Visitor FR0301 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
MD |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
talking to a previous visitor |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
April 2003 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
it's like an oven |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
someone was waiting for me at the airport |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
nothing, everything was better than expected |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
the climate and the flies |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
being able to do outdoor sport in clothing appropriate
for the climate without attracting attention |
| What should you have brought
along? |
I did not miss anything |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Lariam |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
10 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
nothing |
| Where did you usually eat? |
at home |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
almost nothing |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
papaya, watermelon, pineapple, coconuts, sweet potatoes,
corn |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
I liked it all and I am really missing it! |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH |
| What was your occupation? |
registrar in orthopedics |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Mon - Fri, 7.45 am (precisely!) to about 5 pm, and
weekend duty |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
anamneses in English |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
biking, sitting on the porch and chatting with
colleagues |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
June 2003 |
| How long was your stay? |
10 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
a lot of operations I could not do at home |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
bring along books about traumatology and orthopedics, and
off you go! But: nothing goes without a good knowledge of
English! |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
papayas, the easy going life without much paper work |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
finally being able to do a lot of outdoor sport again
without attracting attention |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 3,200 |
| Additional comments? |
I can truly recommend going to Solomon Islands and
working in a hospital, you will see the work at home from a
completely different point of view and take off your
blinders. |
