2 months on Yap - good idea?

Hi,

I am a medical student that has been considering a placement on the island of Yap for the whole of August and September for 2010.

I have done a whole lot of research on the internet and found all the manta ray and diving stuff and some pretty expensive hotels and things, as well as looking through the relevant lonely planet guide to find out more about the island but i find myself still, in many respects none the wiser.

Is this the kind of place you would recomend going to for such a long period of time? Of course, my clinical partner and i will be there in a professional capacity, but we will, i assume have a fair amount of free time on our hands, and a very limited budget. Is this the kind of place one can explore and have a good time in when not working in the hospital, without being a rich diver?

Also, what can we expect weather-wise at that time of year and as women, what sort of local customs and expectations will we be expected to adhere to? It would be important for us to be seen as professional by local people.

Looking forward to any help you guys might be able to give us.

Thanks

Have you read this blog: http://ericandmariah.blogspot.com/2007/12/relaxing-in-yap.html

Yap is very peaceful and, well, it could be dull. I was only there for 4 days. There is a cross island nature trail, easy to walk by yourself. Exciting to see a giant (3 foot) monitor lizard which scurried away before I could take a photo. Lovely beach on the the north end of the island - taxi there is $10. Few cars and few people. It's a nice place to stroll around. It felt very safe. (I'm female.) It's low key and while you see the occassional topless woman it does not feel really different or foreign. There are a number of restaurants which were less expensive than Los Angeles. It's not a stunningly beautiful island as others in the Pacific, the vistas are kinda dull. But the beach up at Bechyal is really beautiful.

Do it. It will be a wonderful experience to spend time in a place that there really is so little information about.

The people are really nice. The person at who's beach I was supposed to camp at didn't show up at the airport to pick me up at 3 am and a kind local family let me spend the night at their home.

Yap's tiny so you'll have seen everythint there is to see pretty soon. The really great thing about spending 2 months there would be getting to know the people. They're incredibly friendly, welcoming and just treat you as one of them rather than a foreignor or someone to make money from.