The first and second half of my fellowship could not have been more radically different for me. For the first few months, I was thrown onto a construction site in rural Rwanda. I watched each day as four houses and the surrounding landscape quickly came to completion. I met many local Rwandan workers, whose company and warm smiles I came to cherish. I learned so much on that construction site, and I am so happy to have had the experience of working there.
For the past few months, I have been situated at a much less “exotic” locale — the office desk. This is not to say that the work has been any less exciting, or rewarding. Working in the office on the design of a new health center has been equally challenging. The project, admittedly, was overwhelming at first. I had no idea how medical spaces should be arranged, or what was best for patient flow. Upon talking to one of my GHC fellows on how excited I was about learning the word “phlebotomy” for the first time, they were shocked. They too had taken for granted how much (or little) each of the fellows knew about different aspects of healthcare, and how important it was to share that knowledge. Since then, I am happy to say that I have learned much from my more seasoned colleagues, along with advice from my GHC friends and advisors. I am equally grateful for the experience of designing a health center from the beginning phases, just as much as I am for seeing my first project completed. For the first time, I am really starting to understand the relationship between healthcare and design, and I can’t wait to learn more.