Kate Gasienica
In the midst of my world travels, my friends and family (mostly my family) have convinced me to start up a Travel Blog so they can follow my travels from home in the states. So here it is... I'm about to turn 21 in Africa on November 5th, born and raised in New York City and the Jersey Shore, now spending most of my time at my new home in Chicago at Northwestern University. I love Chicago and school, but I'm restless to see every corner of the globe. What better time to do it than now when I really have no responsibilities (thanks to Kath and Leo) and no other person to take care of other than my self. Kate Gasienica
The last two years of my life the real adventurous Kate has come alive. Leaving the east coast for school, Spain for Spring Break '04, Thailand over winter break '04, Ecuador and Peru building houses with Habitat for Humanity this summer (Check out the photos http://community.webshots.com/user/kategasienica), and now on to Ghana, Africa for my Junior semester abroad for 4 months! Life doesn't get any more exciting than this.
Hopefully by the time I return back to school in January I will have a taste of the global perspective that can help me start trying to figure out where the heck I fit into this crazy world. This will for sure fuel my insatiable excitement to find out where the rest of my life will take me.
Ghana, Africa: My Study Abroad experience starting Sept. 1st with the School for International Training. I will be studying Arts and Culture and conducting independent research on Arts Education and the reproduction of self-identity from a human development perspective. I will be living with 3 different families in Kumasi, Accra, and a remote village in the Ashanti region while exploring and taking seminars on African dance, drumming, Twi language study, and just history, culture and many other art forms. So stay tuned for my African adventure to unfold...I'm ready for anything that comes my way!
EVERYONE FROM HOME and ABROAD, KEEP IN TOUCH!!
**I'm not sure how often I will have internet access.
SEND ME MAIL IN GHANA
Incentive - I will for sure send you some mail back!!
Kate Gasienica
c/o Affiliate/SIT
Institute of African Studies
University of Ghana
P.O. Box 73
Legon, Ghana
Visited Countries Map
Travel Blog Posts
"Singin' Every Little Thing's Gunna Be Alright"
Published: November 11th 2005Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra » Accra
November 11th 2005
There is a reason why Bob Marley is God here in Ghana. I'm not "worrying about a thing!" Things are finally looking up! I'm back safely in Accra after two nights in Kumasi and I no longer feel so lost! My trip on the way to Kumasi was not very smooth or comfortable and took 9 hours from start to finish. I was an "Oburuni sucker" and agreed to follow a guy that claimed he could get me to Kumasi for 27,000 cedis (about $3). By the time my friend Kelly and I paid our cedis and got on what we didn't realize at the time was a Mercedes bus slightly larger than a Tro-Tro it was too late to get our money back. We sat in the hot, sweaty bus for 3 hours parked in ... read more
"Feel Free, This Home is Your Home"
Published: November 11th 2005Africa » Ghana » Greater Accra » AccraNovember 7th 2005
I finally have time to write!! But I'm rather overwhelmed with everything I have to tell you about. It's getting increasingly difficult to convey with words what I'm feeling and experiencing here in Ghana to people on the other side of the world! I've been avoiding writing a blog 'cause I have no idea what to say that will do anything justice! The last time I wrote was almost 2 weeks ago and so much has happened since then! In short, I visited Cape Coast and the slavery castles/dungeons, enjoyed a few days in paradise on the beaches of Winneba and Cape Coast, hiked in Kakum National Park and "survived the canopy walkway," finished Poisonwood Bible (best book to read while actually in Africa), moved in with a new crazy rabbit raisin' homestay family in Accra ... read more
"In Him is Life" - Reflections from Winneba
Published: October 24th 2005Africa » Ghana » Central » Winneba
October 24th 2005
Greetings from Winneba, a small laid back coastal town, the "city of flags," with more palm trees than people, halfway between Accra and Cape Coast. The British named this little place Windy Bay after the amazing constant cool breeze that blows all day and night, but the name has morphed into the Ghana version over the years to become Winneba. I just completed 4 days of Batik, tie and dye, and glass bead art workshops learning ancient art forms from master artisans under a thatched summer hut workshop with all recycled or natural materials in Krobo Odumase. Now in Winneba I had a full day of ceramic pot throwing and tomorrow clay sculpture. My creativity is at its prime! (Haven't figured out how to get all my art work home yet, but I have plenty of ... read more
October 16th 2005
