It arrives tomorrow!!! The 20 foot-long metal box containing all our suff from Burkina Faso will be delivered here to our home in the French Alps.

It was only supposed to take two months for our things to make the trip from Ouagadougou by rail to the port in Dakar, onto a container vessel , to a warehouse in Marseille, to Lyon and finally to our home near Geneva. But here it is, nearly five months later...

I will be SO happy to see again my: books, sewing machine, electronic keyboard, sheet music, dvds, cds, scrapbooks, blankets, cast iron griddle, armchairs, loveseat, step for aerobics, nightstands, lamps, Christmas tree ornaments, bookshelves, carpets, and sugar-free Jello (hope it's still good...)

JP has been desperate for important books and papers that he needs for teaching.
The twins await with impatience Severin's old Pokemon card collection that he promised to pass on to them as soon as it arrives.
Valentine misses her books most

So, if I don't blog for a couple of days, you'll know why. There is going to be mad organisation and shifting going on around here. Wish me luck.

Burkinamom has transformed herself into a French housewife, Burkinacat is doing her best to turn into a dog and a Life in Africa has morphed into a « Vie en Rose » in the Alps of the Haute Savoie.

We left Ouagadougou as scheduled on the 19 of July. Emotionally, I was all ready to go- don’t get me wrong. My mental bags were packed months before I physically packed up our belongings . But it seemed like they weren’t going to let us leave the country when I got to the airport that night . And that wouldn’t have been a good thing, as I think that even one more day in Burkina would have taken me beyond « edgy and stressed-out » and on onto the realms of « deranged and in need of medications ».

In the weeks leading up to our departure, everything seemed to go wrong. Hence my last post, which was, admittedly, a bit dramatic and worrisome.
Our house was robbed back in June and things just kind of got worse from there : endless car break-downs, money concerns, staff problems, etc… Add to all this the astounding work of packing up a six-person household after nine years , then mix thouroughly. Then preheat the entire country to 42°C and bake until done. Really done. And there you have the recipe for one miserable little muffin. That would be me.

I'll go into the details of the move and the trip home in a future post...it was not pretty, is all I will say for the moment. It involved my weeping piteously at the airport, begging to leave the country. Like I said, not pretty.

But now I'm in the green mountains of France in my lovely old house (pics to follow, asap). And my little Burkinacat, Cleo, follows me about the yard as I hang out laundry and clip hedges. I think that she decided that a proper French house in the country really needs a dog and is doing her best to fill the role. I'm not sure about teaching her to herd sheep, but she seems game...

Anyway, I am fine, the children are fine and I am back online as of this morning at about 10am!

I will no doubt soon be moving my blog and reformating it to reflect the fact that I'm no longer Burkinamom. You will be the first to know.

BTW- Many, many thanks for all the messages of support and concern!

Also- Are the Olympics cool, or what? I woke up at 3am this morning to watch the swimming live on tv and got to see Alain Bernard take the gold and make a world record in the 100 meter freestyle!
And Michael Phelps???? Wow!!!!

I don't want to go into details, but Friday sucked.

If it had been any suckier, it would have collapsed upon itself, forming a huge black hole right here in the middle of Ouagadougou.

And if God were merciful, I would have fallen in and been instantly destroyed upon contact with the anti-matter, effectively putting me out of my misery.

In a country where the vast majority of the population gets around by bike, scooter or on foot, the rainy season is a general invitation to chaos. No one is ever where they are suppoosed to be when they are suppposed to be there. So, you can sit at the phone company offices (for example) for over an hour, waiting for the employees to show up. Multiply this by the electric company and the water company and it adds up to lots of hours hanging out at public utilities. What fun. Remind me next time to move during the hot season. Oh wait- I forgot: I'm never moving again. EVER. It's way too much work. When I get to our house in France I am settling in and do not intend to be pried loose under any circumstances.
Unless JP gets a really cool job in, say, New Caledonia. That would be COOL!

Mostly I am making progress on our move. The house is being painted and small repairs made. The utilities will soon (I hope) be shut off.
The cats are all ready to travel. Their blood test results came back from France pretty quickly and the microchips are in, so Mr. Darcy and Cleo are good to go.

