Visitor FS0602 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
Medical Student |
| Home country? |
United Kingdom |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
reading an article |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
August 2006 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
Developing, but looked interesting |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
The friendly nature of absolutely everyone there |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
The political situation |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
The heat |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
Being able to drink the tap water |
| What should you have brought
along? |
My laptop and some DVDs for rainy nights in |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
I took Malarone |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
Gizo, Western Province |
| Where did you stay? |
United Church guesthouse and Kiwi-House |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
United Church was for 1 week and Kiwi-House was for 4
weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
United Church was SBD 100 and Kiwi-House was a total of
SBD 150 |
| Where did you usually eat? |
The Yacht Club - cheap, good food and great portions, the
Honiara Hotel |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 30 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
Coconut bread and chilli tayo |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
Solomon blue tuna and SolBrew |
| Mobile
phone services |
| [-] |
| Money
matters |
Used American Express
Traveller Cheques in US$ to get cash.
Used Visa credit card to get cash at ATMs and pay for
goods/services. |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH - paediatric department |
| What was your occupation? |
Medical Student |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Mon-Fri 8am-1pm, clinic on Mon & Wed 1pm-3pm |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
The lack of investigations |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
Sight seeing, walked around town, went to Flamingos night
club & the Yacht Club |
| Questions
for medical trainees of all levels (students to
registrars) |
| How was the supervision? |
close |
| Comments |
paeds had excellent supervision for procedures |
| How was the teaching? |
very good |
| Comments |
I had teaching everyday and was actively encouraged to
participate |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
October 2006 |
| How long was your stay? |
6 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
To take things on 'Solomon Time' sometimes it's good for
you |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
Don't expect hot water and get used to mosquitoes they
will become your friends |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
People smiling and saying hello to you everyday, the
culture and general way of life. |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
A hot shower and a bar of proper Cadbury's chocolate |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
GBP 1,800 |
| Additional comments? |
I had the most wonderful experience of my life in the
Solomons. It has changed my life forever, but don't stay just
in Honiara, see the real untouched Solomons in Gizo or any of
the other provinces. Gizo is possibly the most beautiful
place I have ever seen, it is definitely worth a trip and
more importantly, you must learn to dive here if you don't
already know how to. I did and loved it so much. |