I've made it back to the city in one piece!! I left my village 2 days early in order to attend my sister Abina's wedding yesterday in Kumasi and meet with a professor on campus about my independent research, but I had a few other hidden motives for coming back too. I was in desperate need of some protein and a real bed! Despite thinking a few times that I might not make it, I survived living for 12 days in the Ashanti Village of Dunkuraa! It will be a miracle if I can possibly even come close to being able to put to words my experiences these past two weeks, but here's my attempt. Ahhh the village life!! I have spent the past two days reflecting, refueling (eating 2 well balanced meals of "international cuisine") ... read more
Biking in Dresses & Eating Dinner with Baboons
Published: October 2nd 2005Africa » Ghana » Ashanti » Kumasi
October 1st 2005
I have been in Ghana exactly one month as of today! We arrived back in Tamale yesterday evening after a very long 4 hour Tro-Tro ride home from Mole National Park. There were 21 of us in the Tro-Tro and all of our backpacks and food; thank God for my iPod and neck pillow. Mole has been one of the major highlights of the trip thus far! We arrived at the park's entrance on Friday afternoon reading signs that read "Don't feed the Elephants, They are Not Tame," "Kill your speed, not the Antelope," "Do Not Enter the Park With Out an Armed Guide." Mole is Ghana's largest park at 4840 sq km and protects 90 mammal species and over 300 hundred bird species. We went out on a safari walk with a guide carying a ... read more
September 25th 2005
Enuanom maduoo! My friends, good evening from Tamale, Northern Ghana! I have finally found time and mental capacity to attemt to put my past two weeks of experience into words. On Saturday our group of 18 Oburunis (people from beyond the horizon) traveled 7 hours in a huge bus up to the Northern region. Leaving my homestay family was very sad and came too quickly, but it is not good bye forever. I plan to spend a lot of time in Kumasi before I leave. My homestay brothers text message me enough that I feel like I'm there anyway. My home stay mother, Aunti, washed all of my clothes and was teary eyed when I left. They are such wonderful people. So, lots of bananas, bush pit-stops, pot holes, plantains, and bags of water later we ... read more
September 14th 2005
"Yaa Akoo," how a Ghanaian greets a person who is mourning the loss of a person close to them in life. I was struck yesterday with the horrible news of one of my closest friends, Brendan, from high school who died in a bike accident on Sept. 5th. Another American student on my trip, Claire, goes to Wesleyan and was in Brendan's French classes there. She recieved an E-mail from the Wesleyan listserve and after talking about Brendan with me the whole past week, she was in the awful position to share the news to me after dance class yesterday. To hear of the death of a friend when I am on the other side of the world caused extreme shock and homsickness. My last 24 hours I have been numb and shocked but I know ... read more
September 8th 2005
Every taxi and Tro-Tro (mini-bus) in Ghana is named like boats are in the U.S. Most of them are religious phrases or names in Twi, but I rode one today that was named "Feel Free." This is definitely how I feel here. Another one fo my favorites... "THe Monkeys are Confused." Who knows?? I've made it to Kumasi!! My new home for the next two weeks. What was supposed to be a 5 hour bus ride turned into 7 hours when we came across an oil tanker that had flipped over and was perpendicular to the road in front of us. Not something you see every day. The entire town and all the people bloked in their cars were gathered in a huge crowd around the truckto help and figure out the situation. What would have ... read more
September 6th 2005
I have been renamed Adwoa! (pronounced Adjua) In Ghana you are named by what day of the week you were born on, so my traditional name is Adjoa Kate. My drumming friend Kofi helped me figure out last night what day Nov. 5th 1984 landed on. I am on U of GHana's campus right now since we had the whole afternoon off and out of no where I just ran into Mike Tongs best friend Steve! He's enrolled in the University and has been here for a month and a half. He is one of 3 while kids I have seen in GHana besides our group. I said to my friend next to me, "oh look there's another white student over there," and then he yelled out "Kate!!" It's so wild to run into people ... read more
September 4th 2005
Mema mo adwo from Ghana!! (Good evening!) I'v e made it through my first two days in Africa and I am happier and more alive than ever! I apologize ahead of time for the use of TOO many superlatives, but there is really no way to describe with words where I am and what I am feeling and experiencing. Yes John and Leo, this trip has and will change my life! Eventhough I say that a lot, this one is going to take the gold. If you can imagine a wolrd where nothing and no one is the way it is at home in the States and every one is smiling, that is where I am. "Go and Enjoy Life" the Ghanaian people say all the time. Ariving in the Accra airport was unreal. Walking out ... read more
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