I have no access to TV and little to internet though, so I have no idea what's going on in the world beyond Ouagadougou. It's actually kind of soothing. I don't have to process any information not directly related to my immediate survival. Which is nice, because my brain is kind of tired. Maybe exhausted. I went to sleep at 7:30pm last night, fully clothed. I had laid down across the bed for "just a little rest". Right.

This has been one of the most insane weeks of my life. That said, it's probably not been anywhere near as bad as the final week before leaving France nine years ago. Back in late August 1999, I distinctly remember sitting on the floor amid the piles of suitcases and crates, weeping piteously. Of course at the time I had a just-turned-six year old, a three year old and year old twins who seemed to think that sleeping through the night was a nice concept for some folks, but not for them or me....
This time around the kids have been a tremendous help. Tya has been working right along side me and the twins packed many, many boxes of books. Which is a good thing, as we have over 2500 of them. Yes, we counted.
Severin? Well, at least he packed up his Legos and various treasures.
We did most of the packing ourselves, as the watchword was "triage". With 'only' a 20 foot container within the realm of financial possibility, we could not possibly have taken along nine-years' worth of household furnishings and knick knacks. So, sort we did. And it paid off yesterday. The container truck pulled up and the AGS fellows started loading boxes, boxes and more boxes. Everything fit that was supposed to and even a few extra items, like my crazy giant cement garden rabbit.
You don't want to know.

Now the house is empty and I'm onto the tasks of small repairs, painting and all that.
We've moved into a pal's house in Dassasgho.
No word from Inspector Sammy Dolly on the stolen goods.
I gave in and bought a cheap cell phone today. Folks that know me can once again call me at the old number.
Tomorrow is Tya's 15th birthday. She was just turning six when we moved here. Hard to believe.
Two weeks until we leave!

BTW : Happy Fourth of July!

Pagnes 101

“Pagne” is a French word that is used in West Africa to refer to a rectangle of cotton cloth measuring approximately 45 inches wide and 67 inches long (about 1 metre by 2 metres). Here in Burkina, they exist in two main forms: a heavy fabric handwoven on a narrow loom and colored with indigo dyes or a manufactured wax print. The second variety is far more popular despite the fact that it is a relatively recent tradition.

About 150 years ago, Dutch traders were looking to do business with the people of the Gold Coast (now called Ghana) for reasons apparent in the name. At first, they tried trading cheap printed fabrics from Indonesia, but these were rejected by the Africans as too flimsy and unattractive. So, the Dutch developed a cloth adapted specifically to the tastes of West African market - the Wax Pagne was born! It was a heavier grade of cotton and printed with bold, colourful designs. It caught on and quickly became a traditional favourite throughout the sub-continent.

Today, the so-called “Holland Wax” and its imitations are made throughout West Africa. Senegal is a major supplier, but even here in Burkina there is Fasotex making local patterns. They used to be known as Faso Fani, but were notorious for the low quality their fabrics. And African women are VERY picky about the quality of their pagnes and accept nothing shoddy! So, the factory was sold and re-fitted and the new fabrics seem to be acceptable to the local ladies

The patterns of pagnes are amazing. There are geometrics, florals and even designs based on household objects like brooms , fans, and cell phones! There are political pagnes printed with the face and name of local candidates and special event pagnes printed up with the logo and date of conferences and festivals. Even better, you can easily have pagnes custom-printed! Wealthier people often do this for a funeral, having pagnes printed with the photo and name of the deceased. Everyone going to the funeral will purchase (if they can possibly afford it) some of the fabric and have funeral garb made from it!

Above is a special pagne that was printed for a school.

If they can’t afford to have a special motif printed for their event, the folks here love to choose a pagne pattern for their wedding or special event and then have everyone attending buy some of the fabric, so that everyone can have matching outfits. This is considered very, very cool.

But the pagne isn’t just for special events. It’s the workhorse of West Africa!

First of all, it is a basic wrap skirt. Every woman, rich or poor, owns at least one simple rectangle of this cloth. Most own two. You need one to form the basic skirt . The second is used as a baby carrier, sunshade, dust protection, cushion when you carry stuff on top of your head, and when not in use, it serves as a second modest covering over your hip to knee area.

