Visitor MS0305 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
male |
| Profession/occupation? |
medical student / personal trainer |
| Home country? |
Australia |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
contact that could organise the visit and recommeded the
hospital |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
November 2003 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
seemed disorganised, poorly funded |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
friendly people, safe environment, good learning
opportunities |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
the disorganisation and slow nature of change |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
mosquitoes and all the precautions |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
to be able to chill out with some good food and a DVD -
turn off for a while |
| What should you have brought
along? |
some music, flippers, good snorkel, more books |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
nets to sleep under, doxycycline religiously, primiquine
after |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
1 month |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 0 |
| Where did you usually eat? |
home |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 10 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
coconuts |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
none |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH |
| What was your occupation? |
student and assistant |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
7.45am-2.00pm |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
nothing much |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
study, read, exercise |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
December 2003 |
| How long was your stay? |
1 month |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
to just relax more |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
arrive with an open uncritical perspective |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the other medical staff |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
food and family |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
AUD 2,000 |
| Additional comments? |
[-] |
