“Urgence. Restez penchés. Emergency. Bend down, head down.” I pressed my head to my knees. There was no time to negotiate emotion.

What does it mean to see systems clearly, and to belong within them? A week in Oxford pressed that question through experiments, conversation, and group projects, revealing how leadership is formed as much in community as in theory.

The North began for me as a small seed that grew with each visit, and on this trip I saw that same beginning in others. At some point, the north stops being an idea and becomes something you are part of.

I came both to help run the third annual boot camp and to reconnect with friends and colleagues who have helped make Rwanda a home away from home. Each day carried reminders of community, resilience, and generosity – all of which make Rwanda so special to me.