The wealthier woman buys three pagnes (measures) of the same cloth at a time. Then she will have a tailor sew her a “complet”. This means a long skirt, often lined, with a matching top. One pagne is left as rectangle and hemmed at the edges. This “extra” pagne serves as an additional layer OVER the stomach to thigh area of the outfit. This is often called a “petite pagne” and is vital for ladies in a position of respect. A teacher, for example, would definitely wear an extra layer over her tailored skirt or pagne. (NB: As I’ve said several times in this blog, it’s important to keep the hip to knee area well-covered. It’s vital for women, but it also goes for men. Please, please, please don’t come to this country and wander around the streets in your shorts or short skirts. It is SO disrespectful and the Burkinabé are so kind. Please don’t.)

The West African complet can be a hard outfit for the non-African to pull off. It can feel hot and confining, as it is usually lined and often tightly cut to show off womanly curves. There are looser styles, but they often look and feel like pajamas or maternity wear, IMO. I think the easiest and most fun way to wear a pagne is the most common way- as a wrap skirt. Once you get the hang of it, it’s very simple and comfortable. Plus it will get you lots of compliments and make it easy to stike up conversations with people other than street vendors trying to sell you tourist junk.

How does it work? It’s best if you ask a Burkinabé lady to help you. You’ll giggle a lot and have a good time as she gives you pointers on how to make it come out even and not fall off of you in public.

But here are some vital basic hints:

1. Hold one of the short ends to the RIGHT side of your body, haul the fabric around your back and overlap it over the front. The loose front end will be on your LEFT hip. Do NOT do this the opposite way, or people will mock you. Nicely. But still.
2. The top of the pagne is then rolled down. Very thin people can tie the two top corners together. But most women just tuck it under. If you watch women here, you will see that readjusting the pagne is a common, frequent gesture. They are re-tucking and tightening. This is normal- fussing with your pagne is not a sign the you're doing it wrong.

3. Get the two raw ends of the pagne sewn so they don’t unravel over time. It will cost maybe 25 cents to have this done by a tailor, depending on where you live. The long edges of the fabric are already finished and should NOT be hemmed. There is usually writing on these edges denoting the manufacturer. This is considered good and should not be hidden.

4. I recommend that novices, those easily scared and the accident prone get two long strings sewn onto the to the top two corners of the pagne. You wrap, tie and then fold the top over to hide the strings. This is a very secure system and you can’t go wrong.

5. If you are going to be riding a bike or motor scooter while wearing this, you will need TWO pagnes (or a pair of bike shorts or a slip underneath) To prevent your top flap from flying open too far, you’ll want to wrap a second pagne around your tummy to thigh area. You just fold the second pagne in half, so it’s only knee length and you wrap it like the basic pagne. Women that can't afford a second pagne, or are using it to hold a baby ride their bikes with one hand. The other hand clutches the front of the skirt closed. They are good at it. (NB: Frankly, for bike riding, I go with capri pants and a tunic that hits me mid-thigh. It's modest and so much easier. But if you will be teaching out in a village, for example, this might not be the best solution for you. It would probably be better to wear a pagne and develop your skills...........There's lots more to say...... So, tomorrow our course in Basic Pagneology will continue!

This has been a good day! Got lots done- the moving contract is signed, invitations are going out, I'm selling my furniture, and my efforts at costume design have the twins' dance teacher in raptures. Of course, the day would have been even nicer if the electricity hadn't cut out for the whole afternoon. ..

And now it's the evening and about time for choir rehearsal. My house at 7:30 every Thurday night until 9pm, we sing!!
I am off to eat a quick dinner before everyone arrives.

As I'm short on time, I'll just post the next few items of the "What to bring/not bring when you move to Ouaga" list:

1. Batteries : Yes
Batteries are elusive and expensive. Your friendly neighbourhood kiosk will probably have some dubious C cells in stock that cost far more than some nice, non-corroded Energisers back in North America or Europe. So, battery hunting almost always involves a trip into the center of town. With lots of hunting, you will probably find what you need, but incredibly high prices. I just had to get a battery for my daughter’s little plastic Timex watch. The battery for it cost about 15 dollars- which is about what the whole watch cost back in the USA.
For your cameras, watches, etc, bring batteries. It’s just easier.

