2025 Rwanda Delegation— Min Zo
Theater ‘25
The reason I want to go to Rwanda is because the country is rich with wisdom and culture. I graduate this year and after having been there the last two delegations, I took it as an opportunity to experience Rwanda one more time. I want to bring back lessons back to my community, friends and most importantly, for myself.
June 4, 2025
We landed in Rwanda today and even though this my third time here, it certainly does not get old. The smells, the sights, the sounds, and the people. The beautiful country of Rwanda, I am ready for all the wisdom and lessons that you're going to teach me.
"Heads and Tails"
Is a poem that I wrote to describe the idea that we are all on different sides of the coin but equal in value. Whether we are heads or tails. This idea came to me after seeing Rwanda and seeing all the similarities it has to Thailand. The food, the buildings, the heat, and the people of Rwanda, even though looks different than people in Thailand, are equally the same.
Another poem
June 5, 2025
We walked the streets of Nyamirambo today and got to see women empowerment. These women learned sewing, hair braiding and craft making skills to be able to support themselves without a need of a man. They are also teaching more and more women each day to do so. The government also supports this by giving them several sewing machines.
Whispers in Kigali
In fields once green with song and light,
Now silence walks the roads at night.
The hills remember every name
Each one a spark, a vanished flame.
A mother hums with empty arms,
children’s bodies left upon the farms
The skies still weep in April rain,
For ghosts that rise with every name.
No one to speak the lullabies,
No hands to dry the haunted eyes.
Just echoes where the voices fell
Too many gone, too many stories to tell.
Yet even in the ash and dust,
A flower breaks the earth in trust.
Though loneliness may never cease,
The seeds of hope still whisper peace.
June 6, 2025
My faith in Humanity is restored. Never would I have ever believed it was possible to coexist with the killers of my family. That is exactly what is happening in Rwanda in the reconciliation villages. They built trust with each other over time where the perpetrators continuously prove that they have changed to gain forgiveness from the victims. Unbelievable right? The victim even made a joke to the preparator saying "remember you almost killed me ". To be able to laugh after a tragedy is a beautiful thing.
June 7, 2025
While the others were in Muhanga with the teachers of urukundo, Drew, Rena, and myself went to Kigali to introduce Story-Based Learning to a new province. Even though these teachers were new to SBL, the way they jumped right in with no hesitation was really something else. Almost like story is already apart of them and SBL is just allowing them freedom to use it in another way to teach.
June 10, 2025
The Huye coffee hike was beautiful. It was great to learn how coffee is planted, harvested, and shipped. We learned the science behind the quality of coffee and the "history" of coffee. The goats eating the beans and the owner thinking it was the devil and roasting it but instead made the whole village smell like coffee.
June 11, 2025
I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD! Canopy walk at Nyungwe was breathtaking. Seeing so much nature and that high in the sky was such an amazing experience. The hike tested my fitness but the feeling of completing it with such an amazing view really made it worth it.
June 13, 2025
Azizi Life is one my favorite things we have done here in Rwanda. To be able to experience the everyday life of rural Rwandans was special. Being hands with cooking, cultivating, fetching water, and eating lunch together made me appreciate life on another level. The happiness and joy from the simple things in life that I take granted for every day. I left there feeling so much gratitude for my own life.
June 16, 2025
Today the Peace Value Education or PVE teachers taught us that there are signs of violence and that a human does not just wake up wanting to commit violence. They realized there is a history and that it is a built-up idea. It is important to recognize these signs so we can further prevent or minimize tragedies in the future.
Dance and drumming class was so fun! We got to learn traditional Rwandese drumming and dancing. The dance mimics the beautiful way cows move, and it really uses the whole body making it a very difficult dance. The drums enhanced the movements, and I felt myself just getting lost in the beat.