I'm thrilled to be announced as the WINNER for the Rising Star award at the 2023 Women In Digital Award National Awards.
This award is for an Australian woman who has demonstrated an outstanding level of initiative and leadership as a digital specialist within the first five
I moved to Fiji a while ago from NYC, I consider myself an expat rather than a local because I grew up mostly overseas.
It's amazing how much tourists look down on coloured residents of Fiji (white expats are living the dream apparently), but for the rest of us there's
I now know what Fijian math is.
It's when Fiji Airways calls rows 1-6 but 50 people start lining up.
Fijian hospitality is the ticket person who just goes with it.
A few years ago I wrote a reflective paper on the impact of the Methodist Mission in Fiji on social outcomes among Indo-Fijians
I wrote this paper because my family doesn't fit in. We didn't attend Ramayans, socialize in the same way or even speak in a similar manner to others.
Did you know that there's a car wash run by those with deafness here in the NCPD complex in Suva?
Sitting here with some friendly police officers as they get their car washed.
Do take the opportunity to get your car washed here and interact with others from all walks of life.
16 women built a website today with
@softr_io
We had women who sold kava, architectural designs, tours, NGO workers, bakers and more.
I'm proud of them for their willingness to learn, and their outcomes today.
One of my favourite photos that I've uploaded to
Aji (paternal grandmother) with her sari and Fiji bag in San Francisco (1960s)
Hoping to recreate this one day!
We are safe with each other, enough for each other & united. Let’s spread this message of unity.
I'll start:
My name is Bhumika Khatri. I fall in the minority group in Fiji & I have felt completely safe in the lead up to elections,during elections & post-elections.
#FijiIsUnited
The only other time I saw "Fiji" in Times Square was in February 2019. There was a Fiji Water ad and you can hear my mother saying Sabeto pahar (Sabeto mountains) in the background 😂
seeing the word FIJI on this towering digital billboard is enough even for a few seconds. it’s at the busiest intersection of TSquare on 46th + 7th/B’way. NYC is projected to welcome 63M visitors by the end of 2023. TS approx daily foot traffic, 330K.
@TourismFiji
Bula
#teamfiji
Next month I'll run a half-day workshop at
@greenhousecwfj
aimed at female entrepreneurs or creatives who want a website to showcase their products/services. Link in the next comment 👇🏽
Come with a laptop, and leave with a website.
It will be entirely free to
Today is the first time ever I've seen a larger plane take off towards the mountains.
Usually they all takeoff towards Nadi town.
Wikipedia says "Arrivals and departures are much preferred to be to the south, due to the closeness of the Sabeto mountain range to the immediate
Super duper excited to share that I'll be a Contributor with the Fiji Sun, writing and sharing stories from my workshops every week in the Sunbiz lift-out.
This is a really great opportunity for me to elevate the fascinating stories I come across each session.
Also thankful for
Bula
#teamfiji
I'm looking to run a free 6-week program in either Suva or Nadi to help small businesses go digital.
It would cover:
- identifying your processes and problems
- making the shift to digital (and the tools)
- using digitalisation to work on your business growth
I honestly do not regret having my 4 kids by the age of 27… some of y’all haven’t even started, you’ll be attending parents meetings with walking sticks🦯
Today a taxi driver was telling me his daughter finished studying IT at FNU and asked if I could help her get some experience or find a job.
I gave him my business card. He saw it and asked where my office is located and I told him I don't have one.
He handed my card back
Months later I've met hundreds of people and given out a handful of my cards.
But I do like looking at them and packing them in my bags as if they're a necessity.
Something I've noticed about all Fijians after adulting in an immigrant city (NYC) is that we deeply love and never doubt the beauty of our country
Fresh oxygen, greens, blues, and browns, and natural food
Only in my adulthood did I realize not all find their homeland beautiful
Bula Maleka
#teamfiji
I'm looking at running a full day NGO or For Good focused workshop in Nadi at the end of Nov for $50pp.
You'll be in a room full of other NGO owners/employees/volunteers learning how to build a website.
We can cover some of the common activities and
My favourite part of the Women in Tech awards was actually wearing a sulu jaba set from Lulia Tribe.
The Founder, Loops, attended my first workshop and she's working really hard to grow her vision of creating modern and sustainable Fijian bridalwear.