2. Shortwave Radio: No
Unless you are some kind of mad ham radio hobbyist, it will serve no purpose. While Ouaga lacks the polish (and regular electricity) of many of the world’s cities, it’s not the wild frontier. We listen to FM radio and communicate with cell phones, like normal people.

3. Cell Phone : yes and no
Over the nine years we have been here, I have seen cell phones proliferate like bunnies. I’m talking really bored Catholic bunnies. Suddenly, they are everywhere. And cheap! At the one of the big service providers, you can get a little phone and everything you need for it for about 30 dollars US. And this is probably a far better option than bringing your cell phone from North America to use here. Remember- over here the current is 220 and not 110. If you bring over a 110v phone from elsewhere, you won’t be able to recharge anywhere but at home, where you have your step-down transformer (you brought that, right?). You won’t be able to plug it in when staying with friends, staying at hotels or when at work…. just seems a bit silly. Of course, coming from Europe, it’s a different story. There’s no difference in current to worry about. You probably should bring a phone from Europe. Just don’t bring anything too nice- that you can’t bear to lose. Cell phone theft is rampant here.

Having only one estimate for the Big Move seemed unwise. Ouagadougou to the French Alps is a looong way and lot of money. So, on the recommendation of friends over at the French Embassy ( Yeah, I move in exalted circles. Peel me a grape and pass the escargot.) , I had another company come over yesterday and look at my jam-packed House o'Stuff.
Company Number Two today produced an estimate proposing the EXACT same size of container as Company Number One, but costing over $1000 more. But they probably charge more because they have superhuman powers over matter at the quantum level that allow them to fit far more into their containers than any other company. Cool, huh? At least, that's all I can figure out, because they SWEAR that the armoire, buffet, dresser, bookshelves, etc, will all fit in a 20 foot container. This is in direct contrast to Company Number One who seemed to think that a 20 footer would nearly be filled by just my books and the twins' extensive Barbie collection .

Besides the above concerns, there is also the twins' First Holy Communion party to plan.
The invitations are going out this week. They are made with Papiers du Sahel recycled paper and feature this very adorable picture that I took this morning:

Severin is home this morning after an all-night party with the youth group from church. They were celebrating the end of a 30 hour fast. The idea was that they get an inkling of how it feels not to eat – which is a not-uncommon problem here in Burkina- and they would raise funds by asking for sponsors to pay them for completing the 30 hours. All the money will be used to buy sacks of rice for needy families. As rice prices are at an all-time high, it will be an especially welcome help for many families.

Of course, this well-nourished bunch of teenagers didn’t even get all that hungry. So, Severin and I did discuss the difference between a wealthy person going without food for a couple of days (and being allowed all the orange juice they want!) and someone who suffers chronic underfeeding because they can’t afford enough food. Big diff. But it was a great gesture and the kids raised a good amount of money that will ALL be spent on direct aid to very needy people.

Tonight is the “Town Hall Meeting” at the US Ambassador’s residence. I have to admit that, even though I am a Warden for the Embassy, I have never been to one of the meetings. Between one thing and another, it just never worked out. But I’ll be going tonight and hoping that it is interesting enough to get at least one blog post out of it! I figure that this is my last chance to go to one of these things. I doubt I’ll have much contact with the US Embassy in Paris. I doubt they’ll be inviting me to parties, anyway.

Tomorrow the twins will spend the day with nuns. Yes, Mally and Aly will be at the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Consolation (see photo above) as a preparation for their First Holy Communion, which is coming up next month.

And today? Right. I need to : buy plane tickets for France. Find about about bringing our two cats to France. Order contact lenses to replace the ones I managed to rip in half. Go to Papiers du Sahel to pick up the materials for making the First Communion invitations. Buy additional fabric for dance recital costumes. Go to the Hospital pharmacy to get Alexa’s meds. Rent three tables for the ISO Jumble sale. And if I have time, go rent the next Star Trek film!! Though it probably won’t measure up to ST IV, which we watched last weekend. I know some people think that the Star Trek film franchise jumped the shark with this one. But I thought it was a GREAT family film - just as funny and enjoyable as when I first saw it back in 1986.

