After we were done playing on nature's water slide we thought we would wander back over to La Sagesse beach. But as we were headed out I saw a little sign, "Rome Museum -->". I had heard of this place before from my friend Jillian, and I had always wanted to go. I didn't realize it was so close, but not wanting to be a self-serving, hidden-agenda sister, I asked Spigot Master how long it would take to get there. He said probably 15-20 minutes, and after an okay from current company we headed to this elusive place.
It only took about 5-10 minutes to get there from Mt. Carmel. We rung the bell, but after no one answered, we asked at the nearby store. A young man assured us it was indeed open and came over to the gate and started calling "Uncle, uncle!" to the back of the lot. Haha.
Mr. Rome came out and welcomed us to his museum. Maybe i'm just a huge history nerd, but I thought his self-made museum was really cool. It's his own personal, and quite impressive, collection of items that Grenadians used in day to day life from decades ago.
Starting on the top left and going clockwise:
Copy machine. You would hand crank it to make the copy.
Ham Radio with a huge antennae, that picks up signal to over half of the world!
Fridge, of course, but powered by kerosene.
Collection of school books.
Chainsaw!
In addition to his indoor collection, he has a outdoor collection as well.
Starting on the top left and going clockwise.
Washboard, complete with corn cob to scrub the clothes.
Um, I don't remember what that stuff is in the dish. But yeah, it's toothpaste.
Kid potty
Wood scooter. He talked about how when he was a kid he would ride it around and get in trouble.
Hand-crank sewing machine. Mr. Rome explained that one person would crank the handle and the other would guide the fabric through.
Okay, this one is by far the funniest. Before he opened the door to the latrine he took great pains to explain that what was inside was purely a fake and just a display of the dangers one might encounter. It was not real. Don't worry. Seriously, it's fake.
It made me wonder what kinds of reactions it had previously elicited.
As you can see, it is a "Pit Latrine" complete with creep crawlies and a display of different types of wiping materials through the years.
The last photo is of some common outdoor kitchen items. The tall white tiered item is a child's lunch tin.
Mr. Rome had a outdoor collection as well. One of my favorite parts of the museum tour was that it included traditions, myths, and Old Wives Tales. In the lower right corner of the collage is an old-timey kitchen aid/ cake mixer, haha.
Even with all these photos, it doesn't touch his wide and varied collection. These were my three favorites. The top photo is of an old Grenadian tradition. When a young man wanted a wife, the father of the young woman would give a knot of wood and a dull axe to the inquiring young man. He would have to split the knot for the wife and bring it back to the father. This would show that even though he might not have a lot of money, he was a hard worker and could make an honest living and good life with the young woman. Ross's response to that was, "Sorry Kristen, no way, knotted wood is a huge PAIN!" Or something like that. Haha. Love you too Ross.
The bottom right photo is a simple spinning toy made out of mango pits!
On the bottom right Mr. Rome demonstrates a mongoose trap. The mongoose wanders into the trap to get the bait, and the door shuts after it. They then pour petrol or alcohol on the poor thing and light it on fire. They would then release it and let it thrash around and fight for it's life. Where the video cuts off, he explains that sometimes it could be dangerous because the flaming mongoose could run into a field and light the field on fire. That mongoose is a freakin arsonist!
It was a really fun tour and Mr. Rome is a very kind man. I love to see people who are so dedicated and proud of their work. I learned that he is also a carver and has travel to Taiwan to showcase some of his carvings. He's received a British Empire Medal for his work as well. It's a short trip (isn't everything on the island?) and well worth a visit!
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