Chatline April 2019 - SSA Newsletter

SSA Chatline April 2019 - Preethi Chandan

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Photo credit: Carola Photo club

Dear members

7 months already passed since we took over the Board, I can’t be more thankful with you for all for

the support and patience. The board has been working 24/7 all this time and it’s very comforting to look back see how happy and warm the SSA Houston is right now. I would like to thank our board members that for and personal reasons had to step out from the board. Without all your help it wouldn’t had been possible all the amazing things we did. Your hard work, dedication, tolerance and love helped the board to finally achieve our goals. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. We will miss you Jessica, Nanees, Lucia, Anastasia, Betzabeth and Jiashan. ! !

AGM was held last week and we had a successful 150-member attendance!! Yee that was a very successful event.

We held our board elections and want to WELCOME our new board members Alejandra Robles (Special Event Coordinator), Marisa Franciosi (HSE Coordinator), Olga Takhtarova (treasurer), Diana Sanchez (welcome), Sabeeta Bidasie (charity) and Shruti Jindal (Social Media Coordinator). This is an amazing group of ladies and I am sure they will enjoy as much as I love working for our beautiful SSA Family.! !

Get ready to rock n roll, as we have a lot of great activities and plans for this year. Don’t forget to check the activities and clubs, as well our charity events… “beach cleanup day is coming” don’t miss your chance and register. ! !

This is going to be an amazing time and I am sure you all are going to enjoy it a lot!!!

Take care and see you soon.

Juliana Romero

Contents

Open board positions - 1 Welcome coordinators - Secretary Please contact our Chapter coordinator if you are interested in applying for these positions.

Dates to remember April 13th – Charity – Beach clean up April 20th – Easter Activity April 22nd – Volunteer – Pregnancy Help center

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Pg 2 – Chapter coordinator’s letter Pg 4 – Beach Clean up!

Pg 5 – About SSA Pg 6 – Feb Newcomers list Pg 7 – DO you speak Texan?

Pg 9 – 14 – Contribution by Ingrid Alvarez (Activity Coordinator) Pg 15 – 16 – Club photos Pg 17 – Coffee meet photos Pg 18 - 20– Cooking club Recipes by Carolina Pereira Pg 21 – 22 – Charity events, msg by Jessica Pg 23 – SLB BBQ Pg 24 – SSA AGM Pg 25 – Activity Calendar Pg 26 – Activity list Pg 27 - 28 – SSA Check deposit system Pg 29 – SSA Resources Pg 30 - 31 – SSA Houston Board Pg 32 – Message by Newsletter Editor

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Welcome to SSA Houston GET IN TOUCH, EMAIL US: ssahouston.welcomecoordinator@gmail.com !

If you know someone who is new to Houston, or hasn’t joined us yet and would love to be part of this amazing chapter please contact our Welcome Coordinator. Once you get in touch with our Welcome coordinator we will make sure you receive all the information about our monthly activities and events. !

About Schlumberger Spouse Association (SSA) The Schlumberger Spouses Association (SSA) is a global, voluntary, social organization for all spouses and partners of Schlumberger employees. We aim to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all members and their families. The SSA fosters fellowship through ongoing social events and community involvement.!

Although we receive funding from Schlumberger to subsidize some events for our members, SSA is run entirely by volunteers. The local Houston Chapter Board is elected once a year, usually at our Spring Social event and is accountable to the Global SSA Board.!

Currently, SSA Houston has over 750 members! In addition to the regular activities featured in Chat Line each month, we also run a variety of social events and contribute to a number of community organizations throughout the year. We are always open to suggestions so if your interest or hobby is not represented and you would like to start a group, just contact someone on our Board! We also run four coffee mornings a year specifically for newcomers, around one per quarter. You do not need to attend to get involved but our newcomers’ ‘Meet and Greet’ is a great way to get introduced to all things SSA Houston and you do get a pretty awesome goody bag too! To remain in membership, you must attend at least one SSA event a year, running between Spring Social to Spring Social. As part of our accountability to Schlumberger, we do keep a record of attendance for all our events and activity meetings.!

