SSA Chatline May 2019

SSA Chatline May 2019 - Preethi Chandan (Newsletter Editor)

Photo credit: Priyanka Sujith – SSA member 1

Dear members,! !

Summer is around the corner, and school holiday is coming too!! Before we all are off I would like to thank you all for your commitment and enthusiasm. SSA Houston is becoming a very active and welcome chapter and that is because of you!! What an amazing journey day by day. Lots of activities, clubs, coffees, classes and off course our last family event the Egg Hunt!! We had a great turnout, kids and families had a great time. That wouldn’t be possible without the help of many volunteers, their spouses and SSA members - thank you all so much for your support and happiness.!! !

Great news!! SSA HOUSTON will start a Go Green project, our planet needs us!! Stay tuned for further information about it!! May is a special month and we would like to celebrate mom!! Join us to our last event of the semester celebrating mom.!!! !

As I mentioned before summer is coming and most of us will travel, clubs, classes and coffes will be run on a self-paid way. SSA Board will be reachable for newcomers, questions or any inquiries.! !

Have a great summer and looking forward to see you all in our great activities and events in August or September!!!! !

Stay safe!!

Hugs!

Juliana!

Contents

Open board positions No Board positions available at this moment

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Dates to remember May 9th – HSE – Hurricane and heat May 10th – Mother’s day special event

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Pg 2 – Chapter coordinator’s letter Pg 4 – Mother’s day celebration, Fostering success - charity Pg 5 – About SSA Pg 6 – 7 – Poem by Diana Sanchez Pg 8 – 9 – Stories among us: by Sadra De Happi Pg 11 – 12 – SSA Club photos Pg 13 – SSA Coffee meets Pg 14 – Activity list Pg 15 – 17 – Cooking club Recipes by Lindsay Manson Pg 18 - HSE event – Texas wild life Pg 19 – Charity – SLB Beach clean up Pg 20 – SSA Egg hunt Pg 21 – Events happening around Houston Pg 22 – Activity calendar Pg 23 – SSA Check deposit system Pg 24 – SSA Resources Pg 25 – Request for contributions Pg 26 – 27 – SSA Houston Board Pg 28 – Message by Newsletter Editor 3

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The Back to School Supplies drive is to assist a foster child with back to school supplies. Below is a list of much needed school supplies for these foster children. o Backpacks Three Ring Binder Loose leaf paper o Spiral Notebook Subject dividers Index cards o Plastic Folders Blue/ Black pens Mechanical pencils o Highlighters Erasers Permanent markers o Pencil pouches Scissors Stapler and Staples o Tape Post it White out o Personal organizaer / calenders Graphic calculator o Computer/Laptop Printer Computer Paper

Feel free to contact Sabeeta Bidasie Singh (Charity Co-ordinator) at 832 860 9656.

Items for donation will be collected on May 10 2019 at the Mother’s Day Event.

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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.

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. ! !

We also run four coee mornings a year specifically for newcomers, around one per quarter. To remain in membership, you must attend at least one SSA event a year. ! !

If you have any questions about SSA Houston, contact our Chapter Coordinator at

ssahouston.chaptercoordinator@gmail.com

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Poem – written by Diana Sanchez Member contributions Breathing is the most common act so necessary so empty for some people that they do it automatically assuming it is just a body function.

Breathing is much more It is giving your blood the power It is giving your lungs the life It is giving yourself your whole existence.

Breathe even though you feel there is no more to fight for do not stop and keep breathing keep breathing and do not give up just hear your breath claiming your strength and you may realize there is one more chance.

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Breath deeply when your heart cries, keep breathing when you smile shines, keep breathing when your soul is silent, keep breathing when you dream big, keep breathing when you blame the world, keep breathing.

Keep breathing please, always breathe, give to the wind a little piece of you, give to the breeze a tiny spark of life, until the end keep breathing, and celebrate that when you may find love, your breathing will turn into a sigh which will whisper I love you.

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Stories among us Members contributions This month we learn how one family embraced the change, changes that come with relocating between continents with young kids.

Challenges that one faces when leaving home and shift to a new place with little knowledge of what they are going to encounter.

Please read ahead the story of Sandra De Happi’s personal journey from Cameroon to Houston. My hope is this story inspires someone to take up the challenge when time comes! !

