It's official.  I have my tickets, got my shots, and am heading to Mali in January. 
So, here's the scoop so far:
Tickets via Royal Air Maroc.  We fly through Casablanca with a 15 hour layover... but will be put up in a hotel for the time we are there.
Shots:
Yellow fever
Polio booster
Regular flu shot
Meningitis
Last year I got Hep A and Typhoid, so they are still good. 
I also have a prescription for anti-malarial drugs, Cipro for diarrhea and Ambien to sleep on the plane and help with jet lag.
Travel insurance: Check. 
Still to do:
Register with the US Embassy.
Pack.
Get some gifts for Sidy's parents.
Arrange for the Visa with the Malian embassy in NY.
I am flying with a couple of other students.  We have a few folks planning to join us in Mali.  Sidy is going to meet us at the airport and that is a moment I am really excited about, stepping off a plane into the warm Malian night and finding my teacher standing there waiting for us.  What a scene.
Allons y!