If you have any questions about SSA Houston, contact our Chapter Coordinator at 5 ssahouston.chaptercoordinator@gmail.com !

Welcome our new SSA members for the month of March

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Arnarely Rambert!

Luciana Salazar!

Maria Mangui!

Pavitra Vikram!

Inna Rawlins!

Pakinam Elsayyad!

Kanika Chaudhary!

Barbara Dressel!

Deepa Thekkekara!

Nadia Hobart!

Diane Iracheta!

Hasrina Chappell!

Carolina Fonseca!

Valarie Tran!

Adaeze Uzomah-Okpom!

Areage Jabah!

Mayra Brooks!

Ridah Umer!

Meryem Ben Kssim!

Myrna M. Ramos!

Joey La! Ibtissam Benjelloun!

Thalyta Moroz!

Melanie Babadjanov!

Sudhakar Reddy!

Jacqueline Wang!

Jing Ma! Fatma El Sanhoury!

Jasmine Tan! Patricia Costas!

Laura Aristizabal Sanchez!

Get in touch, email us: ssahouston.welcomecoordin ator@gmail.com. If you know someone who is new to Houston, contact our Welcome Coordinator!

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Contribution from Nanees Afiffy. !

Source: TEXAS SPEAK by Jenniefer Briggs!

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When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.

- Chinese proverb

Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, it’s common sense.

- Ronald Regan

Picture: captured somewhere on the borders of New Mexico and Texas – credit: Preethi Chandan

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April – World Autism Awareness month April brings us World Autism awareness month. Studies show 1 in 59 children are affected by this condition. Autism is a condition which challenges their social skills, impairs language learning, motor skills along with rigid and repetitive behaviors. Please read ahead for an article written by a mother with an Autistic child. Early intervention can help improve many of the conditions!!

From a mother of an Autistic Child….

I’m wearing blue today because I am an autism mom.!

I wear blue today for Autism Awareness that should be extended to places of the world where children are misdiagnosed, lately diagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Places with little resources, lack of therapists and developmental professionals that can encourage early intervention.!

I wear blue today for Autism Aid for the more than 3 million people in America that are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) many of which don't have access to therapies. Aid that should not be stopped by political interests, aid that should be given to all children with a verified diagnosis, no matter their age. !

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I wear blue today for Autism Acceptance, acceptance that begins when you put yourself in the shoes of the people that are not like you and never will be because you can’t outgrow ASD. Acceptance that is shown when you approach someone with autism and take the time to understand their world, when you invite them over for a get together, when you include them in your school, in your workplace, your birthday parties, your homes. !

I wear blue today for Autism Advocacy, because like many other ASD parents I have grieved for my son and sometimes are scared for the challenges life will lay ahead for him. The emotionally exhausting days that came after his D-Day (diagnosis day) full of questions (what went wrong, why him, will he ever have a normal life?) I see them as part of the past, but they are my fuel to keep advocating for ASD at his school, with his teachers, with family and friends.!

Autism for sure has changed my world, it has made me empathetic, it has given me patience and believe it or not, joy. Joy in the simple things we take for granted, I feel inexplicable joy when I see my boy buttoning up his shirt without help, when he tells me out of the blue “mom, I love you”, or when he gets excited because a friend is coming over for a play date.. I believe raising a child with autism is a task for brave ones, a task God knows I am not qualified for but He gives me the strength and the wisdom to get there, and that’s all I need…! !

Author Maria Jose Peña!

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Stories among Us… Relocating with families always comes with its own set of challenges and it gets tougher when we don’t know the local language and customs. This month we have our amazing activity coordinator Ingrid Alvarez sharing with us her experiences and challenges she had to face as an expat wife. ! !

We want to hear more of these inspiring adventurous stories from many more of our SSA members. If any of you want to share your story, please do not hesitate to contact me. We would LOVE to hear from you!! !

