AzerbyJake: Back to Work and Accidentally Spreading Anarchy

So today was the first day back to normal clubs following an extraordinary week of camp – more on that after I decompress and reflect a little bit more. Anyway, we started the week with our 7^th and 8^th form club. We tried to construct our own countries, talking about what makes Azerbaijan unique, and then discussing what we would like in our own country – everything from the country’s name and flag to its source of income and national dishes. It was a wonderful lesson (Steph’s idea) and the kids had some fantastic deas, but it was not without its jokes and peculiarities, namely, the country of Kemalistan Zombie Country!

Two of my absolute favorite boys, Kemal and Rasul, decided to create the country of “Kamalistan Zombie Country”. They went on to explain: this is an underwater country of zombies with no natural resources, and no allies. It costs 100 million AZN to get a visa to visit and the president is chosen based on who is the last man standing after a battle royale! When we posed the questions of how their country will make money and how the rule of law will be implemented, they curtly replied with an air of superiority that they are all zombies, so money doesn’t matter, and neither does the rule of law. We’re talking complete anarchy people! It seemed innocent enough, typical boys and their gruesome fantasies! The girls in the class (who vastly outnumber the boys) would certainly dismiss this violent fantasy and embarrass the boys into taking the lesson a little more seriously. Think again! The idea started catching on! Why have rules and sources of income and a national anthem when you can just have complete anarchy – no rules, just fun (or in this case just flesh-eating monsters). By the end of the class, the kids (our second youngest class) were pretty much over the intricacies of designing their own countries. They had abandoned their own new nations and embraced zombie anarchy! I guess we're all moving to Kemalistan Zombie Country! Thanks Kemal and Rasul!

I'd also just like to publicly thank Darien Book Aid Plan out of Darien, Connecticut, who just sent me 25 lbs. worth of books to give to the Children's Library here in Balakan. This is a wonderful program and I, along with the students of Balakan, are forever grateful for their contribution.
Here is their website: http://www.darienbookaid.org/
Next month we will be doing the World Map Project in the Children's Library, where we paint a giant map of the world on the wall in the main room of the library!