Visitor FS0203 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
medical student |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
information from the university |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
September 2002 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
yes, I recieved only a visa for one month |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
heat |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
the friendly people |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
the MEF guys (Malaitan Eagle Force) |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
the climate |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
my boyfriend |
| What should you have brought
along? |
mosquito net |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
prophylaxis (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? |
3 weeks home sitting, 5 weeks in different
guesthouses |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 100/night for 3 persons in the guesthouse and nothing
for the house sitting |
| Where did you usually eat? |
for lunch in the hospital cafeteria if there was
something, for dinner at home |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 4 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
sweet potatoes and bush lime |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
nothing |
| 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? |
Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4/5 pm |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
communication with the old patients, because they don't
speak pidgin or English |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
internet, market, reading... |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
November 2002 |
| How long was your stay? |
9 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
a lot of practical work in the hospital |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
if you are a women, you should not go alone |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the sun, the laughing and friendly people and the
fruits |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
a shower |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
travel cost CHF 2,600 |
| Additional comments? |
it was a very good experience for me! |
