to be over soon so that we all can go out and enjoy our favorite places and I do not have to cook anymore for myself to curb my cravings. Well one thing this pandemic sure has taught us is that we can be a baker, a patisserie chef, a halwai (sweet maker). With school holidays starting this week I know one thing that now most of my time will be spent in the kitchen. Uff! This Pandemic and cooking!

PAN DE JAMÓN VENEZOLANO (2 UNITS, 18 SERVINGS) BY MARYESTHER LEON, SSA BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

One of the activities that we did in Bogota – Colombia during our lockdown in 2020 was for our International Day on October. We invite all our members to send us a recipe of a typical meal of their country to share with the group, and we created a recipe book with all of them. For all the participants we sent them a gift with native articles and the print book. Below you will find a recipe that is a classic of the Christmas dinner in Venezuela: “Pan de Jamón (pronounced PAN de HAM-on) is a savory rolled bread that is a staple on Venezuelan tables during the December holiday season. This bread is thought to have originated in 1905 in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, at Gustavo Ramella’s Bakery. Gustavo was looking for a way to use up leftover pieces of holiday ham, so he rolled them in a soft and fluffy dough and baked it! The result was a savory, rolled bread that exploded in popularity. As it grew in popularity, people began to make their own adaptions on the bread, and ham with olives and raisins became the most popular version.” (Took from https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/pan-de-jamon/) Ingredients 250 grams of sweet pork ham 200 grams of bacon Raisins Pitted olives 50 grams of sugar 50 grams of butter 2 eggs 10 grams of salt 10 grams of yeast 200 grams of warm water 550 grams of all-purpose flour Instructions: In a ball place the yeast and add 100g of the warm water and 10 grams of the sugar, mix and let it rest for 15 minutes. Once the yeast has expanded, add the flour, the eggs, the melted butter, the rest of the water, the rest of the sugar and the salt to the ball, knead it (it can be done by hand or with a mixer used for mixtures bread) until it comes off your fingers. The dough is cut into 2 equal portions and stretched with a rolling pin until it forms a rectangular shape. Once the dough is thin and rectangular in shape, place the olives, ham, bacon and raisins as shown in picture. The dough is rolled up and an edge is left where thick stripes are made to close the bread.

The procedure is repeated for the other part of the dough, and both loaves are placed on a tray. They are covered with a kitchen lid and then covered with a black bag. Place the tray in a hot area (it can be inside the oven without turning it on) and let it rest for 2 to 3 hours, so that the dough grows. Once the 3 hours have passed, the bread is pierced throughout with a fork. And the bread is varnished with an egg white and melted brown sugar. Bake at 180 ° C for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and ready to eat!!!!

CHINGRI MAACHER MALAI CURRY A.K.A. THE BENGALI STYLE PRAWNS IN COCONUT CURRY BY PIA DEY VERMA, SSA MUMBAI, INDIA Prawns and coconut are a match made in culinary heaven! This dish is a personal favourite. It represents indulgence, slow cooking, family, long lunches with everyone talking all at once and siesta to me. I have used this recipe for many years now and is a personal favourite. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients: 1 kg large freshwater prawns/tiger prawns (cleaned and deveined. I like to keep the shells and head intact and clean the prawns by cutting through the shell) 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) 2 bay leaves 2 green cardamoms 1 inch piece cinnamon 4 cloves 2 medium red onions made into a paste 1 tbsp ginger paste 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder (less heat, LOADS of colour!) 1/4th cup yoghurt (beaten well) 6 green chillies – slit and de-seeded 300 ml coconut milk 100 ml warm water Salt to taste 1 tbsp sugar ½ tsp garam masala (toast 8 green cardamoms, 1 tsp cloves and 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks each 2 inches long in a pan, cool and grind to a powder. Sieve and store in a glass jar) ¼ th cup freshly grated coconut (optional) Instructions: 1. Marinade the prawns with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp turmeric powder, and set aside for atleast 30 minutes. 2. Heat vegetable oil in a pan or a wok. Cook the prawns in batches for 2 minutes each and set aside. (Tip: Overcooking the prawns make them rubbery!) 3. Now add ghee to the residual oil and add dried red chillies, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Fry for 30 seconds. Do not allow the spices to burn! 4. Add onion paste and sugar, and fry till onions are brown, stirring frequently. 5. Add ginger paste and fry for another 3–4 minutes. 6. Mix turmeric and kashmiri red chilli powders with a tbsp of water and add it to the pan. Fry and stir frequently, making sure that the spices don’t burn. Add a splash of water of you see the spices sticking to the pan. 7. Add three slit green chillies and salt now and continue frying. 8. Once oil starts separating from the spices, lower the heat and add the beaten yoghurt, stirring vigorously so that the yoghurt doesn’t split. Cook it for 3–4 minutes. 53

9. Add coconut milk and water and bring to a boil on low heat. 10. Add the fried prawns, cover and let it bubble. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. 11. Add the garam masala amd the grated coconut, stir, cover and switch off the heat. Let the curry sit for 5 minutes before serving with steamed rice.

