June 1, 2004
"Preparing to Come to Madagascar"
by Sean McCarthy

Let me start off by saying that I have never been much of an outdoorsman. I went camping a couple of times with my family when I was very young, but nothing since then. So I was a little bit nervous when I finally decided to join the fossa team in Madagascar for the summer (or winter; depending where you are). After graduating from Notre Dame, I only had two weeks to get all my stuff ready for this adventure. During those two weeks, I had to buy all my camping gear, go to my only brother’s wedding (congrats Jarrod and Linz!!), and say goodbye to all my family and friends. It was very crazy, but I got everything done I needed to.

While shopping for my camping gear, I think I saw the dollar signs flash in the salesman’s eyes when I said “I’m going to live in the bush in Africa for the summer and I know nothing about camping. What do I need to bring?” As he pointed out more and more gear, I never thought I’d be able to fit it all in my backpack.

When everything I’d need for the next two months was sitting in my family room, I seriously doubted that I could survive with just this stuff. Now that I’m here, I already have a stack of stuff piling up in the corner of my tent that I doubt I will ever need. Better to be safe than sorry I guess.

I sure hope I set my tent up right though.