MY FIRST WEEK IN SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
Impressions:
I arrived in Costa Rica on May 29th without much prior knowledge about the country. I wanted to come into the country fresh so that each experience would feel novel. When I first reached customs at the airport, I was surprised by how easy it was to navigate for English speakers. Most people actually spoke to me first in English, which meant that I didn’t really have to challenge myself by speaking in Spanish.
I initially had mixed feelings about Selina (hostel). While the karaoke night was very energetic and fun, the sheer heat, humidity, and “crampness” of our room made it not the most comfortable. Yet, I somewhat grew to enjoy the closeness of our setup as the bunk beds were a new and fun experience.
San Jose’s geography was amazing. On our daily morning Uber rides to our hospital visits or the University of Costa Rica, we were able to enjoy the view of the mountains visible from the hilly roads. It really felt like a city integrated with nature.
Needs Finding Workshop:
The workshop was exhausting, but worth it. As an electrical and computer engineering major coming into iSEED, I never really expected that we would observe Costa Rican hospitals so intimately. Yet, talking with health care providers and experts in various hospitals proved to be challenging and refreshing. I never was interested in the medical field before the program, but it really instilled an appreciation for the intersection of healthcare and engineering in me. My favorite and most memorable part of the whole workshop was observing within the OR of a Geriatric Hospital. We had the privilege of observing a cataracts and prostate operation up close, while wearing proper medical gowns. It was surprising how laid back all the medical staff was during the whole operation; it reminded me that operations are routine for them. I honestly had a difficult time finding any urgent needs for the hospitals, as I knew very little about healthcare. If I were to do it again, I would definitely conduct more research beforehand.
Medical Innovation Workshop:
My group for the Medical Innovation Workshop was diverse: me, a Rice GMI student, and two UCR students. Our group was tasked with designing a way to detect diabetic foot ulcers to prevent further infection and complications. Initially, I found it difficult to communicate with my group members, as the UCR students spoke little English. I first discussed with the GMI student and then relayed the information by roughly translating it to Spanish to the UCR teammates. I felt a little bad and unsure throughout our project process because the UCR teammates were very passive and rarely took initiative. I didn’t want to be overbearing and stubborn with our team’s direction. Even after losing one of our UCR teammates after the first day, our group successfully created a design that would detect an infected foot ulcer using pH paper and a mirror. The design was admittedly based on a correlation that must be researched further, but for the purposes of the workshop, it turned out ok. Our preparation for our final presentation/showcase was anticlimactic, as no real judges visited our station. In short, I learned that it is very difficult to design a medical device with only high school level biology and chemistry knowledge. Yet, I am glad that I was given the chance to branch out and challenge myself in new fields.
Nice