“I’ve been working here at Cafe 8 for 6.5 years. I help out in the kitchen to make sandwiches, layer the lasagna, serve desserts and make coffee. I also help with washing dishes. A lot of the regular customers recognise me and I always enjoy having a chat with them when they visit. I am happy at work but on rare occasions when I get stressed, I just remind myself to take a 5 minute break - then I keep calm and carry on. I’ve met some very kind people here at Cafe 8 , colleagues and customers alike. I never get bored here and I like to be hardworking. What are the most popular dishes? The chicken and avocado wrap and the beef lasagna that I help to make, of course!” 

「我喺 Café 8 做咗六年半。我通常會喺廚房幫手整三文治、鋪千層麵、準備甜品同埋沖咖啡。我都會幫手洗碗。好多定期嚟幫襯嘅客人都認得我，佢哋嚟嗰陣，我都鍾意同佢哋傾下計。我平時返工都開心㗎，不過有啲時候都會有壓力，我會提自己抖返五分鐘，冷靜返，然後再嚟過。我喺 Café 8 呢度識到好好嘅人，同事啦、客人都有。我喺度做嘢從來唔會悶㗎，我鍾意俾心機做。最受歡迎嘅嘢食係咩？一定係雞肉牛油果卷，同埋牛肉千層麵﹗我有份幫手整吖嘛﹗」

“I was quite a naughty and active child; I used to run around everywhere. I grew up in a public housing estate called Model Housing Estate ( 模範邨) and attended a special needs school. I didn’t have many friends at school - as with anywhere there are always good people and bad people. Some of the other kids used to bully me or scold me for no reason. Then I joined IDEAL (the Intellectually Disabled Education and Advocacy League) where I met a lot of friends through activities like arts and crafts. My first job as an 18 year old was at a photography studio where I helped to edit pictures, but that shut down because of the financial crisis in 1997. Nowadays, I not only enjoy working at Cafe 8 , but I also enjoy my commute to work. I take the Star Ferry to cross the harbour every day - the sea view and the skyline is just so beautiful.”

“I like to be outdoors and in nature. At Cafe 8 , I sometimes help with picking herbs from the terrace to use for our cooking or in drinks. On my days off, I play computer games, read the news and watch TV. I particularly enjoy watching medical programmes - I find the topics fascinating and I like to learn. I also love going to the library to read magazines about technology. Although due to the virus, the library has been shut for a long time; I really hope to be able to go again soon. Growing up, I played the piano for 14 years, but then I stopped because it got too expensive. I really enjoyed playing music, it helped me to manage my stress and to keep calm. I am very close to my parents and I am lucky that they take care of me so well. We go on holidays together; last year we went to Moscow and St Petersburg - it was a fantastic trip.”

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