Week 8- Maybe Not Juliet: The Village

The Post Office is open!

This week's Village began the same as recent weeks'. Villagers were hard at work, house modeling, number crunching, and biography-writing. There was talk of inventing new building materials from our very own Nile River Valley's resources and there was interest in merely being on the land. A few Villagers are finished with all of the tasks required to apply for their bank loans (when the bank opens), and I saw the first of those applications being filled out already!

Then, the mail came at lunchtime, bringing announcements:

We have some new Village employees, once Queen Cleopatra is apprised of the Village name and elects to send along funding. Collecting regular paychecks for the first part of the remaining school year: Phil and Cat (co-Bank Managers), Holland and Lilah (co-Village Accountants) and Suida and Adelina (co-Trading Post Managers). Erin continues as the Village Crier, quite effectively, and Ciana is our new Village Secretary!

The Post Office, under the supervision of Sarah, hired some employees this week and will endeavor to operate independent of Royal funding, subsisting on sales of stamps and other items to make its payroll. The Queen's Land Commisioner (Midas the Mediocre) also sent word that the Queen wishes to commission Cartographers Grace and Juju to make a map of our Village, so that she might know where each of her subjects live. I wonder why....

As our Village began to close in its usual manner, with a Village meeting, it became clear that many Villagers saw the name Juliet: The Village to be inequitable. Villager Juliet, who did not pursue to have our Village named for her, agreed. A new can of Village naming worms was opened, but it seems that Villagers are becoming more and more accustomed to our meeting process, which has yielded a few consensus decisions in recent weeks.

So, we are back to being an unnamed Village, but a Royal Reminder of the promise of a $25,000 investment from Her Majesty Queen Cleopatra Ptolemy VII did indeed inspire many to hasten the process, which promises to deliver a new Village name next week. (Ms. Dee and Ms. Carey)

A Village Meeting

Village Week 7- Juliet: The Village

Our Moderator and Future Moderator(s)

This week our Village bustled with promise in the form of cardboard model homes, housing estimates, and job interviews. Biographers are hard at work, telling the stories of our Peeps' lives. (I hope to post some soon, as one even brought me to tears, it was so moving.)

Our Moderator led the way for us to name our new Village. Juliet: The Village, Farmville, Philville, and Kemet Ptolemy were the top choices. When Juliet: The Village prevailed, some Villagers were distraught over what Queen Cleopatra will have to say about this! She did insist we name the Village after her in order to garner her financial backing.. Some suggested we could persuade her to see it as being named after her BFF, Julius Ceasar, but others are skeptical she will buy it.

This week we heard more cultural reports and welcomed another new Villager to town. Welcome, AJ. We're glad to have you! (Ms. Carey)

Village Week 6- Such is the Life of a Homesteader

Village last week began with an all school trip to the land. In the time since we had last visited, there have been some serious rains; fences were down, temporary shelters were in an absolute shambles and many a Peep lay in a bedraggled heap, hair all askew and intertwined with leaves, twigs and other detritus of the land...homesteading can sure be hard on one's coiffure! But the weather was fine and in no time at all the most serious of damages were repaired and many features, personal and otherwise, were even improved upon.

Homesteaders continue to work on plans for nurturing and developing their land, determining the best place for gardens, barns, wells and the like. The work of designing Peep houses is well under way - some Homesteaders have moved from the artists sketch to the blueprint and cost estimate stage, which generally leads directly to reworking ones original design, (houses are just so expensive!) while others are making cardboard models of their Dream Homes.

Homesteaders who had undertaken research missions last week returned to share with us the results of their findings. We heard reports on Ancient Egyptian culture, cuisine, customs, resources, weather, living conditions and the like, all of which assists us in establishing our own authentic Village.

In the midst of it all is the clamoring for jobs, "When will the Bank/ Trading Post Managers be

hired ?"...And what about the Town Crier? The Secretary? The Accountant? When will I get my  bank loan???"

The answer, as always, is, "when you have completed your paperwork!"

"UGH", they say, applying themselves, once again, to resume's, Peep biographies and house plans.

