Our 1st DOTCOM Reflection

1. What did you learn in Washington D.C. about media?
   
   On the Saturday that we visited DC, we first had a tour of the State Department, which was a very interesting place to see. During the visit, we spoke about DOTCOM with State Department officials and learned about the people who worked in the DOTCOM and other programs related to media. Then we visited the Newseum and learned much about how media worked with past events such as 9/11 and President Obama's Inauguration. Next we visited National Public Radio (NPR) where we thoroughly discussed the influence of media around the world. The part I found most interesting was when we focused on mediums like Twitter and Facebook to talk about the pros and cons of the Internet.
   
   
   2. What did you learn in Washington, D.C. about your student colleagues from the other two countries?
   
   At the State Department I learned more about how this program is set apart from others. For example, DOTCOM is the first program to combine young Americans, Armenians, Azerbaijanis together in a media program to explore social issues. I learned about how media is dispersed throughout our countries and how we all have similar interests in improving its mobility. I also learned about the pre-exisiting stereotypes about American's, Armenian's, and Azerbaijani's and how we can work to overcome them.
   
   
   3. What has been hard or challenging about the DOTCOM program so far?
   
   The most challenging part of DOTCOM so far was having the Azerbaijanis arrive a few days later than we expected. It is unfortunate that they could not join us on our trips to Washington DC. However once they arrived, I believe that everyone did a great job in making our student colleagues feel comfortable and part of our large group. In addition, learning about everyone's different cultures has been a continuous learning process, as it will be throughout the whole program.
   
   
   4. What has been exciting and rewarding about the DOTCOM program so far?
   
   The most exciting part about the DOTCOM program so far has been meeting all of my student colleagues. It is amazing to interact face to face after working the past 6 months together online on the blogs. I have already developed bonds with with those that we stayed with at host families here in DC and now Vermont, those that we completed group activities with, and those that we are grouped working together with on the Reel Action project.