Peace Corps families and consumerism (two separate topics)

Allie Hayes can be said to be credited with the topics of this entry!  She has given us TWO incredibly interesting food for thought things.  One, being the family member of a Peace Corps volunteer.  And two, she has been reading and studying the story of Chris McCandless and his "Into the Wild" adventure so consumerism.  I will address them each in turn.

One, being a family member of a Peace Corps volunteer has got to be incredibly hard!  We are Peace Corps volunteers so we have no idea what it is like to be family back home.  We know all the unknowns, we know we are safe, we know how to eat, we know what bugs are bad, we know our bosses are cool and helpful, in essence we know how we are because we are us!  But, you all playing the home game of Peace Corps have an unending list of unknowns.  We are just in some far away place doing indeterminate things.  All these worries stack on top of your busy lives professionally, socially, artistically, whatever.  Furthermore, it may be of little help when we give updates like, "killed a giant spider today," or "traveling to the city" because that just brings up more questions, like "did the spider bite you first?" and "will you get robbed today?"  So, our dear family members and friends, rest assured that we are doing well.  If we have a home away from home anywhere in the world it is San Juanito, Cocle.  We feel safe and valued (sometimes for the wrong reasons) and life is good.  Keep on fighting the good fight as valiant members of Peace Corps volunteers.  We love you and respect your struggles.

Two, consumerism.  To put it bluntly, we are smacked in the face on a daily basis with our own consumerism here in the campo of Panama and what it means for the environment, our bodies, our minds, and our friends.  When we buy a food item, for example, all the consequences are taken into account in a very real way, more real than we ever experienced in the United States.  We carry that food item and its wrapper into the jungle.  Should it be a heavy food item and we are hiking, the consequences for our bodies, namely our legs, are immediately apparent.  When the food item is consumed, a new problem arises... what to do with its by-products.  Should it be a meat item, the bones are fed to dogs, should it have a shell or peel that goes back to the earth directly or by way of a chicken's digestive system.  Should it have a plastic wrapper we are faced with the storage and disposal tasks.  Storing means attracting cockroaches, dogs, and other even nastier critters.  Disposal means carrying the wrapper back out on the bus and looking for a depository in the city (illegally we think) or, gasp, burning it.  Yes, environmentally conscious readers, we burn trash.  Not just a newspaper or two, but bottles, plastic bags, Q-tips, everything.  This affects our health in a VERY real way!  It also affects our neighbors, who consequently are our friends, because the toxic smoke wafts along with the breeze.  It is amazing how much energy we spend here dealing with our own consumerism.  The difference in the United States seems to be that the consumer is not always responsible for doing the work to clean up their own consumerism.  Is this a sign that Panama is more backwards than the U.S:?  We think not.  How better to put a bridal on your own consumerism than deal with the consequences on all levels every time you buy something?

Anyways.  Thanks Allie Hayes for these deep thoughts.  What wisdom for a soon to be 13 year-old!  We love you all out there, stay strong, recycle, and compost!