The Rumblings We Have Started

By Titus Dallmann, Apprentice, Uzbekistan

I first heard about REI from my brother. This led to an opportunity to go to the REI staff conference in 2022 and talk to several people who were very passionate about the vision of building people to build nations. Their passion excited me, especially the idea of being able to use my business degree in interesting work overseas. Hearing the stories of what REI had done in countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, and other places really motivated me to use my skills this way too. The prospect of working alongside the local people in these countries who will actually be the ones to change their country for the better was a good one – focusing on what the locals really wanted and not just what we westerners thought they wanted.

The countryside outside of Samarkand near Jizzakh, Uzbekistan

While I wanted to use my skills to work overseas, I mostly wanted to find an opportunity to serve others in a helpful way. After reviewing REI’s needs, I discovered a need for English teachers, so I got a CELTA certificate, which qualified me to teach English and make a real impact on individuals in whichever country I would end up going to.

Eventually after discussing with many people, I decided to do a REI Apprenticeship in Uzbekistan. Seeing as I spent much of my childhood in Africa, some aspects of the people-oriented and hierarchical culture of Uzbekistan were very familiar to me. But, there were still some adjustments in trying to figure out my place in the university community and learning how to connect with local people outside of work.

But a much bigger and more difficult adjustment for me was trying to find my footing in the REI community. Whereas I came into this experience with a vision in my head of working alongside locals to develop and enrich their lives, I had not realized the extent of REI’s intention to develop their own staff. I was used to having a lot of autonomy, and now I was living and working in community with people largely chosen for me and with whom I was now “stuck” for the next two years. I was used to setting and directing my own priorities for self-improvement, and now I had a set curriculum of professional and language development I was expected to work through. For a time, I felt like just a cog in this machine rather than an actual contributor to the welfare and development of the people of Uzbekistan.

Titus (second from the right) with his REI team in Uzbekistan

However, as the pressure of the machine ground down my more resistant edges, I realized the experience was growing me in ways I never expected. Normally, if I did not feel like working or living with a group of people, I would just leave. But when leaving was not an option, I was forced to come to grips with aspects of immaturity, issues, and selfishness in myself and learn what it takes to work effectively with people who may have different values and opinions but are pushing towards the same goal. Sometimes I had to admit I was wrong and honestly did need to work on myself. Sometimes I had to learn how to hold my convictions firmly but with care for others, which is difficult for me as someone who is more naturally a people-pleaser.

As I turn my face towards my next steps of pursing my master’s degree, I look back on my time with REI with many, many thoughts, which I will certainly be processing for years to come. REI is highly effective at developing a network of well-qualified team members at every level of experience. People who want to continually grow professionally and make the most of open doors in places where other people are longing to be built. My time in Uzbekistan was invaluable for my personal growth, and I am privileged to have been one of those who’s coming was like small stones which start an avalanche in the mountains.

Titus (second from the front) with his class, a co-professor (to his right). Taken by a visiting professor from Singapore (front and center)

There is only so much that one person can contribute to the development of a nation in two years, but for the handful of people who I grew to call my friends, I hope the lasting impact of the rumblings we have started will grow to be a great cascade of progress in the mountains and plains of Central Asia.