Kiah the Award-Winning Study Abroad Video Blogger

We are thrilled to announce that our senior student Kiah Zellner-Smith ('14) won the 2013 Blogger of the Year award from IES Abroad! 

Kiah was one of the first participants in the IES Brazil Program that took place in Rio de Janeiro in Spring 2013. She was selected as a video blogger out of the pool of 75 talented writers, photographers and videographers. IES highlighted that Kiah's videos "surpassed" their expectations with her "beautifully filmed, dynamic videos that offer prospective students an inside look at her academic experiences, housing, field trips, and more."

Following are several excerpts and videos from the blog she kept during her semester abroad. Make sure to click on the titles to watch her video posts.

2/12/13 The Eve of a Grand Adventure

My last night before departing to Rio De Janeiro. Packing, tweaking out, spending time with family, and saying goodbye to my home- the tundra of Minnesota. You will all be missed (except for, snow)! P.S. My apologies for the low quality and bad aspect ratios. If I wasn’t in the middle of packing and sending in housing applications for senior year I would have made this a more beautiful product. Promise I’ll do better next time friends.

4/18/13 The First of the Field Studies

This is a short video documenting the first of several field studies that are included in each Rio de Janeiro IES course. I appreciated the chance to learn outside of the classroom and to venture around the city, discovering the niches and crannies that house all the historical landmarks I tend to overlook on my way to class.

5/28/13 Samba Week in Music Class

The first week of May was Samba week in our IES Music & Society class. We discussed the history of Samba, learned when the different forms of Samba emerged, got a chance to try out traditional Samba instruments and took a trip to Pedra do Sal where we ate fejoada and intermingled with the diverse crowd of Samba appreciantes. Samba is everywhere in Rio. Everyone can do it, and everyone does it in their own way. I was entranced from the first moment I witnessed it at the Sambodromo during our Orientation week and I’m still obsessed with it 3 months later. I have 21 days left in Rio de Janeiro and still haven’t perfected the dance. I might try and catch a Samba class next weekend because it’s entirely unacceptable to leave this city without knowing their favorite dance! Ahhh, wish me luck on one of my last goals for the semester! 

6/14/13 Rio My Sparkling City

Stunning night time views I captured of Rio de Janeiro from the top of Pão de Açúcar.

Enjoy!