SSA Area Coordinator for Africa
I experienced the warmth of an SSA welcome for the first time when we moved to Denver in 1998. It was wonderful to meet friends immediately, and to have advice and companionship learning about my new environment. Every location has given us great opportunities of the friendships we then treasure forever....but never so quickly. This house became our home right away.
Within several months our coordinator was transferred, and I took over until September of 2000.... It has been so inspiring to see how SSA has continually developed, expanded and focused since then.
My husband, Steve, joined Schlumberger in 1979, days after graduation....We married a month later, two 21 year olds on a big adventure. Our four children were born in 3 different cities in Alberta Canada. Sarah is now 27 and married. Stephanie (25), Amy (22) and Luke (19) are all still in school. We were thrilled when Steve was offered an IM position just as Luke graduated from high school in 2006. We were off to Africa.
Port Harcourt was beautiful, and the local people we met: warm, caring and well spoken. It was hard, when before the national election, expat wives were moved away from our husbands , and temporarily evacuated to Lagos--another interesting, vibrant place to see. SSA welcomed us as newcomers, (despite our feeling that we were temporary 'visitors'), and included us in all activities. We were soon revelling in shopping and restaurants..... And now friendly, sunny Tripoli, on the shores of the Mediterranean. I contacted Brigitte, the SSA Coordinator here, within minutes of hearing Steve was being transferred, and we wrote back and forth...me with questions, and she with descriptions of life, housing, traffic, stores and even came to visit me on my second day here!
Schlumberger has so many great people. SSA is a vehicle that organizes those friendly people, and speeds up the awkward process of integrating into a new area. Its an honour to help out
Catherine Richards
Tripoli, Libya