She has some great
Let's shout out the savviness of this gentleman and what we can learn from his story
> Currently 28yo
> Took a calculated business
> Self funded his growth assets
> Employs 68 people 🤯
> Generates business activity in a rural area
I've been announced as a Finalist in the Rising Star of the Year category for the Australian Women in Digital National Awards this year.
It's been a crazy time and I think the most mind-blowing part is that a client of mine supported and advocated for this nomination.
I
At the end of the day, despite all that has happened - my biggest blessing in life is to call Fiji my home
Despite what was lost, taken, and tortured - all of it had to happen to call Fiji my home.
I now choose to focus on intergenerational strength, endurance, and resilience
This is one of the most beautiful and uniquely Fijian websites you'll ever see.
🔗The link and my case study in the thread.
Tailasa (
@ieatdinobites
) is a young law student at the
@UniSouthPacific
in Fiji.
He attended a digitisation talk I held in September, keen to learn
Bula vinaka
#teamfiji
, thank you for your warm support and messages over the last few days 🤗
I have 2 workshops in Nadi that have many spots available.
A women-only workshop on the 18th of Nov and an NGO-themed workshop on Dec 2nd.
Another group of women built websites today with
@softr_io
! Each determined to tell their own story.
We had land owners, boat charter owners, law firm owners, and some people just wanting to learn.
A small but really interactive group that are already seeing how they can
What if I told you Fiji's oldest netball club just launched its first website for $100 in less than two weeks. Complete with merchandise, news, and club information
Built by a Welfare Officer at the Ministry of Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation... not me, and not a tech
Somar - Monday
Magar - Tuesday
Buth - Wednesday
Bif - Thursday
Sukh - Friday
Sanichar - Saturday
Atwar - Sunday
#FijiBaat
#InternationalMotherLanguageDay
Indofijians drop in some phrases or words in Fiji Baat!
I recently asked to speak at a similar conference in Fiji. At first I was told the speaking slots were for people "significant in their field" and when I told them I'm a no code OG they slapped me with a PDF of fees.
The minimum cost being $10k to speak and up to 30k to get the
It's been a year since I've moved to Fiji. It was always my intention to leave after one year.
I'm not sure what's next.
I feel as though I can't leave what I've started in Fiji. But also, I still think about NYC every day - the place that feels most attuned to what I know
Had a huge website-building class of 16 people today, the youngest student being 12 years old (not in the photo).
This class was extremely focused and keen so we worked on some more concepts like scrolling behaviour.
Check out the tweet below to see what Jasmine managed to
Don't forget to pick up the Fiji Sun today and support our Vonu girl
@ShritikaFJ
Thank you for letting me share your story.
I'll share the online edition soon!
What a lovely evening celebrating
@TumeliTuqota
, Dave Lavaki, and their wonderful documentary Elections in Paradise.
How lucky are we to have these two capture Fijian stories from a Fijian lens.
Super excited to be joining
@Techstars
(Sydney 🇦🇺) as a Mentor!
I'll be sharing all things product and no-code with the 12 Founders
Techstars is one of the largest pre-seed investors in the world and has set up in Sydney for the first time in partnership with the NSW Government
I have so many photos of my family from the 50's and 60's and even earlier that could help paint a picture of some of the different ways people lived in Fiji at the time.
Is there a site where individuals can contribute such photos to help people see lived history?
What did he lose? Cultural capital, and community.
What did he gain? Capital, and a community that did not value his ancestral journey, pain, and strength
Everyone wants to pluck the beautiful flower but nobody wants to understand the plant it came from or leave it be and give it the sun, watering, and care it deserves.
It's important to recognize that those who may feel unsafe probably aren't expressing their safety status on social media.
The elderly, the disabled, the isolated, etc.
Though we feel positive here, we must not drown out any genuine concerns from those most vulnerable.
I’m so excited to share my first weekly contribution to
@sun_fiji
and my first newspaper article (ever) as an author. This is a big personal milestone for me.
How Bale Spearheaded New Website
@ieatdinobites
fantastic work on your first website, a wonderful way to upskill
Some of our ladies have moved beyond a website and are now digitising their ordering process, creating business dashboards, building CRMs, and even using HTML to create custom automated emails (big wow).
This is not about "drag and drop". We go through dynamic vs static data,
Aja was afforded opportunities, education, and social capital not available to other Indo-Fijians of the time, simply because he converted his religion and swapped the dhoti for dapper.
Children Let Loose Robots in Waqadra.
Did you know there's a place in Nadi where children can learn about how software and hardware work together in everyday gadgets?