- Preethi Chandan (Newsletter editor SSA Houston) Once a year go some place you have never been before – Dalai Lama

Ingrid Alvarez My name is Ingrid Aniela Buenano de Alvarez. I am Panamanian. I graduated from college with a Marketing and Publicity degree. I also have a technical degree in General Insurance. I worked many years, in Panama, in Real State and international Insurance Companies.!

I consider myself an outgoing, hard worker, friendly, honest, adventurous, creative person that can do almost anything.!

I like to spend most of my time reading, writing, organizing, traveling, taking care of the garden, but the thing I like the most is crafts. When I see something that I like, I picture it in my mind, I design it and I create it.!

I have two wonderful men in my life, who take care of me and support me in everything I do, my husband Luis Alberto and my son Diego Alejandro. !

In Venezuela I had the first opportunity to work in a group and work as volunteer. I was part of the school board of my son’s International school. With the help of all the parents, we were able to always obtain enough money from the activities to help the school in whatever was required. One major achievement was the rework of the water well of the school. !

!

At the end of 2011 we were transferred to Melun, France. My husband was assigned to work in the training center there.

However, we decided to live in a town called Fontainebleau/Avon. I always dreamed to go to France and this was my opportunity to make my dream come true.!

!

My first transfer, in SLB, was to Anaco, Venezuela, in 2008. I had to learn a lot of slangs words, even though we speak the same language, Spanish. Slangs that are different from the ones in my country. !

Venezuela’s foods are similar but prepared a bit different. I met wonderful people that I still consider as part of my family.!

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! !

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France was the perfect place to be adventurous. Also, there is where I discovered SSA. I will never forget my welcome, done by a Venezuelan lady (Gladys Ramirez) that later on, together with her family, became part of our family. Together with her and Amalia Idris, we became part of the SSA board. Our group was always directed to mainly family activities. There is where I started my journey as Activities Coordinator for SSA. We communicated very well and our friendship grew up so much that we still keep it up in the distance. !

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I also offered my volunteer job as a craft teacher. I practice a lot of my French with the kids.! !

In September 2013, we once again, were transferred, now to Lagos, Nigeria. We arrived at night time and to a strange place. The culture is totally different from what we were used to. There was no real order in the airport, everyone was trying to cut the line in front of everyone, etc.! !

We stayed in two different hotels, when we arrived.

We had to leave the first one because they informed us that they were not going to have lights for a whole weekend. So, we have to move to a different one after just a week of being there. We moved from the second one to an apartment that became our home for about 6 months. Lastly, we move to the SLB compound called Palm Springs that was located about 11 km outside the city in the direction of the Chevron’s compound/company. We spend closed to 4 year in Lagos. !

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Lagos has many restaurants, bars, etc. However, traďŹƒc in Lagos is crazy, my husband could take from 35 minutes up to 2.5 hours to come back from work. So, we did not go out as much as others. Also, there were restrictions due to security that made it a bit uncomfortable to go out a lot of times.! !

My favorite place there was the public market. A lot of people that lived there, did not like to go there but it was the best place to find good deals for local decorations and crafts. In there I got to meet a guy that made leather purses and he could make them similar to the name brand ones. I also found a lot of beautiful fabrics which I used to get make local dresses. At one point, I had up to 12 local dresses made.! !

For our son the American school was a great experience. He saw and interacted with many kids from many nationalities, religions, tried dierent foods, etc. ! !

On my second year in Lagos I was oered the opportunity to teach Spanish in a local school ( with British curriculum) and in the Italian school. !

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After almost 4 years in Lagos, we were transferred to Houston, Texas, USA. For us, Houston was home, because during our time in Lagos, we decided to purchase a home in Houston. For me, it was a bit challenging to start again in a different place, because of my language. I was not fluent in English and a bit scared to face that challenge. After a while, I noticed that it was not that difficult and I took some classes for 3 months. After 6 months, I decided to join the SSA. ! !