And here’s some good news (and thanks to all of you who were so kind as to email me and ask how it was going): Yes, my French/European Union passport has come!!! I am SO pleased that you can’t imagine. It was stolen about four years ago and it has taken this long to get it replaced, so it really does seem miraculous to get it.

A final note: If you are reading this blog and you are moving to or currently living in Burkina, you may be interested to know that we are selling most of our furniture, and all of our appliances and kitchen goods. And our car.

It turns out that a large 40 foot container is WAY too expensive for our moving budget, so we’re going with a 20 footer. That means we have to cut way down.

So, please email me (go to my profile for the address) and tell me what you are looking for. I have one blog friend already who is interested, but as we are a family of six, we have LOTS of stuff.

At 8am this morning I was forced into a confrontation with a hard truth. Luckily, I’d had my coffee already, so I could take it like a woman, but it was still grim. The fact is that within three months everything in our house will have to either be sold or be packed into a huge metal box and sent to France on a big boat. And no matter how hard I wish, kindly bush fairies are not going to materialise and do it all for me.

However, it probably wouldn’t hurt to give some extra food to JP’s Fetish that lurks in our closet. I figure it could only improve the possibility of some supernatural aid...

No, no that kind of fetish. Quit giggling and get your minds out of the gutter, you lot. I am referring to the kind defined in my 1930 Little Oxford Dictionary as an "inanimate object worshipped by savages". (Many of the definitions this little gem are so racist and biased they are hilarious, in a sad sort of way.)

So, perhaps I have never before mentioned that a Winyé Earth Priest long ago presented my husband with his own Fetish, which he keeps in a metal box in our bedroom closet?

Well, it's true.

As fetishes go, it’s not a big one- about 18cm. From what I can see, it consists of a bundle of animal hair plastered with mud around one end. Not like I’m allowed to feed it or even touch it, being a girl and all.

It was presented to JP about 15 years ago and has been quite a responsibility.

Trust me when I say that you don’t want one.

First of all, it has to eat. You can’t just dump it in a box in the basement and forget about it. You have to care for it. It prefers chicken blood, but is ok with eggs. You just sort of smear the egg yolk all over the dried mud end.
Which brings us to the second problem with having an African Fetish around the house:

It just might get invaded by a colony of ants (Why? See Fetish eating habits outlined above) and turn your closet into one of those 1970’s eco-horror movies whose title consists of a noun and an exclamation point, such as Locusts! or, more to the point: Ants! The insects in these films are always angry and numerous. And they don’t care that you compost religiously and recycle your old magazines because you Respect the Earth. They are just mad and swarmy and then you have to spray poison all over them. Then you feel guilty. And furthermore, is it doctrinally ok to spray Raid all over an African fetish?

Oh great. Now you’ve made the Fetish mad.

See?

And yes, this really did actually happen to us back in France. Thank you for asking.

BTW - there was a film called Ants! that came out in about 1977 . And those ants were mean, as I recall. They ate poor Myrna Loy's wheelchair. (A wooden wheelchair, though? Major plot contrivance there. It would have been better if the ants had mutated to possess aluminium-crunching jaws. JMHO. )

I got the French friends safely to the airport last night, in plenty of time for their flight. Not that it was easy. About five minutes down the road, I got a flat tire. It's the fifth one in the last five weeks. ("Gee Beth. Does the Car God hate you?" "Why, yes, He does. Thank you for asking.")
I stopped the car immediately, but it was SO freaking dark we couldn't see a thing. Ouagadougou is not rich in street lamps. I was forced to drive on a bit to get in front of a lighted building.
Luckily, my French dudes are do-it-yourself marvels. M. mostly built his own house back in France- and it's a really nice house! While staying at my house, L. fixed the plumbing in his spare time. I am not kidding.


So, these guys had the tire changed in about ten minutes, which was amazing, considering that all their baggage had to be unloaded so they could get at the spare. And while we had positioned ourselves to get some light, it was still pretty dim. This was a problem, as I have no flashlight in my car. Maybe that seems like a basic safety thing to people living elsewhere in the world, but it is impossible to manage here. I have put flashlights into my car three times while we've lived here. After a few months, the flashlight is gone and NOBODY has a clue as to where it could possibly be. They are obviously being stolen and after the third one, I gave up. )
But the guys were brilliant and had the tire changed in a jiff. We got to the airport in plenty of time. Goodbyes were't too sad, as they are our neighbors back in the village of Saint André and we're moving back there in July. I'll be seeing them again soon.


