What SL teaches about other countries/cultures

[Sid Nagy]

7 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

new herring isn't pickled, just salted ( and frozen) the barrels are just for show now.

The first barrel is still a reality.
It is auctioned off for charity every year. Last year it was sold for 95,000 Euro, donated to an organization that supports children with cancer.
 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Sid Nagy

[Marianne Little]

Now I learnt from @Phil Deakinsthat 'than' is a word, and is to be used instead of 'then' whan two things are compared. ❤️

Honestly, I never read that word before. Or, maybe I have read sentences with it, and my brain always read it as 'then'?

🙂

[Nick0678]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

People who are native English speakers seldom know how hard translating can be. The rest of the world does it for them.

I used to make sure tourists who came over here for vacations realized that whenever they made the mistake to ask me for directions. My usual reply when i was younger, used to be a mixture of greek, portuguese and broken english while at the same time spoken with a serious look so it all seemed natural.  Of course they never understood a word.. and neither did i.

[Arielle Popstar]

In general my view on cultures and countries is that:

1. Quite a few seem to think other people's country and culture are better than their own while the one's that are envied by them think the opposite. Perhaps a case that the cultures on the other side of the fence look greener than one's own.

2. Cultures are changing and in this day of internet and a mainstream media, differing cultures are becoming increasing homogenized and just a big melting pot.

[Orwar]

41 minutes ago, Rat Luv said:

I was going to do a 🤢 emoji but didn't want to create a diplomatic incident! Me too, though I've never had it 🙂

   The best way to serve herring is to under salt it and let it ferment.

   Ooh, the one on the top has roe in it .. Licks lips. 

[Rat Luv]

@OrwarIt doesn't look that bad actually! But think I'll stick to scampi 🙂

[Alwin Alcott]

22 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   The best way to serve herring is to under salt it and let it ferment.

   Ooh, the one on the top has roe in it .. Licks lips. 

 

[Rolig Loon]

I am always pleased when I know enough of another language to be able to at least muddle along, although I have landed in awkward spots more than once by being less fluent than I thought I was.  I remember being stopped on the street in Stockholm by someone who asked how to get to the post office.  I was proud to be able to answer and only realized minutes later that I had told him to go three blocks east (öster) when I meant west (väster).  At least he had wandered off by then.

On that same trip, though, I thanked a friend of mine for spending a couple of hours showing me around, by saying "Tack för att du är så vanlig" when I meant "Tack för att du är så vänlig".  A simple vowel shift made the difference between "friendly" and "common".  That one got me a confused look and lots of kidding for a while.  I haven't been back to Sweden for a long time, but next time I go, I'm keeping Google handy.

[Madelaine McMasters]

15 hours ago, Pamela Galli said:

To me the most fascinating and valuable thing about Second Life is how it brings people from all over the world together to share perspectives and insights about different cultures. 

That's not top of my list. I don't know where most of my SL friends are from. My RL BFF is from Iran, my professional career gained me colleagues from all over the world. I'm more aware of the cultural backgrounds of my RL friends than my SL. I grew up listening to short-wave radio, often tuning in English language broadcasts from other countries. Radio Moscow and United Arab Emirates Radio certainly didn't see the US the way I did. I spent a month in Japan in my teens, and another in Europe in my twenties. Those two months, and many more traveling around the US, taught me that one-on-one, people are people. In large groups, we're nuts. My exposure to cultural and national diversity long predates my arrival in SL.

2 hours ago, Pamela Galli said:

I have been in forums for a long time...

Me too, starting at 16 on the Milwaukee Computer Society BBS via a modem they helped me build. From there, I progressed through university campus chat, USENET, IRC, The Well, e-World, Yahoo Messenger, etc. I finally landed here. Though many of those systems were not as topic focused as USENET, USENET still had endless topics to explore, and I did explore them. IRC was an ocean of diversity, the first highly interactive large scale network I participated in, and is really where I cut my teeth.

For me, where SL residents come from isn't as important as SL's immediacy and the potential richness of shared experiences. SL is the only place I've "lived" where people have homes and create persistent things. As a creator of homes, you well know how important they are to anchoring us, both physically and emotionally. So maybe I'll say that the idea of "home" is the most fascinating and valuable thing about Second Life.

 

 

It just occurred to me as I thought back along my online timeline. I've now been in the forums for 12 years and SL for 14. Some of you have now broken the record for putting up with me, previously held by the fella who was to become Snugs. That friendship started in IRC, moved to Messenger and was set to continue in SL, but he ran off to get married rather than flirt with women here in the avatar I'd made for him. That was probably for the best, he'd eventually have defriended me for constantly needling him in front of his girlfriends.

I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

[Orwar]

10 minutes ago, Alwin Alcott said:

 

   I like this video better.

 

 

[Ayashe Ninetails]

This might sound a bit strange, but honestly - there's not much in my case. I've learned a little from SL, of course, but it barely barely barely ever scratches the surface for me. I like to fully immerse myself, I guess you could say. Too curious for my own good. Learn a tiny bit and want to hop a plane to find out more for myself. That type of thing.

