Visitor MS0901 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
male |
| Profession/occupation? |
Medical Student |
| Medical school year or years of
experience since graduation? |
6 |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
Lecture of Hermann Oberli |
| Did you go alone or in company? |
in company |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
September 2009 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
Wow, not as underdeveloped as I thought. |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
Amicability of the Solomon Islanders, Honiara wasn't as
dangerous as I read |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
It wasn't as adventurous as imagined. |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
Pijin |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
A shower with a strong jet and a washing machine. |
| What should you have brought
along? |
More pens (you always "lose" them to the docs :), netbook
(for journal, photos, email), pictorial dictionary |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Lariam (Mefloquin) |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
- |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
7 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 200 total |
| Where did you usually eat? |
lunch at the kiosk near the hospital, dinner at the
Kiwi-House |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 15 - 50 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
curry tuna, king fish, cocos biscuit |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
After several lunches: the KFC chicken and the antes
toast every morning :) |
| Mobile
phone services |
| If you brought along a mobile
phone, which services did you successfully use? |
voice and SMS |
| Comments? |
Unreliable (often network breakdowns), sending SMS is ok,
very uncommon to receive them form abroad |
| Money
matters |
Used Maestro debit card to get
cash and to get cash at ATMs
Used Visa credit card to get cash at ATMs and pay for
goods/services |
| Comments? |
Credit card to pay for goods/services only in expats'
businesses (e.g. Dive Gizo, Uepi) |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk (500m) |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, Orthopedics (OT and Oberli Fracture Clinic) |
| What was your occupation? |
Assistance during minor and major surgery, questioning
patients, writing reports etc. |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Monday to Friday from 8am till 2pm to 5pm |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
Talking pijin to the patients, knowing the exact
duty |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
reading, working out, playing cards, doing shopping,
chilling out on the terrace of the Kiwi-House |
| Questions
for medical trainees of all levels (students to
registrars) |
| How was the supervision? |
loose |
| Comments |
Must-dos were sometimes not that clear. Often we were
waiting not knowing for what or how long |
| How was the teaching? |
very good |
| Comments |
The orthopedists are brilliant, they teach you the basics
and know apparently every classification and relevant
paper. |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
December 2009 |
| How long was your stay? |
9 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
Orthopedic knowledge, other ways to cope with diseases,
happiness |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
- |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
The sea, the attitude of the locals, the island
feeling |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
Cleanness, availability of everything |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 7,000 |
| Additional comments? |
|