I have a few more responses to the comments section. Again, I'm posting them here, as they could be useful or interesting to others.

1. Yesterday, in my enthusiasm for lower-body coverings I completely forgot to mention the whole shirt issue. So, here it is: It's hard for women to go wrong with upper body clothing here. If you went topless in a village, you'd draw a crowd- but it would be because you are a foreigner, not because they are amazed/shocked/excited/offended/freaked out to see a (gasp!) breast or two. It's an attitude that I find very sensible and think should be emulated world-wide.

But the average non-Burkinabe is not going to be at ease waltzing around the countryside topless, so let's move on.

T-shirts are always good. Can't go wrong.
Tank tops, sleeveless, form-fitting, lowcut, are all perfectly acceptable, when paired with a modest lower-body covering. No problem. Even visible bra straps are not an eyebrow-raiser.

The only exception would be for people working with local Protestant groups: missions, churches, aid associations linked to churches. I have found that these people are more in tune with conservative western standards of dress. It's better to cover the shoulders and go with a full-coverage neckline.

Bear in mind that all this is my guidelines for having good, easy contact with people at ALL levels of society here. If you are only going to hang with wealthy people and expats, of course your normal developed-world dress-sense is fine. But if you are a researcher that wants to be out in a village, talking to people about health care practices, or whatever, the contact will go easier if you make an effort with the clothes.
For toursts/visitors/adventurers it is a good way to show that you respect local norms and want to make contact with "average folks"- which is sort of the point of coming, isn't it?


2. The other question I got recently went as follows:
"I was wondering about the effect of seeing so many foreigners stay for a while and then leave their country. Does it make the average Burkinabé somewhat indifferent to the strange white couple next door? Is it possible to make local acquaintances or are there too many social barriers?"

I'd say that this is FAR, FAR from the situation here. I predict that when you move here, nearly EVERYONE in your neighborhood is going to want to be your best pal. Even if you are only staying a few months. Even if you dress weird.
People here are, on the whole, very kind and welcoming and it would not occur to them to reject you because you weren't a long-term fixture. In fact, they are very interested in pen pals outside of Burkina and will keep contact with you long after you are gone.


That said, it's kind of complicated because, well, you (expat person) have "lots" of money and your neighbors probably don't.
Sure, if you live in Ouaga 2000, the very chic neighborhood, you'll find you are surrounded by only wealthy families. But all other neighborhoods are very mixed. Wealthy expats live right next door to local families that are just as wealthy or middle class or very poor.
It works out, but can very stressful.

Here's what one expat family wrote in their blog (I got this from one of John's great articles):
"After living in a place for two years, you want to feel comfortable and that you're being accepted as an equal and not just seen as a wallet with legs. But you can never be that. All I want is to be in a culture where I'm normal again. I came here wanting to drink millet beer, eat tô, and get to know Burkinabe. Now, all I want is an Anchor Steam, some Taco Bell, and to blend in."

Umm...Ouch.
I think it was very brave of them to articulate this so clearly. It hurts, but it's very honest and very reflective of a major aspect of life here. Burkinabe people will ask you, a foreign person, for money. Frequently. It's a big part of life. Needy people will ask you for money for food or medical care. Better off folks want money to buy a motorscooter or school fees. Everybody needs something and they hope that you are going to pay for it.

For people coming from the developed world, this can be hard to swallow. We tend to avoid mixing money and friendship at all costs. It can kind of ruin things for us, making us a little bitter and suspicious.
But in Burkina, money is part of the whole package of friendship. You have to figure out how to handle it. Which can be hard....

So, far from being met with indifference, as a new arrival in your neighborhood you will be the subject of much interest and friendly interaction. You will get invited to wedding and funerals. You will be hit up for money on a daily basis.

And, yes, it's one part of life here that I will NOT miss.

Things in Ouaga seem to be calm this morning. I'll be going into the city center in about an hour, so I'll have a look and see what's up. The government seems to be expecting a large, peaceful demonstration.


