Visitor FS0202 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
medical student |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
browsing the web |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
September 2002 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
yes, visa (see note) |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
heat and humidity |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
friendly people |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
rubish in the streets |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
to really understand Pijin-English [= Solomon Islands
flavour of pidgin English] |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
possibility to practice spare-time activities on your own
as a woman |
| What should you have brought
along? |
more Swiss chocolate |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
prophylaxis with Malarone |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Where did you stay? |
guesthouse and home sitting |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
5 weeks in guesthouse and 3 weeks home sitting |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 100 per night [guesthouse] |
| Where did you usually eat? |
dinner and breakfast at home, lunch in [hospital]
cafeteria or in Chinatown |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 5 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
pineapple and tuna fish |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
Solbrew |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
on foot and by bus |
| Where did you work? |
NRH |
| What was your occupation? |
medical student [elective] |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Mon-Fri, 6-10 hours a day, and sometimes also on
weekends |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
communication with the patients |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
shopping on market, cooking at home, reading books,
discussing with my colleague |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
November 2002 |
| How long was your stay? |
10.5 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
to be patient and cheerful even in difficult
situations |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
to be open, curious, interested, but not naive |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
sun, heat, the smile of the locals, the atmosphere in the
hospital |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
family and boyfriend, chocolate, shower |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 5000 |
| Additional comments? |
It was one of the greatest experiences in my life and I
am very thankfull for it. But it was a time with ups and
downs and I am very lucky to have been there with my two
friends from Switzerland. |
