Home sweet California

Stepping out of San Diego's small, familiar airport (3 visits in a month = familiar) and into the warm early evening with Brent and two colleagues yesterday, we all chimed how great it was to be back in San Diego! We had just returned from 4 days in Phoenix, Arizona, the site of IRC's Case Management Training workshop. Brent went along as a supervisor, with two of his caseworkers - Amina and Wafa - whose turn it was to attend this year. His three other case managers went last year, and so they stayed to man the office.

Unfortunately all I can tell you about in Phoenix are the freeways, our hotel, and passing views of suburbia and strip malls. There are undoubtedly nicer parts of the city (there have to be!), but a combination of the sprawl and the incapacitating heat kept me sequestered in the hotel for most of our visit. Luckily, as you can see from the photos, it had a nice pool as a respite from the stifling 40/105 (C/F) temperatures.

One of my few outings was a trip to replenish my sunscreen. I asked the hotel's front desk if the complimentary shuttle could take me to a drug store in the vicinity of the hotel. "Sure," she said, "there is a Wallgreens (drug store) or a Wal-Mart." Definitely Wallgreens! But by the time they tracked down a driver willing to take me, the only person they could find was a new girl from Hawaii. As we pulled out of the hotel parking lot she said "Wal-Mart, right?" Um, actually I had requested Wallgreens, is that ok? She hummed and hawed, before admitting that she didn't know where the Wallgreens was! She reassured me that the Wal-Mart was just a couple blocks away. Would the reduced carbon emissions of not searching aimlessly in a huge van be worth supporting the exploitation of workers in free trade zones overseas? I wanted to resist, but it looked like I was stuck between patronizing the evil Mega-Giant or skin cancer.

I think it's been at least 5-7yrs since I've stepped foot in a Wal-Mart. Now I have been to other box stores since, and I tried to reassure myself that it couldn't be that much worse, but it was. The shuttle delay meant that it was now around 2pm; I'd missed lunch and was ravenous. I stood in the doorway staring out at a warehouse of cheap, mass-produced goods. To my right was an in-store McDonalds churning out the aroma of french fries and Big Macs. I haven't been in one of those for nearly a decade either, and certainly wasn't about to break two ethical standards at once! To my left was Wal-Mart's version of a deli. These were the only options for lunch that I was going to get, as there were no other commercial stores in sight (welcome to suburbia). I spent nearly 20 minutes walking up and down the deli counter and scouring pre-made items on the shelves for something remotely vegetarian (let alone healthy). Nothing. I kid you not. Even the salads were piled with either ham, chicken or both. Every sandwich's primary ingredient was meat. In the end I resorted to a $1.98 pre-made Tuna Fish sandwich (filled with more mayo than tuna), some overpriced apples (yes, everything in Wal-Mart is cheap - except the healthy food), and some baby carrots. After tasting the sandwich, my lunch consisted mainly of carrots and apples. I started up the behemoth aisles looking for something like skin care, got scared and came back. How to navigate this place? Finally, I edged along by the cash registers until I saw the glint of fluorescent lights off a plastic beach ball. I made a b-line for the beach accessories and grabbed my precious sunscreen. My bill came to $25, of which $20 was probably the carrots and apples. Ok, I'm joking. But looking around that place really did make me consider whether the physiological ill-health of a portion of the North American people (yes Canada, we have them too) could be placed at Wal-Mart's door. I know their unquestionably low prices have become a necessity for those living near or in poverty, but for the rest of us - is it really worth supporting that place (or those like it -something I'm still working to adhere to) to save a few dollars? Pick an issue - human health, environmental health, or ethically-produced products and regardless of what their spin doctors say, Wal-Mart is evil.

As I was navigating the epitome of capitalist greed, Brent was busy at the conference - meetings all day and networking at night. We got to meet (and even have dinner and drinks with) some of the national Directors in IRC, and even get away for a romantic anniversary dinner at a funky New Orleans-inspired seafood restaurant. I think Brent came away from the conference exhausted, but also with a few new ideas that he now has to find the time and resources to implement.

I am also finally starting to get my hands full, and may soon be switching from being commitment-less to having as much work as I can handle. My Spanish lessons have been postponed, but will be twice a week, starting the 23. I will likely be starting my volunteer monitoring and evaluation project at IRC next week, and I have been in contact with another group that does gender-based violence work specifically with immigrants and refugees that I'm looking forward to being part of. So much for my days of domestic work and periodic relaxation!

However, just because I'll be busy doesn't mean we don't still want visitors!

Talk to you all soon,

Jen

p.s. Sorry if I offended any Wal-Mart lovers. I'm sure it has its pros, and as far as environmental and ethical consumerism go: 1) we flew to Phoenix, 2) I enjoyed a pool in the desert, and 3) getting seafood in a landlocked state had to have consequences, so don't think I'm polishing my halo over here. But we try, and if posts like this make me and one other person reconsider how we want to impact other people and the earth by our consumerism and lifestyle, then it's worth it.

p.p.s Thanks "Isley" and others who've commented on here, or written e-mails to let us know you're reading (and enjoying) our news. Brent's still trying to find time to write on here, so soon you should have a brief reprieve from my rambling ;-)