I’m Joseph Crayson Bartholomew The Fourth (Yes, I know it’s atrocious; I didn’t pick it; you can blame my parents) and I’ve written three journal entries about a day in the life of a Liberum Terra citizen. We are a small country that revolted from a tyrannical government several decades ago. We make a lot of money from the mines and fields of our country. Apparently, when we started the mines, we found some new mineral that is pretty valuable, so our country does pretty well.
Today was Election Day, and we’re picking new officials. I am sixteen years old, which means that this was the first year I can vote. When I was fifteen, my class went on a field trip to City Hall to learn more about our government and how to vote. We learned about the way votes are sorted and what our government officials actually do.
We have one day for electing our singular major official, who we call “The Big Boss”. We also have another Election Day on which we elect our fifteen minor officials, who we call “The Little Bosses”, but that one is less celebrated.
Anyone that’s old enough to vote gets Election Day off from work and school, so for most of the morning, I stayed at home in my pajamas and talked on the phone with my friends
Around noon, I finally left the house to run an errand and vote. In Liberum Terra, we barter items, which is sometimes good, and sometimes not. Depending on the day and the mood of the seller, a pair of shoes could cost a couple of cool-looking rocks, a blanket, or even a secret. Today, my mom needed a few bags of flour, and the grocer traded it for three loaves of bread from my family’s bakery.
The voting line was rather long, but in the end, I got to cast a vote determining who is in charge of our country, so it’s all worth it.
The candidates for The Big Boss position were Henry Jones, Emma Sherlock, and Anthony Brown. Each of them have slightly different views that mostly everyone supports. Jones supports a stronger military, Brown supports expanding the borders of our country, and Sherlock supports better care for the elderly and more funding to the schools.
Personally, I think our country is big enough. We have plenty of room and there’s not really any reason to expand. Our military is plenty strong. All of the citizens know how to defend themselves, and quite a few of them are in our military. Besides, if The Big Boss is too warlike, they won’t make good decisions and the country won’t be peaceful anymore.
Jones already served as The Big Boss, and he didn’t come through on any of his promises, meaning he probably won’t get elected again. This country doesn’t like lying politicians, and I have no doubt that Jones will be disliked and probably charged more for items for quite a while.
Journal Entry #2:
Today was a pretty fun school day. There are two highschools and two middle schools in Liberum Terra. They offer the same classes and teach things in the same way, but there’s still a small, fun, rivalry between them.
Both schools’ classes are organized by age instead of grade, and the teachers are thoroughly trained in what they teach, so that they can give the students assignments that will challenge them without being terrifying. None of the classes make the students memorize lists or random facts. Most teachers use the socratic method, asking questions and giving answers, or just tell stories.
There are a few mandatory classes everyone must take along with several classes that are optional. Math, English, and Science are mandatory for everyone, no matter what age.
Some classes are mandatory for younger kids, then optional for older kids (Like Self-Defense, Living on the Land, or History). The older kid classes have more depth and details than the younger.
The classes that are optional are Animal Training 1 and 2, Art, Strategy in Warfare, Archery (With Occasional Crossbows), Agriculture, and Anatomy (Animal and Human).
The classes I take are Biology 2 in the morning, then Pre-Calculus, and History. Then I have lunch in the cafeteria, then Self-Defense (Weapons), Animal Training 2, and Strategy in Warfare.
My first two classes are Biology 2 and Pre-Calculus. The teachers try their best to make it interesting with graphs, pictures, and stories, and it works, for the most part. The kids actually learn how and why the mathematical concepts work.
History class is when it really starts getting interesting. The teacher, Mrs. Sheep moves around the class, describing what the world was like in our country before we became a Utopia. Most people didn’t know how to defend themselves and crimes were incredibly high. People used slips of paper and bits of metal to pay for things. Her stories are crazy!
Today, a kid complained about a class they were taking, and Mrs. Sheep told us about what classrooms used to be like. Back then, the kids sat in uncomfortable chairs and weren’t allowed to fidget or comment on the class material.
In Self-Defense, we had a pop quiz, which came in the form of an obstacle course. We had to make it through the course without being hit by the other students. We could use paintball guns, bows and arrows (soft-tipped, of course), bo staffs and blunt swords. I made it a little over halfway through the course before I was taken out by another student. (He knocked my legs out from under me with his staff.)
My second to last class was Animal Training 2. Today, we continued training the falcons that we tamed in the first weeks of classes. Our country’s animal is the Peregrine Falcon because of how they make their nests in the country. Most citizens have falcons as pets or hunting companions. When people who took the class graduate, they usually take the pets they trained with them. When I graduate in two years, I’ll definitely take Swifty (my falcon) with me.
After Animal Training, my teacher wanted to talk to me, so I had to run to my last class: Strategies in Warfare. The teacher there, Mr. Ferrum, is pretty strict when it comes to tardies and absences. I was so lucky to make it on time. He starts teaching exactly when the class begins, and if I’m late, he’ll quiz me on what I missed. We’re reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu, who lived way back in 495 BC. For being thousands of years old, the book has pretty good strategies. Then, after we discussed certain quotes from the book, the class had to create different attack and defense formations for certain scenarios. If anyone made a mistake in the formation, Mr. Ferrum swung into action with a wooden sword and showed us every single way of how the formation would fail.
By the time I finally got home, I just collapsed on my bed. School is really fun, but also really tiring.
Journal Entry #3:
Today is Christmas Eve, and I just returned from some last-minute shopping. While not everyone in this country is religious, everyone celebrates Christmas in some way. I can see a Christmas tree in at least one window of most houses on my street.
Last week, me and two of my friends went around and helped elderly people clean and decorate their houses. Even though we were intending to do it for free, most of the people gave us something in return. Or maybe they thought we were junk removers. I wasn’t quite sure, but they seemed to be happy with us.
Tonight, I traded the junk for other, better things that I could actually give as a gift. Was I cutting it close, getting the gifts on Christmas Eve? Yes. Do I regret it? Yes. Where was this going? I don’t know.
Snowball fights are extremely common on my block, and since I’m good with long-distance weapons (including snowballs), I’m a common target. I need to do reconnaissance before I go outside or else I get hit with a barrage of snowball attacks. Once, I forgot to check outside before I left for school. I was dripping wet by the time I got to Biology.
Anyways, every year, on Christmas Eve, the City Hall operates as a giant dining hall. Half of it is turned into a kitchen and taken over by people (usually the moms and aunts for some reason), while the other half has tables and chairs set up.
In about an hour, my entire family will be going to help set up the Hall and then we’ll eat. The cooks make pretty much every dish you could think of, and more. Desserts, appetizers, and main courses are all served at the same time, and everyone just sits down, eats, and chats.
After the younger kids inevitably get riled up by the sweets, people and shiny things, they usually drag as many people as possible into a game. The games usually last a while and are throughout the entire building.
Two years ago, everyone was enlisted to look for a kid after a game of hide and seek went on too long. We formed a search party and looked for two and a half hours. Eventually, my cousin found him napping in a closet. After that, we weren’t allowed to play hide and seek anymore. I think this year, I’m going to bring this old game, Monopoly. Nothing bad could happen with that.
