After months of planning, messages, flight itineraries, fundraising, packing lists, and countless little details, our Fiji Global Village team is finally together.
Today was our first day as a group, and for some of us, it felt like a reunion. A handful of us gathered in the afternoon for appetizers and drinks, catching up after time apart — while others were meeting for the first time. Later that evening, we came together for dinner and officially began what will be a very full week ahead.
We heard stories from those who had already spent part of the day exploring Fiji by boat, revisited memories from past Habitat builds, and somehow even uncovered a few stories from Kenya that I had never heard before as team leader!
Our team this year brings together people who have built together before, friends who have known each other for years, and people who arrived in Fiji as strangers. There’s something special about watching all of those different connections begin to overlap as we step into this experience together.
Tomorrow, we’ll meet with Habitat Fiji for orientation and learn more about the work ahead. Then on Monday morning, we’ll head into the community for our cultural welcome and begin the work we came here to do.
Tonight, though, was simply about being together.
And after months of preparing for this moment, it feels very good to say: we’re finally here.
