Visitor FS0501 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
medical student |
| Home country? |
Germany |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
browsing the web |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
March 2005 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
hot and humid, Honiara looks very dusty and extremly
undeveloped |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
friendly people (OT nurses in Germany are extremly
unfriendly to students) |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
nothing serious |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
the smell at the hospital |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
my family and friends |
| What should you have brought
along? |
an anatomy book, the library at the hospital is totally
out of date |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
I took Lariam |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
none |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House and a friend's house |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
5 weeks and 4 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 140 and nothing |
| Where did you usually eat? |
at home or in town |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
[hospital] cafeteria SBD 15, fish and chips in town SBD
10 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
I loved the fresh fruit and vegetables from the market,
ample seafood |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
the very, very sweet Coca Cola |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk from the Kiwi House, usually got a ride from my
friend's place |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, 5 weeks surgery and 2 weeks anesthesiology |
| What was your occupation? |
medical student |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
5 days a week, from 8am until 3 or 4pm |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
[-] |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
meet with friends, having barbecue, go for a dive (before
work or after!!) |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
May 2005 |
| How long was your stay? |
2.5 months |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
the "Solomon Time" |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
Don't expect anything and you will be rewarded with so
much. |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the warm weather, the friendly smiling people, my new
friends |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
meeting my friends, living in luxery again, having good
smelling clothes |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
EUR 4,000 |
| Additional comments? |
It is absolutely worth it. I had a great time and I'm
thinking about going back. |