I'll explain. A good number of my friends throughout my 16+ years in SL have been from England. Funny enough, I made a random decision to attend college in England (London) for a couple of semesters in my 20s. Lived in London in student housing in an apartment with 6 other girls (do NOT recommend! 😵 - nah jk they were all awesome), moved to Oxford and commuted via bus back to campus daily, traveled around a bit, and lived with a friend for a month or so in Scotland between classes. I started tinkering around in SL about a year after I moved back to the States. I can honestly say the much shorter time I spent traveling and living abroad taught me so much more than my longest friendship in SL with my BFF from England (known her about 15 years now). In fact, had I not spent time there myself and added a ton of ummm...colorful phrases and references to my usual daily vocab, I would have no idea what she's even on about sometimes, LOL.

I really haven't learned a whole lot about the UK from SL friends who currently live there, but my own experience has absolutely enhanced those SL friendships. It also emphasized to me just how little I would know had I only had them to rely on for insight (and vice versa) and, naturally, drove my desire to travel much, much more. I mean, none of them have been to my old favorite nightclub in London and I always find myself teaching them about grime and dubstep and they teach me about American artists I've never listened to. What gives????!!!! 🤣

I've had similar experiences with other friends, as well. Not just in SL, but all over the net. I play a lot of online games and I'm in a bunch of gaming Discords, so I'm always chatting with people all over the place. I adore making friends from around the world, but I have a list a mile long of places I want to visit as a result!

[Krystina Ferraris]

5 hours ago, Orwar said:

   Yes ..

And yet we love the Vikings over here lol 😄☘️

[CaithLynnSayes]

8 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

And I always have to remember not to be too streight forward in my texts the way we Dutch are used to when we talk to each other.

I'm Dutch(/Icelandic) too and i've noticed the exact same thing. Also, interestingly, i learned that there are surprisingly a lot of dutch people in SL. Like really a lot.

[Rowan Amore]

I've actually learned more about different cultures in my short time on the forums than my 12 years inworld.  You all are an interesting and fun bunch of people...even when I disagree with you.

[Solo Alpha]

9 minutes ago, CaithLynnSayes said:

Also, interestingly, i learned that there are surprisingly a lot of dutch people in SL. Like really a lot.

Are you suggesting many Dutch are digital pervs ? Huh ?!

 

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Solo Alpha

[CaithLynnSayes]

Just now, Solo Alpha said:

Are you suggesting many Dutch are pervs ? Huh ?!

 

 

I wasn't, but now i'm not so sure about you  

[Madelaine McMasters]

5 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I've actually learned more about different cultures in my short time on the forums than my 12 years inworld.  You all are an interesting and fun bunch of people...even when I disagree with you.

I imagine this is the case for most of us. Different beasts (forum vs. in-world), different natures.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Madelaine McMasters

[Solo Alpha]

1 minute ago, CaithLynnSayes said:

I wasn't, but now i'm not so sure about you  

Ooooohhh that was cold .. must have been the Icelandic part of you which came up with that ..

[Bree Giffen]

I've come to the conclusion that not many people in SL are from the U.S. If you stand in a crowded room no one is making small talk. No one saying, "Hey how's it going?" or "What's up?" That sort of thing. I was at an event recently and someone chatted "Hey everyone" and there was complete silence. I was tempted to reply but then I would've outed myself. 

[CaithLynnSayes]

Just now, Bree Giffen said:

I was tempted to reply but then I would've outed myself. 

Maybe everyone else had that exact same thought.  

[Silent Mistwalker]

5 hours ago, Solo Alpha said:

A reason might be Dutch don't distinguish between than or then, for they have only one word for it : 'dan'.

Then refers to time, than does not.

[Rowan Amore]

5 minutes ago, Bree Giffen said:

I've come to the conclusion that not many people in SL are from the U.S. If you stand in a crowded room no one is making small talk. No one saying, "Hey how's it going?" or "What's up?" That sort of thing. I was at an event recently and someone chatted "Hey everyone" and there was complete silence. I was tempted to reply but then I would've outed myself. 

Been to clubs where it's mostly Americans and no one is talking either.  Sort of been that way since I started.  There was ALWAYS someone coming in, saying Hi and then saying something about 'a bunch of bots' before tping away.

[Silent Mistwalker]

4 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Yes, that is mainly correct, but sometimes we use 'dan' when in English the sentence is put together differently, without the use of then or than.

That said: If I'm not totally correct with spelling or grammar here and there**, it's not that important to me, to be honest. 
I find it far more important that I can explain what I think and feel.
And that is not always easy in a foreign language.

It is not that I couldn't care less* about spelling and grammar though. Watch how often I edit my posts afterwards.

 

* most Americans get that one wrong

** I should have used 'now and then' instead, to show I do know. 

I think that about 99% of my posts have been edited. lmao

[CaithLynnSayes]

Just now, Silent Mistwalker said:

Then refers to time, than does not.

Hah, i didn't actually know that. I know i make the then/than mistake often.

 

Never the your/you're mistake though.... never.....  

[Sid Nagy]

 

42 minutes ago, CaithLynnSayes said:

Hah, i didn't actually know that. I know i make the then/than mistake often.
Never the your/you're mistake though.... never.....  

"To, two and too" or "I had a hat on my head"  are a pain too at times.
Knowing is not always the same as using them correctly.
Or tree and three in pronunciation.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Sid Nagy
A d was missing.