Stuff

I knew this would happen. I knew that the end of my two years here in Bolivia would suddenly arrive and I'd be sitting here wondering where the time went. Two weeks from today I'll be on a plane headed to the States, and it's time to start thinking about the packing situation.

Next year I'm teaching Environmental Science and just last week I did an assignment to get the students thinking about the environment. During my research I came across this video

and it got me thinking about MY stuff. What "things" do I think I need and where are those other things that I've bought that I thought I needed? Why are we, as a whole, so wasteful, so ignorant about where our stuff comes from and what it's made of?  I sold everything 3 years ago, well I do have 4 rubbermaid containers at my parents' house and when I moved to Bolivia I did so in two large suitcases and a carry on. Now it's time to pack up those bags I dragged down here and low and behold I have more stuff. In my two years here I haven't bought a lot, nothing compared to what I would have purchased in the U.S., but do I really need to buy more stuff? As a side note, I'd like to share that these thoughts are the thoughts that cascaded into the idea that when I travel or move places I should just get tattoos, you know, stuff that I can permanently carry around with me.

It saddens me that one of the things I'm looking forward to as soon as I get to Raleigh is heading straight to the Mac Store and then REI... I do not want to contribute to the cycle. Now, I have to say that my dad is pretty good at reusing and I certainly got that trait. He and I keep stuff forever, and although we sometimes get teased, I am glad that I got that trait. Each time I purchase something I think about why I'm buying it. What am I going to use it for and for how long? Am I shopping because I'm bored, or that's what I'm supposed to do? What else could I be doing to fill this "need".

And as I pack I realize that I don't have that much stuff, and how life is just free-er when you are not bogged down with stuff. So packing is actually going to be ok and I'm off on a new adventure.