Visitor MR0302 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
male |
| Profession/occupation? |
MD |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
reading an article |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
April 2003 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
yes, getting work permit and to extend the visa |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
heat, humidity, friendly local people, one very
unfriendly volunteer worker |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
to deal with local people (patients and employees), they
are open and friendly |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
behavior of some volunteers |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
there's not really much you can do in Honiara with your
big amount of sparetime |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
certain food of my home country |
| What should you have brought
along? |
a finished education as an orthopedic surgeon |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
mosquito net, long-sleeved clothes towards evening and
after sunset |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House and Travellers Motel |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
4 days and 3.5 months |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
Travellers Motel: SBD 1,400/month |
| Where did you usually eat? |
lunch: hospital cafeteria, dinner: cooking on our own a
very simple meal |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 15 - 20 for lunch in a restaurant |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
fish, coconut, rice |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
- |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH |
| What was your occupation? |
registrar |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
5 days per week, most of the time only in the
morning |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
the frequent absence of e.g. drugs, oxygen, plaster,
power |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
write emails or document patients on the laptop |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
August 2003 |
| How long was your stay? |
4 months |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right (at the end it's always too short) |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
smile, take it easy (it's hard to practice it in
Switzerland at work) |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
do not expect too much |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the sea (although you can't take a bath in the sea in
Honiara) |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
the food we are used to |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 10,000 (for two persons) |
| Additional comments? |
[-] |