BASBOUSSA, BAKED ALGERIAN SEMOLINA CAKE BY NEDJOUA YAKHLEF, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ingredients: 4 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar (can be reduced to 3/4), 1/2 cup oil (sunflower or a mix of olive and sunflower), 1 cup milk, 2 cups medium semolina, 2 tablespoons plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 lemon, zested Instructions: In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar until light in color and frothy. Continue beating while adding oil, followed by milk, vanilla and lemon zest. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients: semolina, flour, baking powder, then gradually add this mixture into the bowel. Pour into a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake in Pre heated oven 350F / 180C, for 20-30minutes or until a fork inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and prick all over with toothpick or fork then using a ladle, pour syrup all over cake until well soaked. Keep the cake overnight to soak up the syrup. How to make home syrup: In a medium size pot bring 1 cup of sugar and 3 cups of water up to a boil, stir only until sugar has dissolved. Add 1 lemon juice and 1 tsp orange blossom and continue to boil for 12-15 minutes until a light syrup consistency. 54

ANGEL FOOD CAKE, 8-10 SERVINGS BY IRELI RIVERO, SSA VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO

Ingredients: 145 g Wheat Flour 7 ml Vanilla extract 200 g Granulated sugar 400 g Egg whites (12 eggs approximately) 100 g Icing sugar 2 g Salt Instructions: Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Sift the powders (Wheat Flour and Icing Sugar). Beat up the Egg Whites, adding the salt little by little, then add the granulated sugar in the form of rain until it is completely incorporated. Beat for 5 minutes until the whites are mounted and firm (Simple merengue). Add the vanilla extract, mix. Join the simple merengue with the sifted powders and integrate them in an enveloping way, trying not to lower the volume achieved of the meringue. Pour the mixture into the mold that will be used for baking. Tap/bang it down on the table to eliminate possible internal bubbles. Bake for 40 min at 180 ° C. Remove from the oven, let it rest and, when cooling, unmold. It is necessary to unmold it cold. For decoration you can sprinkle with icing sugar and add some seasonal fruits.

IMQARET, DATE DIAMONDS BY CARMEN MAGRO, SSA DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Ingredients: For the filling: 800 grams pitted dates chopped, Zest and juice of 2 lemon, 2 orange and 2 mandarins, 1 tablespoon lightly crushed aniseeds, 2 teaspoon vanilla essence, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon cloves For the pastry: 830 grams flour, 200 grams butter, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon lightly crushed aniseeds, 320 ml water, Vegetable oil for frying and baking (I use sunflower oil), Icing sugar to finish. Instructions: Prepare the pastry by mixing the baking powder and flour together. Sift. Add in the aniseeds and mix well. Rub in the butter with the flour mixture until the resemblance of fine bread crumbs. Slowly add in the water and mix with a knife until the dough starts to form. Knead for a few minutes and leave to rest while you make the filling. Put all the filling ingredients into a small pot and cook on low heat for about twenty minutes until the consistency is smooth. Leave aside to cool. Cut the pastry into 6 pieces. Roll one of the pieces of pastry into a rectangle shape of approximately 15 x 50 cm. Take ⅙ of the date mixture and spread along half of the pastry (across 7.5 cm x 50 cm ) but make sure to leave some space along the edge to be able to fold the other half of the pastry. Wet the edges with water. Fold the other half of the pastry over the pastry with the date mixture and seal the ends. Cut along the mixture diagonally to form 11 diagonal shapes. Do this for the other 5 pieces of pastry. Brush the Imqaret with the vegetable oil. Place into a preheated oven of 200 degrees Celsius for about 18 minutes, turning over mid way. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with Vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of honey and some pistachio nuts.

A BIG SHOUT-OUT TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR TAKING A MOMENT TO COLLABORATE ON THIS EDITION OF THE WAYFARER WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM ALL OF YOU IN THE FUTURE! REMEMBER TO STAY IN TOUCH THROUGH OUR FACEBOOK GROUP "SSA GLOBAL COMMUNITY" AND REFER IT TO OTHER MEMBERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE HERE TO HELP! FOR COMMENTS OR ANY FEEDBACK PLEASE EMAIL: VALERIA.SSA.GCC@GMAIL.COM