We welcome and encourage all our SSA members to share their stories with us through this medium, maybe it’s your travel story, a story about your childhood and as we see it in this edition, maybe a story of your relocation. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

We would love to hear from you!!

Relocation story by Sandra De Happi It is a beautiful evening in Douala. I rush out of the office, after one of those long days, looking forward to unwinding. I get home and hurryingly put my bags away, I take my shoes off and notice that my husband is already home. After a few minutes of commenting on how our day went, he breaks down the news: “We are moving to Houston!”.

What? Who? When? Where? ! !

Yes, I needed to hear it again. Wheeeere? Houston, he repeated, and we are moving next month; Unbelievable! I was in total shock, with a mix of emotions ranging from sadness, to fear, excitement, confusion, anger and everything in between. I was going to be thousands of miles away from my parents, my siblings, my family, my country and the business that I had worked very hard to build for the five preceding years. That’s a flashback to November 2017.! !

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We had one month to pack our house, find a school for the kids, have a few landing place options, say goodbye to the family, while preparing for the holiday season, and in the midst of it all tell my employees that the dream we had been building together might be taking an entirely different direction or simply said that they might end up unemployed within 3-4 weeks. Chaotic, was not strong enough word to describe those moments.!

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To add to the particularity of the situation, it was my first! I had always heard and used the “E” word but had never been called one. 10 years and 4 countries later, I am now qualified for that fancy designation: “Expat”. What an adventure!! !

My name is Sandra De Happi, we relocated to Houston, TX a year and four months ago. Though I had never relocated with my husband, I had had the chance to travel to a few places for education and business purpose. My education has been spread between Cameroon, France and the U.S. and I have visited several countries between Africa, America and Europe, though Turkey could made up for the Asian bit that I am missing if I had gone to the Eastern part of the country.! !

After 9 months of trying to find a balance, coming to terms with the expat reality and waiting for my work permit, which only took about 3 months to obtain, I ended up back at work and am currently the Director Communications at the Lycée International de Houston – Bilingual School, where our 3 beautiful girls have the chance to continue their education. We landed in Houston on January 7th and had no school, I can only tell you that I was panicked, and we were happy to find a place that welcomed us in the middle of a school year. The bilingual curriculum (French and English), the international aspect and the family style really contributed to making the integration easier for us all.! !

I am an entrepreneur at heart and besides my job, I am constantly exploring projects (sports, media, social, etc) and contributing to helping other furthering theirs. I truly believe in helping others and pushing other for success. As the African proverb goes: “it takes a village”. The company I had to leave in Cameroon is a creative agency by the way and I was blessed that my brothers helped keep that baby open. So eventually when I go back to Cameroon, I can take it to next level.! !

Though I love projects, I do not consider myself a workaholic, there is no amount of life money can buy. I enjoy discovering new restaurants and Houston has tons of amazing places to go with about as many cuisine styles as it has consulates, which means a lot! We have built a routine of testing a new restaurant almost every weekend. I also enjoy turning the TV on, basically once every other week, to watch the series “Suits”. That’s as much TV as it gets for me. On weekends, we also happily enjoy the variety of kids’ activities this city has to offer.! !

After almost a year and a half here, I can say that my relationship with Houston has gone from “nay” to “yay”. My family and I have found a lifestyle we are now comfortable with, I have come to meet amazing people, namely through the SSA coffees and I am happily digging into the wealth of the biggest and most diverse city of the Lone Star State. Yee Haa! !

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White sands in New Mexico. 10 – 12 hrs drive from Houston. Did you know underneath all this gypsum sand dunes there is water! that acts as glue in holding this down? White sands is the biggest Gypsum sand dunes in the world, spread close to 225 sq.mts miles‌

Pic credit: Preethi

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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.

In our Houston chapter we offer numerous classes. Crafts, language, cooking just to name a few. Through these hobbies we enrich our lives not just by learning a new skill but also by meeting new people from different parts of the globe. And we find out how many similarities we all share!

Photography club

Craft club 2

Sewing club

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English Conversation Spanish Club

Craft club 1

Cooking club 1

A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away – Phyllis MacGinley 12

SSA Houston monthly coffees around the city - Locations are @

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

Woodlands coffee

Southwest Coffee

In the Loop coffee

Katy coffee

Memorial coffee

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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. ! !

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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 !

Photography - Carola Contreras!