Such is the life of a Homesteader. (Ms. Cheryl)

This week in Village it was mandated that those pesky orange flags must come down in favor of a more natural way to designate our property boundaries.  Villagers were seen conscientiously pillaging the land for materials that might alert passersby that the land they had seized in the gentle land rush was indeed taken.  Well, that’s what the red flags said.  Braided straw, green sand mixtures, sticks and stones were placed to say something different altogether.  Welcome!

In the absence of our fearless moderator no formal meetings took place; still the Village did not crumble into chaos.  The Village saw some housing estimates come to completion, interviews for Village Accountant commence, and the position of Town Crier was posted.

A number of students presented their reports on the critical information of our time in Egypt . When does the Nile flood? (October) What medical treatments were available in ancient Egypt ?  (Brain surgery and herbs, apparently.)  What gods and holidays might we be observing?  And, what up with the Sphinx? 

This week we wished one of our mistresses of the Post Office a fond farewell, and welcomed new Villager Grace to the fold.  (Ms. Carey)

Village Week 5- Peep Biographies and Journals



An Accidental Optical Illusion- created by Suida during Village

 Village got off to a solid start with a meeting led by our new Moderator, Phil. A question and answer period seemed to really put the Villagers at ease as the bank loan requirements were clearly expressed; you must have a Peep, a biography, a house plan and estimate, and a property plan in order to be approved for a bank loan of $500.

Many jobs are still available and interviews are under way. Community College Courses were on people’s minds, as well. All around the Village folks worked lovingly and diligently on the tasks at hand—journal-making, biography-writing, and house-drawing.

In our closing meeting Phil listed the proposed Village names: Kemet Ptolemy, Magnus Ptolemy, Philville, Cleopatra Rocks, Impergo, and Babu Benn. A box will be put out so that Villagers can make more suggestions for the name of our up and coming Village! (Ms. Carey)

Village Week 4- Property Plans

Amber and Liana's Property Plans

Village is rolling merrily along and, as always, there is more going on than can ever be documented.

As each Village Day speeds by the miniature characters develop more and more personality and can often be found visiting amongst their small selves. Some are planing great adventures ( I saw two exploring the world globe last Thursday, talking about where they were form and where they would love to go), some talking about house design and others exchanging recipes, really!

In addition to responding to job postings and general land work, Villagers have begun exploring possibilities for home building. Pictures of homes and families from times gone by were passed around, fresh sheets of large paper rolled out and myriad drawing supplies employed and, amidst the excited chatter of young people, Dream Home designs have commenced. (From Ms. Cheryl)

This week in (our still as of yet unnamed) Village excitement was in the air as Villagers dreamt of the houses they would build, the animals they would tend, and the gardens they would build… if only they had their bank loans.

Villagers were very busy throughout the land using their peep rulers to measure out the amount of space needed to house their intended families and pets—cheetahs in some cases!  Each Villager began the process of laying out his or her land design, some considering accessibility of water, others the quality of soil.  This layout, then more firm house plans, are what will enable Villagers to garner bank credit.  The corner formerly known as the food dump of the Giants underwent major improvements and the peep of Suida is poised to inhabit the most fertile soil of the entire Nile river valley.

Interviews were held for the position of Moderator, and, in the end, three people were hired for said position:  Phil, first 6-weeks; Ciana, second 6-weeks; and Holland , third 6-weeks.  All other positions are still open.  This makes Phil the first Villager to be hired for a paid position.  Congratulations Phil, Ciana, and Holland! Our Moderator still needs a Secretary (or Scribe, as we are in Ancient Egypt): in hopes some Homesteader steps forward to take on this very important position and records all important decisions made by our new Village.

Excitement builds around the next round of jobs that must be interviewed for: Trading Post Manager, Bank Manager and Village Accountant.  In addition, a need for a Village Crier has become apparent! Who will fill these jobs?  Interviews and checking of references will begin at lunch later this week.

Each Homesteader in the Middle and Upper groups has a question about Egypt they have been assigned to answer:  They may research the answer at home or at school~ we will be sharing this important information with the group in a few weeks.  (Ms. Dee and Ms. Carey)

Erin's Property Plans