Visitor FR0401 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
MD |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
reading an article |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
January 2004 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
yes, delayed working permission, but they didn't put me
in jail! |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
happy and beautiful people |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
how content and happy people were |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
the polluted sea, lacking infrastructure |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
Solomon Time (that means everybody is always very
late) |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
friends and family |
| What should you have brought
along? |
laptop (computer) |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Lariam |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
Taro, Choiseul |
| Where did you stay? |
I rented a house in Honiara / stayed at the RAMSI place
in Taro |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
5 months / 1 month |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 2,000 per month for the house in Honiara |
| Where did you usually eat? |
at home |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 10 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
coconut milk, fresh fish, sweet potatoe and cooking
banana |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
wild pig |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
by bus |
| Where did you work? |
NRH and Taro Hospital |
| What was your occupation? |
registrar |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
8am to 4.30pm normal day / 8am to 8pm on call, rarely
late or called in at night |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
items and specimen getting lost, Solomon Time |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
reading, sometimes meeting people and having a drink |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
July 2004 |
| How long was your stay? |
6 months |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
how to make the best out of everything |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
have an open mind and be prepared for difficulties |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
laughing people, spectacular diving |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
going out to cultural events in the evening! |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 9,000 - 10,000 (including a lot of diving) |
| Additional comments? |
I think it is a very helpful and good experience for
young doctors to work in a poor country for a while. It will
change your outlook on your professional as well as private
life. |
