The Host Theme of Life, Consciousness, and Existence

As it says on the back of The Host: "Earth, it was fun while it lasted." Oh wait, that was a tagline to Armageddon. But it applies here as well. Both Armageddon and The Host have a few things in common: (1) There are things in outer space beyond our control. (2) You never know how much time on Earth you have. (3) And an obsession with processed foods. (Cheetos vs. Animal Crackers. Who wins?) When she's not munching on Cheetos, Wanda often ponders what it means to be human and to exist in this universe.

1. What does Wanda learn about life as a human that she didn't know from her lives as other species?
2. Why does Wanda choose to live the rest of her life (lives?) as a human instead of traveling to another planet?
3. Wanda tells a few awesome stories about her lives on other planets. How do these creatures lives compare to our own? What is the significance of Wanda's stories?