Post # 2!!!!!!!!

I'm currently in Moshi in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It's pretty spectacular. Awesome, in the true sense of the word.

School is going well. We have started a unit on agriculture and economics, which'I'm super loving a lot çause that's my thing. We spent a few days outside of Mombo learning about the sisal industry. Sisal, or katani in Swahili, is a type of agave plant that was imported to Tanzania abuot 100 years ago by a German agronomist, and it is used for it's really strong fiber to make rope and whatnot (used to be really important for boat making). It was a major part of the TZ economy until synthetic fibers were introduced and producers of sisal had to come up with other uses for it. It's used in a bunch of industrial processes. A lot of it is sold to China to polish steel (China is the biggest consumer of steel at the moment). We visited farms owned by a very interesting company. Katani Ltd. bought five huge sisal estates from the government (about 20 years ago i think) and gave the land away in 15 acre plots to any farmer that promised to grow sisal according to their regulations. The idea is now really popular in the area because, hey, 15 acres of free land ( and they can grow their own food crops on it as well). well they have to have enough money to maintain it, which isn't actually a whole lot because sisal is pretty drought resistant and low maintenance. It was also really cool because there were almost as many women that owned land as men (very rare here) and they were all organized into regional unions. AND THEN we visited a wicked sweet sisal processing plant where the fiber was extracted and the biomass waste (96% of the leaf, since only 4% is usable fiber) that would normally be thrown away was turned into organic fertilizer and biofuel to power the processing plant and local households. it was way cool and sustainable. well, the process itself was pretty cool and sustainable, but I'm really don't think the whole idea of a cash crop grown exclusively for export into an unpredictable global market is really all that sustainable. In fact, i kinda know it's not. Anyway, we told the sisal farmers we met that we would tell people about sisal, so I've done my job. I'm actually now planning on going back to mombo for my vacation and staying for a little while with a family that owns a sisal plot and harvesting with them for a day. Then we're going to head up to Lushoto, a village in some really beautiful mountains, and stay in a hostel and go hiking.

Since we've been in Moshi (we got here two nights ago) we have been studying the coffee economy. We toured the processing plant here yesterday and tomorrow I'm going to a coffee farm to talk to some farmers. Moshi is my favorite city so far. It's greener and cleaner and easier to get around in. Plus, you know, it's right at the base of the tallest mountain in Africa, which, by the way, is beautiful. Did I mention I'm at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro? you know there's snow on the top. and it's the tallest mountain in Africa. Did I mention it's the tallest mountain in Africa? And that it's beautiful? cause it is.

Friday we're leaving for Ngorogoro crater to start our unit on conservation. there's gonna be lions. and zebras. and maybe a cheetah. and elephants. etc.

oh yeah, and sometimes i miss home, but not too much.

tonight i'm facilitating a student community meeting. we need some serious working on the group dynamic and someone needed to take the lead. that someone happens to be me so i'm busying taking down agenda items for tonight. it's gonna be long, but i'm planning on sneakily doing it quaker style to make it less frantic for me. wish me luck.

love,

emma