The Official Soap Recipe

            One of the most important goals of Peace Corps is to promote sustainable development—changes that will last after the volunteers leave. In my branch of Peace Corps Paraguay, the agricultural sector, one of the ways that sustainable development, or sustainable agricultural plays out is by working with the Paraguayans to use the products from their farms and communities as efficiently as possible, to create as much of a closed circle as possible. One way to more efficiently use farm resources (and increase the yield of an individual farm) is to maximize on the “by-products” of family farms. For example, waste products such as cow manure, fallen leaves, and vegetable scraps can be combined to make amazing fertilizer to increase the vegetable production in the garden or field. And the left over fat (tallow) from meat can be used to make soap (which is cheaper and possibly less “chemically” then the soap at the store).

            Speaking of soap…I have been itching to learn how to make soap since I’ve been in Paraguay. So, I was very excited when Mark and Susan from Arazape (a community that is about ½ hrs drive north of me) invited me over to try it out. Susan has made soap many times in the states, however, she always made soap using different vegetable oils. This would be first time for both of us using tallow. We figured, we would try it out once on our own and then teach the recipe to our communities. Susan had procured the recipe from another volunteer who had made soap with his woman’s commission, and so, after buying some lye and tallow from the local hardware store and butchery (respectively), we were ready to go.

The Official Recipe for Tallow Soap   

• Melt down cow fat in a large pot.

• Combine lye with water in a glass container.

• Dice up herbs and grind up some oatmeal to improve soap’s smell and add some gritty scrub.
• Check recipe to make sure you have followed exactly all the steps.
• Pour lye mixture into tallow.
• As your soap boils and bubbles over into yard, stir rapidly.

• Back away from smoking brew.

• Add herbs.

• Scrape hardening foam off of lawn and add back into pot, adding a couple spoonfuls of boiled grass and dirt.

• Attempt to find original recipe with snail-speed internet connection.

• Pour foamy brew into molds.

• When foamy brew cools down and is obviously planning on remaining a cold foamy brew, re-melt on the stovetop.

• Pour back into molds.
•  Let cure for a week and enjoy.
• Optional: find a new recipe.

Photos taken of me by Susan Alves from twokeepgrowing.blogspot.com

Howto Stay Cool in Paraguayan Summer

                It gets very hot in Paraguay in the summer. I’m talking like 100+ on a daily basis, without AC. While I love Paraguay, and I know that I willingly put myself into the Peace Corps, and therefore accepted this situation upon myself, it is still very hot. Luckily, over the past year, I have picked up some traditional and not so traditional coping strategies to deal with the blazing heat of summer in Paraguay.

My original Coping Method:

·         Sitting in a chair, with my mouth open in disbelief, thinking “It can’t possibly be this hot?

o   Pros: holding still/not over-exerting yourself in hot weather is a very important step of heat-stroke prevention.

o   Cons: catching flies.

More Successful Methods:

·         The Mango Method: find your local mango tree and parking there from 10am-4pm

 

o   Pros: mango trees are magical creatures that create their own air-conditioning. While the rest of the air might be still and stagnant, there is always a fresh, cool breeze beneath the lush foliage of a mango tree. This is a good way to make friends with many community members who use this same strategy. The addition of a hammock makes a mango hangout almost irresistible.

o   Cons: mango season—suddenly in January, when you most need the magical tree, you need a helmet to enjoy the shade. Ripe mangos falling from more than 30 feet are not gentle.

·         The Tea Circle Strategy: drink ice-cold terere (tea)

o   Pros: cold, delicious, and communal rehydration. Often combined with the mango tree method.

o   Cons: after 3 or so pitchers the diuretic qualities of terere kick in. Quarter-hourly pee-breaks can be complicated if your bathroom is see-through.

·         The Herbal Remedy: A leaf in your cap

o   Pros: place a couple amba’y leaves in your hat and you are good to go in terms of sun protection. Amba’y trees are pretty abundant: most families in my community have one growing in their backyard.

o   Cons: might garner some strange looks in urban settings.

·         The Guapa Way: Do everyone’s laundry (guapain PYan Spanish means hardworking, not sexy. Though of course, the two aren’t mutually exclusive). 

o   Pros: kill three birds with one stone with a 2-3 hour laundry session. By the time you are done, you will have cleaned a week’s worth of clothes, you will have had a good upper-arm work-out, and you will be soaking wet and cool.

o   Cons: you really need a shady area for this one. Otherwise you will have 2-3 hours –worth of sunburn.

·         Chef’s Specialty: cooking outdoors

o   Pros: keeps the heat away from the house.

o   Cons: firing up the tatakua, the outdoor, clay oven, uses a lot of firewood and takes a lot of time. Therefore, it is not so convenient for everyday use.

·         A Layered Approach:

o   Pros: light colored long sleeve shirts and pants protect you from the sun, keep you modestly dressed, and according to some create a micro-climate/air-conditioning system using merely your skin, sweat, undershirt, and overshirt.

o   Cons: twice as much laundry.

·         Visualization: snow-angel meditation

o   Pros: this method is portable and great for bus-rides

o   Cons: if you are Paraguayan, you probably have never made a snow angel before. Additionally, after a 5 hr no-AC busride (that should have only taken 3.5hrs!!)passing through high-noon, the image begins to fade.

·         The Honi-Method: rain-dances and circles in the sand.

o   Pros: a strong afternoon shower, called “aguacero,” can keep temperatures down for the rest of the afternoon and even the following day. Not only does this shower rejuvenate your sanity, but it also brings some life back into the field crops.

o   Cons: stares/gossip from neighbors as they watch the “nortetavy” (crazy northerner) doing something weird, once again. Also, if the rainfall comes with high winds, you will probably lose power, jeopardizing the contents of your fridge/freezer and leaving you without a fan and therefore vulnerable to major mosquito attacks until power returns.