The meaning of the word is a complicated one, one that cannot be answered in a single sentence. To be honest, if I was asked what development meant to me a couple months ago, I would have answered that it simply meant progressing till a certain level has been reached. The problem with this definition is that does not take into consideration who gets to determine what the level of what it means to be developed is. After taking GRS 290 and engaging in mindful discussions with my fellow classmates, I have come to the conclusion that it is pivotal to include local customs and peoples when developing a region as well as judging what the standard for development is. An example of this was when Dr. Shafik Dharamsi was discussing how an entire development project was created to aid locals in a village in Africa with dental hygiene by providing them with toothbrushes and toothpaste. This, of course, was judging what dental hygiene meant according to Western standards. After this team had arrived to the village, they were shocked to learn that the local people had their own method of dental hygiene, that did not involve toothbrushes and toothpaste, and that had seemed to work well. Furthermore, something I learned about development is that it never stops. If we were to define development as progression, then no one region can be fully developed while another one is developing.