Visitor FO0301 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
kindergarten teacher |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
I wanted to accompany my partner |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
May 2003 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
a lot of people just standing around and waiting... |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
openness and warmheartedness of the locals |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
dirt and litter in Honiara |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
Few things work out the way you want them to from the
beginning |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
cervelats (Swiss sausages), Bünderplatte (Swiss meat
dish), Linzertorte (cake) with coffee |
| What should you have brought
along? |
an ant trap and blistering ointment (Zugsalbe in
German) |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Lariam prophylaxis |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Where did you stay? |
Transitflat, Seventh-day Adventist compound |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
6 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 2,250 total |
| Where did you usually eat? |
home, hospital cafeteria, Seoul Cafeteria
(restaurant) |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 10 to 15 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
fresh fruit and vegetables, fish |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
meat, I couldn't eat some of it |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
by bus |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, children's department |
| What was your occupation? |
teaching and working with the children |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
8 to 12 am, occasionally in the afternoon |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
finding out what is desired; some language (Pijin)
difficulties with the kids |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
nothing much, there isn't a lot you can do, often went to
the Internet Cafe |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
August 2003 |
| How long was your stay? |
2 months |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
to be patient |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
inform yourself, keep your expectations low, be
flexible |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the warm climate, the informal and uncomplicated way of
life |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
leisure activities, food, friends, and family |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 10,000 (including the fixed costs at home) |
| Additional comments? |
It was an intense experience which left its mark on us.
Our expectations changed during the stay: when we arrived we
hoped to achieve great things, but later were simply glad for
every experience we made. It was great! |
