Visitor FS0701 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
Medical Student |
| Home country? |
UK |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
browsing the web |
| Did you go alone or in company? |
alone |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
March 2007 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
- |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
The friendly people, laid back attitudes to life |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
- |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
The heat and humidity (but it didn't take long) |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
Friends and family |
| What should you have brought
along? |
- |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Malarone and mosquito net |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
Kilu'ufi Hospital, Malaita Province |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House, Ethel's rest house |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
4 weeks, 2 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 100 for whole stay, SBD 100/night |
| Where did you usually eat? |
Yacht club, or fruit from market or hospital canteen,
never cooked |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 5 - 50 more for expensive restaurants |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
Bush lime, coconut cream buns |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
SolBrew |
| Mobile
phone services |
| If you brought along a mobile
phone, which services did you successfully use? |
voice |
| Comments? |
You have to buy a local SIM but then works no problem in
Honiara |
| Money
matters |
Used Barclays debit card to
get cash at ATMs and pay for goods/services
Used Mastercard credit card to get cash and get cash at
ATMs |
| Comments? |
Take a spare credit card if you have one, my visa card
got swallowed by the ATM |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH paediatrics. Kilu'ufi - everywhere |
| What was your occupation? |
student |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Monday-Friday 7.30 - 1ish at NRH. Kilu'ufi 8am - late
plus all emergencies |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
My lack of knowledge |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
Storied with local people, sightseeing, swimming |
| Questions
for medical trainees of all levels (students to
registrars) |
| How was the supervision? |
adequate |
| Comments |
Felt well supported in both places but able to get very
involved at Kilu'ufi |
| How was the teaching? |
good |
| Comments |
Structured paeds teaching at NRH and great clinical
teaching at Kilu'ufi |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
April 2007 |
| 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 be more accepting of what life throws at me |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
Be open and talk to people, they will appreciate it and
you will be welcomed into local life. Also go to Kilu'ufi, I
heard a lot of negative things about it in Honiara but would
highly recommend it. |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
Friends! The Sunshine! |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
A bath |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
GBP 3,000 |
| Additional comments? |
I had the best elective I could imagine and would love to
go back especially to Malaita which is a beautiful and
friendly place where provided you are willing to work hard
you can make fantastic friends and gain huge experience in
the hospital! If you want more of a holiday elective, NRH is
better for this. |