So, as I have nothing to add in the way of news, I will comment on the latest faddish craze sweeping the globe:

Everybody is moving to Burkina Faso !!

OK. Maybe there are three or four of you staying behind in North America and Europe to keep things going, so ice hockey and the Louvre don’t disappear from the face of the earth. But everybody else seems to be headed for West Africa.

I sort of feel that way lately. I’ve gotten so many e-mails the last few months from people getting ready to move to, or at least visit, Burkina Faso!

Of course, I think it’s great and I am very happy to share what little wisdom I have garnered over the last nine years or so. In fact, it makes me deeply happy to think that my advice might help make someone’s move here easier than my own was, so many years ago.
Actually, my first stay in Burkina was in 1994 and it was a complete disaster. I was supposed to stay for two months and I barely lasted two weeks. It was so mind-bendingly horrific that I’m sure I will eventually write a long, extremely humorous novel about it. Or at least an interesting blog post.

But we don’t have time for pointless digressions- we need to get down to business.

I started writing Part II of my list of what to bring to Burkina and quickly discovered that I have a lot to say on the subject. A whole lot. So, I’ll have to break up the list, publishing it here a little at a time.

Toothpaste : Don’t bring

At Marina Market a couple of days ago, I did an informal toothpaste survey. A close look at the shelves revealed over 13 different kinds of Colgate toothpaste. There is whitening formula, breath-freshening formula, sensitive gum formula and, in short, everything except a special formula for demented expat mothers of four who stand around for ten minutes in Marina Market staring at the toothpaste.

They also have four kinds of Crest, a wide variety of AquaFresh (pump and tube! Woo!) and Signal. They even have entertaining (in a disturbing way) French brands of toothpaste that taste like grass.

There is a heck of a lot of toothpaste at Marina Market, even in this time of shortages.

Scimas Market has lots of different types of Signal and AquaFresh. They also have various varieties of Close-Up.

Close-Up is the brand you are likely to find in the small local shops and stands outside of the city center. You can depend on finding your choice of red or green Close-Up. These places also tend to carry odd brands of toothpaste labelled in Chinese characters, with the stray bit of English thrown in to add glamour and exoticism.

They are quite cheap. I think that this is because they are mainly composed of plaster, powdered human bone and arsenic. Just a guess.

Stick with the Close-Up.

One exception: If you are bringing a huge container over and have extra space, you could bring along a case of good, cheap toothpaste. It might end up costing the same as, or less than buying it here.

But if packing space is limited, don’t waste space on it.

Battery operated (or rechargeable) fan: Bring

This is an item that you will only need (probably) three months out of the year. But you will be very glad you have it when it’s 10pm, 100°F, the power is off and you need to get to sleep. Or even worse, you have kids tossing miserably under their mosquito nets.

Our first years here, we used our personal fans a lot at night during power cut
But over the years, we got used to the heat.
Related anecdote: Last weekend, Valentine and I brought a visitor from England to see the Village Artisanal craft center. As we walked along, our visitor asked “So, how do you handle this heat?”

Valentine and I were shocked.

“But..this is NICE weather!” my daughter protested.

“Yes! It’s VERY cool today! Lovely!” I added.

The English Rose smiled and said “Well, I guess that answers my question.”

So, eventually you get so acclimatised that you don’t even know you are acclimatised. If that makes sense.

I have found that when I feel that it’s “too” hot here, I take the two-pronged Burkinabe approach:

1. complain a bit (they call it “venting” for a reason)

2. move very, very slowly

But the first few years, the fans came in handy.

Soon I will be posting The Second Very Long List of What to Bring/Not Bring to Ouagadougou- and I'll expect you all to pay attention because I have authority!! I am a freaking PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!!

It's a small article, not a novel.
It's on an internet site, not in an actual paper-based, IRL reading medium.
But I'm excited anyway!

It's on a cool site called ExpatExchange

Some of it revisits a few of the points I made here on the blog yesterday.
Some of it is all new.
Some of it is pretty funny. Ex: "You do need to be prepared, but you are moving to West Africa, not to the first human colony on Mars."

