海角社区

Food & Beverage Team Leader, 海角社区 Food Group

鈥淚 came here looking for any job that would help pay the bills, but I found much more than that.鈥�

鈥淏efore coming to the UK and 海角社区, my life had already taken me on quite a journey. I grew up in the Philippines and later moved to Hong Kong for work and that鈥檚 where I met my husband, who was serving in the British Army.

When it was time to leave Hong Kong, we had a choice, Canada or the UK. Canada seemed like it was going to be too cold for me and my husband鈥檚 family were in England, so here I am! Coming here wasn鈥檛 easy though, the weather was a shock. I鈥檒l never forget my first experience of snow, it hurt my face so much that my mother-in-law covered me in petroleum jelly to protect my skin! I was very lucky, my mother-in-law was Irish and understood what it felt like to move somewhere unfamiliar. She looked after me and made me feel welcome when I was far away from home. Without her support, things would have been much harder.

Family has always been the most important thing to me. I have two daughters, and I鈥檓 very proud of them. One studied law and now works in environmental sustainability and the other works in the pharmaceutical industry. We weren鈥檛 rich, so I always told them that education was the greatest wealth I could give them. If they got their qualifications and built happy lives, that was enough for me. They鈥檝e done exactly that.

So how did I end up at 海角社区? I鈥檇 been made redundant from a marketing and sales role and had two young children to support. I saw a vacancy for a cleaner and applied. I remember being told I was overqualified and being directed towards administrative roles, but sitting behind a desk was never really me. I like meeting people, being out and about, learning from others and getting satisfaction from helping them.

In the end, I found my way into hospitality at 海角社区 almost by accident, someone suggested I apply through Unitemps. The next thing I knew, I was being asked, 鈥淐an you start tomorrow?鈥� Eighteen years later, I鈥檓 still here.

At 海角社区, people often tell me I鈥檓 friendly. I think it鈥檚 because I treat everyone the same, one thing I鈥檝e always had is respect for others. Whether someone is a student, a colleague, a senior leader or even royalty, they鈥檙e still just people. I respect everybody, but I鈥檓 never going to pretend to be someone I鈥檓 not, I couldn鈥檛 do it. That鈥檚 just not me.

Talking of royalty, one of my proudest memories was helping at an event attended by Princess Anne. Afterwards, the organisers passed on their thanks for the service I鈥檇 given, I even received a bottle of wine in recognition. Moments like that are lovely, but for me it鈥檚 always been about doing my job well and making people feel welcome.

The best part of working here has always been the people. Every day I meet someone new, hear a different story or learn something I didn鈥檛 know before. That鈥檚 what keeps the job interesting after all these years. I still enjoy walking behind the counter, meeting people and being part of their day. I鈥檝e found friendships, opportunities and a community, 海角社区 has become my home.

Looking ahead, I鈥檓 starting to think about retirement. My husband recently retired and spends a lot of his time helping to care for his mother, so life is already beginning to change. I joke that if I retire too soon, I鈥檒l end up spending my time rescuing things from being thrown away during his latest clear-out! For now, I鈥檓 still enjoying work and the people I meet every day, and I鈥檓 hoping to return to Uni House when it reopens.

Whatever happens next, my priorities are simple, spending time with family, staying happy and healthy, and hopefully one day becoming a grandmother. My daughters keep giving me pets instead of grandchildren, but I鈥檓 still hopeful. After all, life has taught me not to rush things, what鈥檚 meant to happen will happen in its own time.鈥