The Calm Before the Build

Today was mostly a free day before the work officially begins tomorrow, which gave everyone a chance to spend it however they needed.

A few of us headed over to Port Denarau for lunch at Cantina and did a little shopping afterward, while others stayed back at the hotel to relax and recharge ahead of our first day on the build site.

Later in the afternoon, we all came together for orientation with Habitat Fiji. We learned more about the organization’s work here, the community we’ll be serving, and what to expect when we head to the site tomorrow. After months of talking about this trip from afar, it felt good to finally be sitting together, learning about the work we’re about to begin.

Then came dinner — and somehow, we ended up right back at Port Denarau.

A few people from our group had eaten at Sails the night before and loved it so much that we decided to bring the whole team back. Their waiter even recognized them and got a kick out of the fact that they had returned the very next night with five more friends. 

The food was incredible, but what I’ll remember most was sitting around the table laughing, talking, and getting to know one another even better. There was something incredibly fulfilling about looking around and realizing how quickly this group has started to feel close.

We haven’t even picked up a tool yet, and already it feels like the foundation of this team is taking shape.

Tomorrow, the real work begins. I can’t wait to see how much we accomplish together — and how much these friendships continue to grow along the way.

Our 2026 Fiji Global Village Team: Daryl, Dave, Erika, Stephanie, Cheryl, Katie, Keri, Elke, Andre, Sue, and Gary. 

Finally Together in Fiji

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.