I grew up in a small remote Christian village in the Southern part of Chin State in Myanmar surrounded by high mountains, and natural greenery. The villagers make a living by growing rice and various vegetables, and by breeding pigs. Early in the morning, we can see the villagers coming back home from the church to get ready at their farms. However, it was difficult
to access formal education, but I was fortunate to receive education as the village established a primary school in 2010, the year I reached school age. Many people in the village did not support women in receiving education because it was the norm for women to be good housewives and obey their husbands.

I was a person who rebelled against these norms and wanted to be an educated person who holds up the community to become a better one.

On February 1st 2021, the military staged a coup overthrowing the elected government. The military used violence way to stop revolutions in rural areas when I was in grade 11. Overnight, we became internal refugees forced to flee to the Northern part of Chin State. My life was turned upside down.The host community gave us a plot on which we built a humble home. We restarted our life from scratch in the new environment by reclaiming lands, and breeding livestock to survive. We had to try to adapt to the regional dialect, freezing cold weather, and different customs. From 2021-2022, I could not continue my education. Even if the situation was dark and there seemed to be no chance, I hoped to continue my education soon.

Since I was young, my mother taught me to pray and read the Bible every day. Since Christians believe that God will be with us in the hardest time, I did not give up my goal, as I believed I would get opportunities in the near future. One day, one of my teachers introduced me to Parami University, an online non-profit university that provides need-based scholarships to disadvantaged groups, so it was a big chance for me. I couldn’t believe my ears and controlled my emotions.

I was questioning myself, “Is it possible to go there?”

I had never taken an English course before but knew I needed to in order to pass the Parami entrance exam. We could not travel to the nearest English course in Yangon or Mandalay because the military suspects Chin youths to be joining resistance groups due to on-going conflict in Chin state within the country. Since my village did not have Starlink wifi to access the internet in 2023 yet, my only option was to relocate to Aizawl, a town in India in order to attend an online elementary and pre-intermediate English class funded by Burma Academy for three months.

I started my journey on 23 November 2023 with my father. It was a two-day trip from my place to Aizawl. We traveled by motorcycle to Sangaw, India. The road was rough and we fell three times because of heavy rain. From Sangaw to Aizawl, we took a Benjamin Car, a type of vehicle that could accommodate only ten people, at 6am. I was carsick and squeezed into a corner because of the uncomfortable journey.

Two thoughts came to my mind: Should I return home or should I stay and pursue my dream? After suffering for around 13 hours, we arrived at Aizawl at 7 p.m. We did not know where to go, and had to wait thirty minutes for my teacher to pick us up at the car gate. When we arrived at our flat, my father and I were happy to take a rest.

At the flat, there were nine friends I had never met before, and I was extremely thrilled to study English with them. My father went back to Chin State after two days. The class ran virtually, which was difficult, as I was not familiar with online learning. The regular class time was from 8AM-6PM but sometimes it wouldn’t end until 9PM. I happily overcame the barriers that I faced with my friends by keeping up with each other. In Aizawl, everything was different from Myanmar in culture, language, and food. I learned the word “Ing Za nge” which means “How much is it?” When I wanted to buy something, I pointed at the thing I wanted and said “Ing Za nge.”

After three months, as we were still eager to learn English, a Chin Roman Catholic Father from the Philippines who is passionate to support the students, provided us with some financial support for two months. With Father’s support, we could take a class taught by a volunteer Filipino teacher who is Father’s friend. Then, I self-studied to improve my English by watching youtube videos during two months.

After five months, even though my friends went back to Myanmar because of financial issues, I chose to live in Aizawl even if I faced financial difficulties. When I was living there, I learned how to manage my budget because everything was expensive. My family supported me as much as they could, but financial issues still were a barrier. When my parents called, they
said, “Keep going, and try your best! We believe you can do it.” It made me feel confident in my effort to overcome many obstacles.

After six months, I reached intermediate level and the day arrived on June 15, 2024 for the Parami entrance exam. I passed the entrance exam and I was selected for an interview. Unfortunately, I was sick before the interview, so I only had three days to prepare. Despite crying and feeling ill, I successfully took the interview.

On June 27, I nervously checked my email and I had gotten an acceptance letter from the institution.

My family and I were overjoyed to receive the opportunity; we thanked God. I was deeply grateful to attend Parami University and it felt like my dream would really come true.

Now one year later, I have already successfully finished my first year at Parami University. I want to remind you that if you are passionate about your ambition, do not let anything limit you. For me, I have not allowed my country’s conflict to destroy my ambition, and even though I face many obstacles, I overcome them through my burning desire.

Elderly people in our villages always make a statement that something that you are scared of is the thing you need to overcome. You can fail, or pass, but it does not matter. The important strategy is to “keep going, and never give up.”