Mommies & Kiddies - Cristian Castro!

Sewing Class - Daniela Reyes!

Spanish 1 - Ingrid Alvarez!

Katy Coffee – Petra Jackson!

Memorial Coffee - Fatma Outioua!

Southwest Coffee - Geetha Sukumar!

Woodlands Coffee - Humaira Mirza!

Book Club – Heather Stavlo!

Yoga – Dalyce Lowe !

Photos are from our craft and sewing clubs.!

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recipes from our cooking club – by Lindsay Manson Summer Cous Cous !

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Serves 8!

Prep 15 mins!

Cook 5 minutes! !

Ingredients!

2 1/2 cups cous cous!

1 cup rocket leaves!

1 Jar sundried tomato ( Keep olive for dressing) !

1 cup tinned chickpeas (drained)!

1/2 cup sliced olives!

1/2 cup cubed orange pepper!

1/2 cup cubed feta cheese!

1/2 cup finely sliced scallions to garnish!

Lemon Juice to taste! !

Instructions!

1. Prepare Vegetables as outlined above !

2. Cook Cous Cous according to package instructions ( extra taste cook with stock)!

3. In large bowl combine the vegetable and feta with the cooked Cous Cous.!

4. Dressing with olive from sundried tomatoes!

5. Garnish with scallions and lemon juice to taste. !

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Spinach, Pepper and Tomato Frittata • • • •

Serves 8!

Prep 5 mins!

Cook 20-25 mins!

Oven 410F!

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• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ingredients!

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil!

1/2 cup chopped spinach!

1/2 cup cooked sliced onion !

1/2 cup cooked sliced peppers !

5 large eggs!

1/2 cup liquid egg whites!

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese!

1/4 tsp ground mustard!

1/2 tsp sea salt!

1/4 black pepper!

1 medium tomato ( cut into 6 slices)!

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese!

Instructions!

• Brush dish with olive oil . Pre heat oven to 410 F. Layer the spinach on the bottom of the dish followed by the onions and peppers.!

• In large bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, ricotta cheese, ground mustard, sea salt and black pepper. Whisk until well blended and no lumps.!

• Pour egg mixture in to dish. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the frittata. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the cheese.!

• Place in oven for 20-25 min till cooked through.!

• Remove Frittata from oven and transfer to serving platter. Cut in to 8 equal-sized wedges.

Serve hot or cold.!

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Scottish Whisky Fudge !

Ingredients ! !

• • • •

3 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips!

1 cup sweetened condensed milk!

1 tsp vanilla extract!

1/4 cup Scottish Whisky!

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Instructions!

1. Line an 8 by 8 inch baking tray with aluminium foil.!

2. In large bowl melt the chocolate chips in microwave according to package instructions.!

3. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and the whisky.!

4. Pour the mixture into the baking tray. Cover with aluminium foil and set in fridge for 1 to 2 hours . Store in airtight container and can keep up to two !

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April HSE event – Texas Wildlife For the month of April our HSE coordinator had organized a seminar on Texas Wildlife. It was an educational and lively session held by Fort Bend County Game Wardens. For further information on the how to locate Game Wardens please visit: www.tpwd.texas.gov! !

Our next HSE event is Hurricane and Heat Preparation on May 9th. Please mark your calendar. !

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SLB Beach Clean up In association with Adopt a Beach, Schlumberger organized Beach Clean Up on the Surfside beach, during the month of April. SSA of Houston took an active role in this event. A generous amount of employees with their families engaged in getting rid of waste around the designated area. It was a learning experience for adult and kids - harmful eects of human’s inconsideration and insensitivity towards nature. An ample amount of bags filled with waste lined up to be discarded. !

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April Easter egg hunt event This year’s Easter Egg hunt event held in April showed a great turn out of close to 200 + people making it a successful event. While the kids enjoyed the egg hunt, parents spread out their mats for picnic. Beautiful weather added to the delight! People brought in their positive energies, shared lots of laughter and their food under the shade in an open field. All of our fantastic organizers along with our volunteers made this event a super success and one to remember. Thank you all for your help!!

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Events happening around Houston Houston is the 4th largest city and considered as the most diverse city in the US! Along with beautiful restaurants and numerous cinemas the city has to offer we also have a wide range of hiking trails for bikes and long walks. Below are the list of few beautiful wooded areas/parks around the city for your enjoyment through summer along with a list of events happening around the city. ! !

