It’s funny how growing up, I always used the words “third-world” or “developing” to describe the countries I am now working to serve. I assumed it was the most accurate way to convey them. I also assumed that people in these countries wanted to live like we do in the U.S–a life of comfort and convenience.

As I’ve come to learn this week, assumptions can be proven wrong. 

I was inspired to pursue a global health-centered career by a service trip to Nicaragua back in high school. My mom immigrated from Nicaragua when she was young, so I was thrilled to work alongside the people of my ancestry. I brought my assumptions about “third-world countries” with me, but it took less than 24 hours for me to toss them out the window once I realized that I have never seen a people more happy than the Nicaraguans I had the privilege to work with. Although they lacked houses or access to running water, I was welcomed into Nicaragua with open arms, offered gifts, and given so many genuine smiles from strangers that are so hard to come by in the states. I assumed I would feel separated from my people–I did grow up in the U.S., after all–but I was blown away by the joy, acceptance, and welcoming spirit of the Nicaraguans.

Just as I learned to set aside my assumptions on my service trip to Nicaragua, I was reminded of this lesson through my team’s conversation with our international collaborators on the Steribox project, Will Moyo and Julia Jenjezwa. Again, I noticed my assumptions fall away, this time about the device design itself. 

For context, our project seeks to sterilize personal protective equipment (PPE) using UVC germicidal light. While coming up with questions to ask Will and Julia, my team assumed we would a) work to design for a set number of masks to be sterilized (e.g. 50 at a time); b) the device would be mainly transported between clinics; and c) since we were working with “developing countries,” we had to keep it beneath a set cost. 

Will and Julia had innovative responses to each of these points: a) why couldn’t we focus on a more standardized metric, such as masks per unit time, instead? b) the device would mainly be transported within a specific clinic, such as down hallways or elevators; and c) instead of worrying about a set maximum cost, we should focus on justifying the cost of each item so that our device is worth its investment. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced so many “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments in a single meeting. 

Long story short, the first big lesson I’ve learned in this internship is the importance of examining my assumptions. Is it logical to assume that just because the Nicaraguans have less material goods than we do in the U.S., they have less happiness than we do? No! I have never met a more joyful people than the Nicaraguans. Does it make sense to assume that rigid design standards such as a set number of masks or maximum cost are ideal to create a contextualized sterilization device? Absolutely not. Justification is often a more important criterion when it comes to creating these objectives. Whether they be about a project or a population, I will definitely be digging in deeper to my assumptions from now on.