Zulaika

My name is Siti and I am 24 years old. My hometown is Kampung Tapu, Terengganu and I come from a big family of eight. I have one brother and four sisters. My mother works near Kuala Terengganu, and my father does a more interesting job. He would catch birds and sell them.

As I only have physical disability, I went to a normal school. I used to be afraid of going to school because of the bullying by other kids. But I love studying science and biology as I am very curious to learn about nature. I also learned English, and now I understand a little bit.

I stayed in school until Form 5 at 17 years old. After that, I worked at a local supermarket.

I have been working at Tapai since July 2019. I am very glad to join Tapai because I can can learn new skills, including sewing. Cikgu Azie is very supportive and passionate in teaching me. Now I can already make small bags, though the bigger bags are more difficult for me.

I like when we have people coming to the shop in Wakaf Tapai so we get to meet them.

Everyone around here has been very supportive. It is easy for me to make friends and I feel more respected. As my sewing skills are not very good, I usually help out with other things such as cutting and ironing the batik. I love the traditional batik and how it is used to make modern products.

In my free time, I love playing badminton with my friends and my little sisters. I also enjoy reading novels. Sometimes when I get inspired while reading, I pick up a pen and start writing stories of my own. One day, I would like to open a store like Tapai.