Acuna Batata

My life in Paraguay as a peace corps volunteer. Check out pictures here http://www.flickr.com/photos/donjulio/ And this blog does not represent anything official from the Peace Corps.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Fish head soup

Things are starting to pick up at good ole Acuna Batata. We don't really eat enough sweet potatoes (batatas) to warrant the name, but it is an inside joke. If it's going to be based on food, it should be called Acuna Mandiocha, cause the Paraguayans (and I suspect much of the world) rely on the mandioch root for most of their subsistence.

In the start I had some work to jump right into. I worked on preparing a plot of land which I could demonstrate green manures in action. But then I started to get really, really bored. There was no clear work for me to do and the community wasn't excited about anything that I had to offer. But the longer I am here, the more things start to develop.

For example, a few months ago I was invited to join a farmers' committee. I went to the meeting, but no one else came. It was a sham. Working with organized groups allows me to do a little more in terms of finding resources - there are lots of NGO's out here who will give help (seeds, money, technical info) to groups of people but not to individuals. So when that fell apart and there was nothing particular the community was asking of me, I started my own projects - to raise rabbits. That's still in the works and I think it will be a success because they are easy to house and feed.

But now a new group has formed and they've actually come to the meetings. They are interested in fish farming. So while I work with them I can teach about modern fish farming techniques. The government will also give us money to fund the project. And now that there is an organized group, we can do more than just fish farming. They are also interested in beekeeping, raising chickens, and green manures.

The first time I was served fish here I nearly didn't even try it. I was served a plate full of fishy liquid with various fish parts - including the head. But I tried it, as I do most anything, and it was excellent!! So now I want to eat some more fish soup ...

I'm getting ready for a short trip back to the States and then I'll be back in the swing of things. I've also been thinking about teaching a class at the local high school, a culture class. I would like to expose the kids to some different cultures because they are very isolated and do not have the resources to learn about the world. Plus I think it would be fun.

Take care everybody!

2 Comments:

Blogger stephanie said...

I can't wait to see you again little brother!!!

11:05 AM  
Blogger Mike said...

Julio,

Here are some Peace Corps / Paraguay blogs that I have found. If you know of any others that I have missed please let me know. Thanks!


-Mike Sheppard
RPCV / The Gambia
www.journeyacrossafrica.blogspot.com


==
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/moradita/
http://www.carolinapeace.org/index.php/pt/17/c/100?PHPSESSID=7bd63846e6f0b0131daad977ee951579
http://www.geocities.com/scottwhoolery/PeaceCorps.html
http://groups.msn.com/JillsPeaceCorpsParaguaypage
http://karenadventures.blogspot.com/
http://www.lifeofjill.blogspot.com/
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/jarvis.htm
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/jen.htm
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/Kat.htm
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/katakowski.html
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/rahn.htm
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/wowens.htm
http://phensley.livejournal.com/
http://shaggyman17.livejournal.com/
http://www.thezug.net/
http://whatamidoinginparaguay.blogspot.com/
==

2:45 AM  

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