Other news: I have another article being published soon in a parenting magazine. No news yet on whether it will be only online or if it will also be in the print version.
Yes, BurkinaMom has been BUSY lately!

I think lots of people stumble onto this site while looking for practical information about visiting or moving to Ouagadougou.

Why else would it have over 6000 hits?

But they look around and see posts ranting about the bats in the Shrine of the Elephant Hunt and they back away, slowly. They don’t want to read what goes through the mind of some obviously unstable mom of four as she gives her guinea pig a c-section. They want someone to tell them which vaccines to get and what to pack.

But some of them (the really clever and nice ones) stick around, read through the archives, and make themselves at home. Sometimes they write to me for advice about coming here. I render what aid I can, calling on my almost nine years here in Burkina.
And over time, these queries got me thinking- what do I really see as the most important information about moving here that I wish everyone would have to read before jumping on a plane heading for Ouagadougou? What is the stuff other sites don’t tell you?
I had a look around and there’s not actually very much useful info on the internet about expat life in Burkina. You can find out what shots to get and what the average temperature is, but you don’t get much of a feel for life here.
Of course, it’s hard to give general advice that suits everyone. People come here with such different backgrounds. I’ve seen some expats that settle into a very modest, local-level lifestyle and manage very well with very few imported luxuries.
Others don’t settle very well at all, despite a huge budget that allows them to import even their toilet paper from the USA and take frequent trips to Paris to “rest” from all the stresses of living here.

But here I will venture to list a few ideas about what to bring and what to leave behind when you make the big move and become (at least for a little while) my neighbor here in Ouagadougou. I have based this list on mistakes made by myself and others. I am not making this up.
So pay attention:
1. Don’t bring toilet paper. It will be ok. Really.
2. Do bring diapers, if they are required attire for anyone in your family. They are really expensive here and poor quality.
3. Don’t bring lots of medications/first aid items. These things are very cheap here: antibiotic creams, bandages, compresses, ibuprofen, codeine, valium, antibiotics (cipro, etc). All this stuff is available without a prescription inb the many pharmacies in the city. Really. The meds have different names( ex: Motrin = Brufen) but it’s all the same.
One exception- bring Band-aids. They cost a lot here
4. Do bring your computer, printer, dvd player, vcr , whatever…these electronics are very expensive here. Just watch out for the current problem. Remember, we are 220 volts over here, with the round two-prong (French) outlets. If you are bringing 110 volt items, invest in a step-up transformer to run your stuff. If you have lots of stuff, bring two or three.
5. Don’t bring Pringles potato chips or Laughing Cow cheese. We’ve got those things here. We don’t have much else, but we have those. (Many a Peace Corps volunteer has excitedly opened a care package from home, only to find that someone has loving sent them these two commonly-found-in-Burkina food items. Hint: send them some macaroni and cheese or a nice brownie mix!)
6. Do bring several swimming suits. You’ll swim a lot here and the huge amount of chlorine in the pools wears out suits fast. And there are very few places to buy them here. And they are expensive. The only cheap alternative is the used clothing market. But a used swimsuit won’t last long. It’s better to bring good ones with you.
7. Don’t bring shorts and mini skirts and expect to wear them around town. Not if you want to fit in. This goes for guys, too. Bring shorts for wearing at home, but when you go out in public, don’t show your knees. It’s rude. Really.
8. Do bring a cell phone and an mp3 player. They are very helpful. But guard them carefully! They are prime targets for theft. Be especially careful when travelling on the bus or in a green taxi.
9. Don’t bring any complexes about speaking foreign languages. If you already know French, that’s great! Start learning Mooré when you get here. It will win you lots of friends and bring fun into daily transactions. The Burkinabé get such a kick out of any nassara that can say even a few words in the local language!
10. Bring sunscreen. It’s hard to find here and pricey.
11. Also bring lip balm. Again, it’s hard to find, expensive and very necessary if you have delicate skin.
12. Please also bring excellent personality traits and display them regularly. Great patience, a sense of humour, compassion, flexibility, creativity and general "niceness" are all needed to settle happily into expat life in Ouagadougou. I know these things are good to have no matter where in the world you live, but if you do not have them here in Ouaga, this will happen: You will get depressed, crabby, resentful and then go completely and utterly mad.