Post not quite apocolyptic world part 2

[eustaciavye77]

Life in the settlements is a work in progress. A lot of them are built in the shells of surviving older structures. In more barren areas, a few intrepid souls have begun building their own living spaces. For a while building materials were difficult to find but now the trees are growing back and the outsiders have perfected a building technique that creates walls akin to concrete sheets without requiring anything to be purchased from inside the domes (the primary component is, well, dirt.) Large central settlements ("centrals") manage distribution of anything that comes from inside. The culture in the centrals is substantially more structured than in the outlying areas with a hierarchy similar to the 20th century US military. In the smaller settlements its all farming and production. So far the exchange between the two is peaceful but some folk fear that the centrals will become just as dictatorial as the government inside the dome.

Education is an issue. The current system allows children to learn until around age 13 or 14 while still living with their families but if a child wants an education beyond basic reading and math and they live in a smaller settlement, they will have to go to the nearest central to receive further instruction. Currently the head honchos in the centrals are trying to train at least one student from each outlying area sufficiently to provide advanced education to the nearby population. The smaller settlements do have electricity and communications akin to the early 21st century internet so hopes are high that this will be achieved in the next 15 years.

http://www.blogathon.org/pledge.php?blogid=69 to make my carpal tunnel more worthwhile!