Visitor FS0603 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
Medical Student |
| Home country? |
United Kingdom |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
my previous 2 visits |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
September 2006 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
Honiara was grimey and disorganised. Atoifi staff were
friendly and very welcoming. |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
warmth of welcome |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
reported danger of spending time in Honiara |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
Humidity |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
Nothing! |
| What should you have brought
along? |
Plenty of good books, snorkelling gear, simple medical
equipment/gloves to leave |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
mosquito net, doxycycline, insect repellent |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Atoifi, Malaita Province |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
Munda, Western Province |
| Where did you stay? |
Hospital transit flat in Atoifi, Agnes' Lodge in
Munda |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
3 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
Atoifi - nothing, Munda - SBD 60/night |
| Where did you usually eat? |
home - Atoifi, lodge restaurant - Munda |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 60 supper at Agnes Lodge. cooking local food was only
about SBD 5 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
fish |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
cassava |
| Mobile
phone services |
| [-] |
| Money
matters |
Used Maestro card to get cash
at ATMs.
Used Visa credit card to pay for goods/services. |
| Comments? |
ATMs are available in Honiara and Gizo, but not in Atoifi
and Munda.
Having a Visa debit card allows you to use ANZ branches in
the provinces. |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk, occasionally lifts in trucks |
| Where did you work? |
Atoifi Adventist Hospital and Helena Goldie Hospital |
| What was your occupation? |
Towards end increasingly independent review of patients,
outpatients, assisting theatre |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
about 8 - 12/1300, but flexible |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
Very few investigations, accepting limits of available
drugs and physio |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
Snorkel, walk, read, visit craftsmen, travel other
islands |
| Questions
for medical trainees of all levels (students to
registrars) |
| How was the supervision? |
adequate |
| Comments |
Always available but not always volunteered |
| How was the teaching? |
good |
| Comments |
In Atoifi there was a strong educational environment -
less so in Munda |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
October 2006 |
| How long was your stay? |
2 months |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
practical procedures, tropical medicine, Pijin English,
local customs |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
Be trusting - they are genuinely warm, and patient with
'Solomon Time' |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
uncynical, generous people, fabulous scenery |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
Not sweating so more energy |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
GBP 2,400 (lots of diving and travel) |
| Additional comments? |
It was just wonderful. Western Province was a lot of fun,
Atoifi was fascinating culturally, and I felt totally
embraced by the community. There were safety concerns in
Atoifi after the beheading of a missionary in May 2003 (see
note below), and there was almost no
freedom to leave the hospital confines. This could be a bit
suffocating but the rewards of such a genuine experience
outweighed this. It was necessary there to be very sensitive
to the strong Seventh-Day Adventist beliefs. We participated
in their worship and I think they might have found it a bit
strange if we hadn't. It took some time to get used to the
unspoken rules of the community, and I don't know how they
would regard an unmarried couple. Just thoughts... it was a
wonderful experience and the combination of the two provinces
was ideal. |
