Confessions of an REI Apprentice
- REI
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
The first 1,000 days
Working with women in preparation for childbirth has given me ample opportunity to learn much about babies. In a child’s first 1,000 days, millions of neurons connect every minute, forming new neuropathways and setting a foundation for that child’s life. I’ve come to realize that the first 1,000 days in a new country are much the same – every day is full of new sights, new sounds, new tastes. Every moment is an opportunity to learn as I seek to absorb the world around me and make sense of it. Often, I feel like a two-year-old, asking “why?” about everything I see.
The vast breadth of cultures within one country, even one city, can be mind-boggling. At times, it can feel like the world is colliding between ancient and modern – and indeed it is! Ancient historical landmarks are overshadowed by high-rise apartment buildings. Elderly men on sailboats pass their time using modern cellphones. A person may buy fruit from a street vendor on the way home from dinner at a fancy restaurant. The opportunities are endless and the lessons never-ending.
One of the positive dynamics of this apprenticeship learning window is the opportunity to receive from others. Often, with projects like ours, it is easy to think of what we have to offer. Indeed, we are seeking to “build people.” However, true strength comes from two-way relationships. Entering a situation like a newborn or a toddler gives locals the opportunity to teach and support me, giving me an opportunity to receive. The people of this culture are incredibly generous and it’s a mutual blessing to give and to receive.
After a year
Now that I’ve been here for over a year, many things are easier. I can naturally buy vegetables from a street market or from a supermarket. I can navigate public transit or drive a car myself. I can ask someone basics like their name and also tell them detailed stories. And yet, there’s a sense of “intermediate no-man’s land” where it is possible to function without significant challenges, yet there is still far more to learn than has been mastered yet. In this place of “toddlerhood,” it can be easy to feel like I’m in limbo.
But then, I get a phone call from someone who wants to take our class, and I explain everything and answer her questions in a foreign language. Perhaps I have a student ask me to brainstorm ideas with her as she begins teaching other women. Or another student wants to meet for lunch and debrief her first experiences attending births.
To experience the world through new eyes
There’s a deep beauty in the give and take of teaching and learning. As we open our lives and hearts to the people around us, we open the door for new perspectives, new ideas, new friendships. It is a privilege to watch women find their voice as they learn about themselves and their inner strength, as they discover that they have something powerful to offer the world, and as they take a step toward becoming a change agent. It is also a privilege to find my own voice as I learn that the weakness of being a “newborn” in a foreign culture is actually a strength, as I discover in myself a power deep within, and as I take little steps to change my own life and the world around me.
I can honestly say that I thought I was coming here to offer something to others, to help improve lives, to build people. The longer I live here, however, the more deeply I understand that I came here to learn. I came here to grow. I came here so that I could be built.
Do I get to build others along the way? Absolutely! And it is such a joy to see the growth in others’ lives. But truly, the privilege is mine that I get to have precious friendships and learn from generous people, to experience the world through new eyes. In light of that, I’ll take the exhaustion of new neuropathways developing in my weary brain because it’s all a beautiful part of building others as they, too, build into me.