I offered my services and took the position of coffee coordinator for the Woodlands area. I stayed in that position for about 1 year. I also offered to do crafts and not long after there were elections for the board. So I decided to run for the Activities coordinator position, which I am now. It has been a very grateful experience, not only to practice and get better in my English, but to make new friendships with great ladies inside SSA.! !

Together as a family, we have enjoyed each transfer to the maximum. We try to explore the places, culture and make great friendships that we usually keep up even from . In some instances, we get to reunite with others during our vacations. !

In every country that we have been, we have been able to adapt and respect others culture and customs.!

The story continues, who knows how long I will be here….. Thanks to my husband’s job.

Life of the oilfield families………!

- Ingrid Alverez (Activity Coordinator – SSA Houston)!

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SSA Houston clubs – craft club 1 & 2, photography club,

sewing club, cooking club, Spanish, English and French conversations, mommy & kids club.

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Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn – Benjamin Franklin !

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SSA Houston monthly coffees around the city - Locations are @

Katy, Sugarland, Memorial, Woodlands and In the Loop (610).

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Cooking recipes from our cooking club – by Carolina Pereira

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White Custard (Manjar Blanco)

1 liter whole milk 8 Tbsp white sugar 8 Tbsp Corn Starch 1 Cinnamon Stick Peel of half Lime

1) Meanwhile cold, mix the milk, the cornstarch and the sugar.

2) Take all ingredients to a pot and cook them all until you have a firm consistency.

3) You can store it in a big container or in little small containers for individual portions.

4) When you serve it, spread some cinnamon powder on the top.

This White Custard can be used with any cooked fruit in syrup.

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Ham and Bacon Bread!

(Pan de Jamón)!

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Ingredients for the Dough:! !

• ½ kilo All-Purpose Flour!

• 100 gr Salted Butter!

• ½ cup Water!

• ½ cup Sugar (1 Tbsp from here will be added to the water)!

• 1 Tbsp Yeast!

• ½ Milk!

• 1 Tbsp Salt!

• 1 Eggs!

• 1 Egg White (ONLY USE to paint the bread)!

• !

• • •

Filling:!

Ham, Bacon, Pitted Green Olives and Raisins ! as you like it.!

Capers (No needed but optional)!

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!

!

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Preparation:!

• Pre-heat the oven 230 C (450 F)!

• Warm the Water (around 20 seconds on your microwave).!

• Put it in a tall glass and add 1 Tbsp Sugar and 1 Tbsp Yeast and let it rise.!

• When the yeast rises (at least the doble of the size) mix it together with all your ingredients in your machine using the hook tool or simply by hand until soft.!

• Flour your table and with a rolling pin to make a rectangle with your dough and fill it with Ham, Bacon, Raisings and Green Olives. DO NOT FILL THE SIDES.!

• Fold it long side until the end and close the 2 extremes by pressing and folding down.!

• Place your bread on a Cooking Sheet over a Baking Paper – No need to grease it.!

• Break it for 15min or until light golden!

• Paint it with the egg white and take it back to the oven for 5 more minutes or until golden brown.!

• Let it rest for about 10 minutes and serve.!

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March Charity event

March was an extraordinarily busy month for our charity/volunteer eorts. We kicked o the month partnering with Schlumberger's Fashion Show Luncheon supporting the United Way, a charity which helps many aspects of Houston community. Our members enjoyed conversation and the cat walk together while supporting a great cause. Several volunteers also assisted the Schlumberger Family BBQ which supports the United Way as well. ! !

Next we hosted our first volunteer event in The Woodlands at the Mercy House Global barn helping with projects such as writing cards and packaging items. Mercy House Global supports women entrepreneurship for disadvantaged areas worldwide. A few even made the trek across town to enjoy new friends and fun. To end the month at our AGM, we supported the Pregnancy Help Center of West Houston by collecting baby supplies to help families with unplanned pregnancies. As always, the generosity of our members shines through. !

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United way Fashion show Luncheon

D’Ann from Schlumberger thanked us for participating in the Fashion show luncheon organized by United Way. We had about 10 members sign up and reportedly had a fantastic time! Above is the picture (Right) with all the models who participated and left picture with SSA members. !