Dont forget to pick up the paper today. I share Elevate Academy's journey in providing STEM education right
I've been struggling with some issues around feeling appreciated and seen in the past few weeks.
It's been taking away from my sleep, and it's been a while since I've woken up early.
Today I'm up to watch the sunrise and can't help but think about how the sun has been rising
If Jiuta Wainiqolo likes my workshop, then Jiuta Wainiqolo wants you to attend my workshop.
Expression of interest form is linked below 👇🏽
What a moment.
#teamFiji
Here is a thread of happy stories I've seen on my TL over the past week.
Enjoy, be happy, and spread positivity to your community!
I realise it is incomplete. If there are more stories - send them to me and I can continue doing this.
Someday I will learn how RB Patel organises their aisles, but today is not that day.
Toilet paper in the oil and water aisle, and completely opposite to where the bathroom products are in the store.
Ok!!!!!!!!
I struggle with the events related to the Queen's death as they pomp tradition and ceremony but so numbingly and methodically wiped out mine
This is not an opinion of the Church. It's a commentary on how it was used in this situation.
Congratulations to the 2023 Rising Star of the Year, powered by
@EntainGroup
...
@Shenalyo
, Digital Strategist, no-code Developer at Shenal and agency director in the making! Meet the 2023
#WIDAwards
winners:
Don't forget to pick up the paper today.
Shital runs her kava and suki business independently and proudly even after marriage.
She confidently describes herself as a "today woman"
Running a stall at Laqere market with products for locals and for export, Shital came to my
however Indo-Fijians who converted to the mission
created a new identity for themselves separate from their Hindu or Muslim counterparts but not yet accepted by indigenous Fijian or European Methodists. (Close-Barry 2015).
I remember the contributions of Girmityas, their descendants - for me particularly my family - and the contributions they all have made to Fiji.
I encourage descendants today to continue and strive to contribute towards a better and unified Fiji, no matter where in the world you
What a fantastic day of community, confidence, and storytelling! Today 10 Fijian entrepreneurs spent the day with me and built their websites using
@softr_io
@airtable
I was blown away with what they were able to achieve and can't wait to share the final products 🤌🏾
Aside from working, I absolutely love every moment in this wonderful city 🗽
I create time in my calendar to go out, feel good, and enjoy a walk in town
This week I shared the story of Fiji's oldest netball club, the Lomaiviti Netball Club Suva.
Run to foster inclusiveness and a love for the sport the Club built their first website after attending my workshop.
What if I told you Fiji's oldest netball club just launched its first website for $100 in less than two weeks. Complete with merchandise, news, and club information
Built by a Welfare Officer at the Ministry of Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation... not me, and not a tech
The Methodist mission in Fiji was highly divisive and perpetuated the differences between 3 identities, Fijians (indigenous Fijians), Indo-Fijians, and Europeans;
My wall so far. This wall motivates me to get more people building websites and sharing their stories.
♥️ Does anybody have a favourite article? Better yet, can you spot yourself or a friend?
A lot of my teaching is about confidence building. Sometimes it takes a lot of
Our life in Fiji was isolated at best; British and to be honest, snobbish.
This is my personal opinion, here are some excerpts. I hope it highlights the complexity within and amongst all the labels and experiences out there.
My grandfather, hereon referred to as Aja, was born in Suva, Fiji in 1918. He was an Indo-Fijian raised in
a boarding school under the Methodist tradition by educators and pastors of British descent from the UK and New Zealand.
Seems like I'm foreign looking enough for Fiji Baat speaking people to come up to me and speak English, but not foreign looking enough for Jacks to play the lali when I enter the store.
Despite being tiny, planktons have a pivotal role in balancing marine food web. Dr. Viliame Waqalevu has some valuable insights about
#YasSeaWorldRR
’s Aquaculture Program to share.
Join our internship program by emailing us at yswrr.reception
@miral
.ae
#YasIsland
#InAbuDhabi
Bula maleka. My next website workshop is in Suva on April 5th at 1230pm. It's open to EVERYONE, not only women.
We have some people bringing their kids too.
This cost includes the workshop, personalised help, and networking/exposure.
Upon completion of your website, you will
I'm at the half way point of what is my planned year in Fiji. A while ago
@MalcamPrasad
asked me to write something about the Pacific being a tech desert, his prompt has had me thinking since.
It's been an interesting few months and definitely required a huge adjustment from me