Summary: Moving to Burkina Faso -- or another West African country? Beth Jacob's "rules" can help you plan your move and settle in more easily.

Chances are, if you are reading this, you are already planning your move to Burkina Faso. And let's face it- maybe this small, little-known African nation wasn't your first choice, especially in light of its recent political tensions, economic problems and civil unrest.

But there you are, upper arm sore and slightly swollen from your latest round of preparatory vaccinations (Yellow fever this time? That one really hurts!) sitting there, reading this article. Maybe you stumbled across this while online ordering cases of orange and diapers to send over in your generous shipping allowance. Or maybe you are a missionary, PCV, aid worker, etc. looking for hints on how to manage here on a shoestring budget.

Whatever your particular situation, you can benefit from this list of Burkina Faso Basics, based on my eight (nearly nine!) years of experience as an expat living in Ouagadougou.

1. Don't go on a panicked shopping spree.

You do need to be prepared, but you are moving to West Africa, not to the first human colony on Mars. Many expats make the mistake of spending far too much money and effort bringing over items that are easily available (and often far cheaper!) here. Maybe if you have a huge budget, it's worth it to you to have familiar name-brands at your fingertips. But with little effort, you can save a lot of money by buying locally. You'll be surprised by what you can find here. For example, almost every medication is available in the many pharmacies in the bigger cities of Burkina Faso. No prescriptions are needed (even for things like valium and codeine!) and most of it is very, very inexpensive compared to prices in the USA.

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About the Author Beth Jacob has been an expat for over eight years in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with her French husband and their four children. Though her background is in archaeology, she's spent the last seven of those years creating a recycled paper project for needy women called Papiers du Sahel. Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Beth has also lived the expat life in Geneva, Switzerland and in the French Alps. Click here to visit Beth's blog.

First Published: Mar 29, 2008