A goodbye note from our charity coordinator Jessica Snyder: ! “Thank you so much to all our awesome volunteers who truly made our efforts so impactful and successful. I have loved being your charity coordinator and though I'm entering a new chapter with baby #2 (due in August) and returning to work full-time, I am so grateful for the time I've gotten to spend serving all of our wonderful SSA volunteers and members."

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SLB BBQ Our team SSA actively took part in the BBQ organized by United Way teamed up with SLB on March 23rd. We would like to Thank our wonderful SSA members Geetha Lakshmi Perecherala and Sabeeta Bidesie Singh for contributing their time and enthusiastic participation during this event. It was a very successful event. Our members worked hard in setting up everything and did a fantastic job in spreading the word. In turn we had many employees interested and more than 20 new folks sign up at the event.

Cheers to an Enthusiastic team work!!! !

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SSA AGM March 2019 Another super successful event adding another feather to our hats. Our 2018-19 board members did a beautiful work in welcoming the new Board members for 2019-20. It was a full house! We started off with show casing what the previous board accomplished in the past year and goals for the coming year. As our members enjoyed their delicious entrée in a picturesque location we proceeded in welcoming the new Board members and bid adieu to few of the old board members. Our guests, SSA members, were full of praise about the way this event was organized and the way everything moved with a flow. Now, we are looking forward for another dynamic year with new Board members who are bringing their own expertise to the table. !

2018 – 2019 SSA Houston Board

2019 – 2020 SSA Houston Board

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SSA Activity calendar

To enroll for any of these clubs or to get invites for coees please email our activity coordinator Ingrid 27 @ -- ssahouston.activities@gmail.com !

Activity List Please contact our activity coordinator Ingrid – ! ssahouston.activities@gmail.com if you would like to be added in the mailing list for any of these activities. ! !

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Coffee or Club - Name!

Craft Club 1 - Ingrid Alvarez!

Craft Club 2 - Barbara Vandewalle!

Cooking Club 1 - Stacey Cartier!

Cooking club 2 – Sabeeta Bidasie - Singh !

English - Adrienne Skyler!

Photography - Carola Contreras!

Mommies & Kiddies - Cristian Castro!

Sewing Class - Daniela Reyes!

Spanish 1 - Ingrid Alvarez!

In the Loop Coffee - Adrienne Skyler!

Katy Coffee – Petra Jackson!

Memorial Coffee - Fatma Outioua!

Southwest Coffee - Geetha Sukumar!

Woodlands Coffee - Humaira Mirza!

Book Club – Heather Stavlo !

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SSA Events Check Deposit System Help us spend our funding efficiently!

The two events that require our SSA members to send a deposit check are our Winter Social! and AGM. In the past events we have had members sign up and later not show up. We understand situations that can arise which are at times out of our control. Nevertheless by sending out the deposit checks you help us plan well and mange our funds better. Lets work together on this.! Â !

ATTENDING AN EVENT?!

SEND A DEPOSIT CHECK BEFORE THE DEADLINE! If you want to attend an event, it is your responsibility to mail the check to the person whose name is indicated in the invitation.! !

Once you attend the event, your check will be returned to you at the event.!

HOW IT WORKS! For each event, you will receive an invite via Eventbrite. The invitation will clearly ask you to send a $xx.00 refundable check made out to the Venue that is hosting the event and NOT to the SSA Houston.!

If we do not receive a check, then you are not registered to the event even if you have registered yourself in Eventbrite. There will be no exception. !

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WHY! Why do we ask for refundable attendance checks for all our SSA Houston all chapter events?!

To confirm attendance number to the venue that host our event!

To check that we have the requested minimum number for SLB to organize an event!

To avoid spending our limited funds for no-shows!

SO PLEASE HELP US SPEND OUR FUNDING EFFICIENTLY!!

NO SHOW AND CANCELLATION POLICY! Your check will be cashed by the venue if no-show.

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It is your personal responsibility to make sure your checks are valid (date, name on the check, signature, amount written and numeric must match etc.)!

