What went well? 
I started my journey for the Health, Community and Youth project in Fiji organized by Think Pacific. Upon arrival in Fiji, our team, consisting of 15 students and 3 leaders, headed to a resort for 4 days of briefing. This gives me a clearer picture of our upcoming work in the village. We arrived in the Vunimaqo village on Friday and met our host family. Overall, things went well for the first week. 

What could have been done differently? 
First, I could be more proactive in talking to different people, including my teammates and host family. Second, I am still adapting to the Fijian culture. There are certain ways of living I might not be very used to and I'm sometimes worried that my behaviors might not be culturally appropriate.  

What did I learn about myself when working with others?
I need to get out of my comfort zone. Also, when things didn't go smoothly, I tried to encourage myself to have another try. 

What did I learn about leadership?
During the briefing, we heard sharing from NGOs in Fiji. The staff of the NGOs were demonstrating leadership as they identified some of Fiji's burning problems and came up with strategies to solve them. I was impressed by the presentation given by Youth Champ 4 Mental Health in which the speaker shared about their latest innovative strategy, the floating classroom. 

What do I want to develop or focus on next?
The actual service component would start next week. I want to be able to contribute more to the team and to my family.