Visitor MR0401 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
male |
| Profession/occupation? |
MD |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
talking to a previous visitor |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
March 2003 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no, with Hermann it was easy |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
very exhausted |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
There is some organisation. |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
[-] |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
the heat |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
nothing |
| What should you have brought
along? |
we were well prepared |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
insect repellent, "western" life style (house with
light,...) |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Where did you stay? |
first in a guesthouse (Travellers Motel), then in a house
(Seventh-day Adventist compound) |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
1 month and 10 months |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 1400 and SBD 2000 |
| Where did you usually eat? |
lunch: hospital cafeteria or Seoul cafeteria in the city,
dinner at home |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 10 to 50 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
Solbrew and Sr Esther Motu fish |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
[-] |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
by bus |
| Where did you work? |
NRH |
| What was your occupation? |
doctor (registrar) |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Mo-Fr + some on-call duty depending on the number of
interns |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
keep clean hands... |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
read, read, read, or dinners with friends |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
January 2004 |
| How long was your stay? |
11 months |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
pidgin English, clinical and surgical skills |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
be open minded |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the wide horizon, the heat, the people in the
hospital |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
to have had this wonderful experience and tell family and
friends about it |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
a lot, but it was definitely worth it |
| Additional comments? |
Go there to learn something, e.g. how other people live.
Try to ignore how much money you spend and enjoy your
sparetime (travel to other islands, ...). It is very remote,
so keep in mind you may never get another chance to do things
you postponed. |