The deadline to cancel depends on the contract with the venue and will be listed in the invitation sent through Eventbrite: If you cancel after that and the venue does not agree to change the numbers, your check will be cashed by the venue to cover your spot. !

Fallen tree during hurricane Ike @ Houston Arboretum !

Pic credit: Preethi chandan !

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SSA Resources To join us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ssahouston] please contact our Social Media coordinator Shruti Jindal – ssahouston.socialmedia@gmail.com!

SSA Worldwide website For those who don’t know, SSA has a new website. The new website is hosted inside SLB’s domain, so there are a few steps you’ll need to follow to log in for the first time.!

To start, please forward this link to your spouse (SLB employee) to request the creation of your account:! https://slb001.sharepoint.com/…/PrimaryInfoCo…/NewForm.aspx…!

They will only need to fill out your name and personal email address. After this is done, you will receive an email inviting you to the website. Because of the security measures put in place by SLB to make sure the new SSAfara is a safe space, you’ll need to follow a few steps to log-in for the first time.

Please follow the instructions in the attached Log-In Guide.!

After you’ve successfully logged-in for the first time, you’ll be asked to fill out a Membership Form and agree to the Terms and Conditions of the website. From then on, you’ll only need this link to access the website: slb001.sharepoint.com/sites/SSAfara. (Note that you will only be able to use this link after you have successfully logged-in and agreed to the Terms and Conditions)!

If you have any issues logging in, please contact:! * Erna Farizan, SSA Webmaster: ssa-webmaster@slb.com! * Evelyn Bicelis, SSA Global Communications Coordinator: ssa-communications@slb.com! * Elsa Scheffler, SSA Global Coordinator: ssa-global-coord@slb.com!

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SSA Houston Board members

Juliana Romeara - Chapter Coordinator 832-272-6843 ssahouston.chaptercoordinator@gmail.com !

Diana Sanchez – Welcome Coordinator 832-504-4224 ssahouston.welcomecoordinator@ gmail.com!

Jiashan Lang – Secretary 248-916-5168 ssahouston.secretary@gmail.com !

Ingrid Alvarez – Activity Coordinator 8327165431! ssahouston.activities@gmail.co m!

Olga Takhtarova – Treasurer 509-929-9519! treasurer.ssahouston@gmail.com !

Johanna Miller – Database Coordinator 9184083249 Ssahoustondatabase@gmail.co m !

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Shruti Jindal – Social Media Coordinator – 832-202-3391 ssahouston.socialmedia@gmail.com !

Marisa Franciosi – HSE Coordinator – 832-306-1320 ssahouston.hse@gmail.com !

Preethi Chandan – Newsletter Editor – 713-438-4457 ssahouston.newslettered@gmail.com

Sabeeta Bidasie Singh– Charity Coordinator –832-860-9656 ssahouston.charity@gmail.com!

Daniela Reyes – Ex-officio – 8325359970 ssahouston.exofficio@gmail.com!

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End note – by Preethi Chandan Newsletter Editor As I finish putting this month’s newsletter together I would like to mention few things. On our current board we have folks proficient in Cantonese, Chinese Mandarin, English, French, Hindi, Kannada, Spanish and Russian. We all come from different ethnicities and backgrounds bringing varied expertise to the team. We all are here to help our SSA fellow members with anything you need for a smooth transition in Houston.

On another note I would like to bring up the topic of Global Warming. It is heartbreaking to see the changes that are happening to our planet. As many of you would agree it is each and everyone of our responsibility to act upon it. In light of this topic I would like to share a blog I found about one family’s effort in reducing waste and recycling. https://zerowastehome.com/tips/ Hope this inspires many of you and rethink the way we do things. Please stay tuned for more information and ways you can reduce waste in our future publications.

City of Houston also has a wonderful guide for every common man to understand how to go about recycling in your part of the city. Here is a great website with some info on it https://www.recyclebycity.com/houston/guide Let us all be responsible citizens and save our planet!

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