If any of you come across anything new and exciting thing happening around the city please do let us know. I can include the information in our future newsletter so that all of our members can enjoy the information.!

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Asia Fest 2019: Liver performances, international bazaar, music, food, all of these and more while the city celebrates Asian Pacific Heritage month. !

- When: May 11th!

- Time: 11 to 5 pm!

- Where: Museum District!

- Admission: Free!

Check https://asiasociety.org/texas/events/asiafest-2019 for more information! !

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Miller Outdoor Theater: A beautiful open air auditorium which holds several events through spring, summer and fall. There is a bountiful of things to attend, for kids of all ages, family events, for music and dance lovers, movie nights and much more. Grab a chair or a blanket, pack some yummy picnic food and head outdoor to the Miller Theater… It also has plenty of tracks near by for long walks or bike rides. For more information and event schedule please check: ! https://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/performances/!

Houston Center of Contemporary Craft: For all those craft lovers.. Did you know there is a museum dedicated for craft? There is plenty to choose from. They hold workshops, group tours, exhibitions, artists talks and much more. Visit and be inspired! For more information on this please visit: https://www.crafthouston.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/ !

Parks of Houston: Just to name a few !

• Herman park (Walking/hiking trails, Japanese Garden)!

• Cullen Park (Walking trails, ball fields etc.,)!

• Arthur Storey Park (Pond with green space, Tai Chi court)!

• Discovery Green (Green space in middle of the city, several live shows and events throughout the year)!

• Levy Park (Green space in the city, water fountain for kids)!

• Nottingham Park (Disc golf course, 22 acre of park area, splash water ground for kids)!

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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 22 @ -- ssahouston.activities@gmail.com !

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. !

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. ! !

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. !

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Social Media 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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Photo credit: Priyanka Sujith – SSA member. Photo taken during SLB Beach clean up!

We welcome contributions from all of our members. Be it a story about personal journey, your child’s art work which got a recognition in their school/college, poems written by you or a family member, inspirational photos taken by you or your loved ones… and many more! Please contact me if you are interested in contributing towards our Newsletter.25

- Preethi Chandan

SSA Houston Board members

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

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

Thomas Harms - Secretary! ssahouston.secretary@gmail.com !

Francine Alves – Welcome Coordinator281-630-55 87 Ssahouston.welcomeco ordinator@gmail.com

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

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

Johanna Miller – Database Coordinator 9184083249 Ssahoustondatabase@gmail.com !

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

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

Marisa Franciosi – HSE Coordinator – Sabeeta Bidasie Singh– Charity Coordinator –832-860-9656 832-306-1320 ssahouston.charity@gmail.com! ssahouston.hse@gmail.com !

Alejandra Robles – Special Events Coordinator – 281-865-7839 ssahouston.specialevents@gmail .com!

Daniela Reyes – Ex-officio – 8325359970 27 ssahouston.exofficio@gmail.com!

End note – by Preethi Chandan (Newsletter Editor) Another month has gone by and summer is just around the corner. As the summer months roll in, the level of mercury rises in Houston. During the next few months there might be few heat advisories. These heat advisories should not to be taken lightly.!

Houston has plenty to oer and this is probably a good time to explore. In this month’s edition you will find information on parks and recreational centers around the city. Summer time is also famous for numerous events including live concerts, exhibitions, festivities around the city. Put on some sunscreen, grab a bottle of waater and head outdoors! ! !

There are many who travel during these months. Please remind yourself to be patient. Summer time travel can be stressful for many including people travelling with young kids, families with disabled members, senior citizens, single parent etc., In my experience I have come across bias in numerous ways coupled with quick judgments. As a mom of two (now slightly grown) kids, I understand the challenges one faces during these months, either you stay back home or travel. I urge you to think for a second before reacting in haste, try to be conscious of others around you. This Houston heat can get to us J ! !

June 21st is marked as International Yoga day. Yogis around the world are gearing up to give workshops in hope of bringing more awareness towards a conscious living. As a step towards leading a fulfilling life, I urge you to join me as I practice a little patience, practice forgiveness, practice to live consciously. !

- Namaste!!

Tolerance and patience should not be read as signs of weakness. They are signs of strength.

- Dalai Lama

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