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.