Visitor MS0506 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
male |
| Profession/occupation? |
Medical student |
| Home country? |
Australia |
| 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? |
December 2005 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
Very friendly |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
They had electricity & appliances! |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
town water & electricity stopping periodically |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
heat & humidity |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
[-] |
| What should you have brought
along? |
digital camera!! |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Mefloquine & repellant |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
none |
| Where did you stay? |
Seventh Day Adventist Mission compound |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
4 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
Uncertain - covered with scholarship (but heard it was
not cheap) |
| Where did you usually eat? |
home (lunches in staff room) |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
about SBD 20 for fruits (most of food brought dried from
home) |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
the fruits there are GREAT! |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
Open market cooked food didn't agree with my stomach |
| Mobile
phone services |
| Did not use services - you
need to pay big sum of money (I think more than SBD 100) to
connect to Telekom |
| Money
matters |
| brought cash, converted in
Central Bank to Solomon Dollars |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
by bus |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, General surgical & orthopaedics wards |
| What was your occupation? |
student |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Monday - Friday, 7.45am till between 3 - 5pm |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
starts early, otherwise great fun! |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
met up with local SDA church people |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
January 2006 |
| How long was your stay? |
4 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
Pidgin English |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
Expect the best, be prepared for the worst - and be
friendly! |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
The friends I met there, and their hospitality |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
catching up with family, celebrating birthday
(belated!) |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
AUD 4,000 |
| Additional comments? |
The hospital staff are great, so get to know them well!
You get what you put in to this experience, so stick around
at the hospital, and the surgeons will let you see and do
things (and even show you around town!) It is a poor
developing country, so don't expect first world
standards. |
