On the second of December the 4th and 5th class of the third elementary school visited the Folklore Museum in Kallimasia. In the morning we departed with a big coach from the main road in Vrontados. During the bus ride that took approximately 30 minutes one of the boys gave me small insights about the places and buildings we were seeing. I really enjoyed our conversation and for him it was a good opportunity to practice his English. Finally we arrived in Kallimasia and entered the museum, which is located below the high school of the village.
The museum displays more than five thousand exhibits from all over the island that show the traditional way of life during the last centuries. It exists since 1996 when the Municipality, volunteers and individuals collected exhibits and founded the museum. Our guide was one of those founding members and a former teacher of the high school. Firstly the guide introduced us to the place while the children were sitting in a half circle around the Threshing floor which contains old agricultural devices. Even tough I didn’t comprehend much I could truly feel how passionate our guide was about his job. Furthermore he demonstrated the functioning of an ancient olive press, made from wood and a huge sanded stone, to the children.
Then we were free to explore the whole museum that is structured like a small traditional village featuring a pottery, a tailor shop, the blacksmith, the basket maker, a traditional living room and much more. Personally, I was fascinated by the ancient coins from all over Europe and by the old pistols.
During the trip my responsibility as a volunteer was helping the teachers to watch over the children. Additionally I captured my impressions with the school camera. After two hours and learning a lot about the folklore of Chios we headed back to the school. In my opinion learning about the traditional way of life is a very important part of education since our life today is so comfortable and easy thanks to modern technology. Looking at those old, simple tools, that show the arduousness of life back then, can perhaps contribute to appreciate the small things in life more.
