Visitor MS0902 
| 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? |
reading an article |
| 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? |
yes, duration of the visa issued at the airport was too
short, but no problem to extend. So, check! |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
- |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
Hospitality, friendliness + "positiveness" of the local
people |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
very high prices for certain imported products + coffee
(if available at all...) |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
the humid heat (...on certain days...) |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
my kitchen and its equipment... :) |
| What should you have brought
along? |
more ballpens... |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Malarone |
| 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? |
10 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 200 total |
| Where did you usually eat? |
home, KFC (Kukum Fried Chicken - food stalls close to
Kiwi-House) |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 2 (noodle soup), 7-10 (canned tuna), 35 (KFC), 50 -
200 (restaurant) |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
fresh fish (king fish, tuna), fresh vegetables +
fruits |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
-
|
| Mobile
phone services |
| If you brought along a mobile
phone, which services did you successfully use? |
- |
| Comments? |
No roaming. Local prepaid SIM cards not reliable due to
network overload. SMS to other countries works not reliable
either. |
| Money
matters |
Used Travel Cash Card in CHF
to get cash at ATMs
Used Visa credit card to pay for goods/services |
| Comments? |
check "ATM Locator" of ANZ Bank |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, Surgery |
| What was your occupation? |
assistance in OT, some admissions, take part in ward
rounds |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
5/7, 0745 - (1200/1700) |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
knowledge acquired in Switzerland not always useful (e.g.
way less or no medication for treatment) |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
cooking, playing games, talking with other students.
Discovering nature (Savo, Mataniko, Florida Islands) on
weekends. |
| Questions
for medical trainees of all levels (students to
registrars) |
| How was the supervision? |
adequate |
| Comments |
- |
| How was the teaching? |
adequate |
| Comments |
- |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
December 2009 |
| How long was your stay? |
10 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
Maybe another way to solve problems. Not to follow an
algorithm, but achieving a goal with limited resources. To
open my mind for other solutions. |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
Learn pijin. There's a phrasebook of Lonely Planet
helping you to get into it. It opens many doors (which i
realized too late). |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
not at home yet... :) |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
- |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 3,000 (flights to and from Honiara excl.) |
| Additional comments? |
Make sure that you ask for everything you want to
do/see/know/have, especially in the hospital. It will
virtually always be granted, but seldom offered. |
