My group plans to explore England in Second Life.  I’ve never actually been to England, but it’s on my to-do list.

I took some time to explore the Second Life locations located in England and there are quite a few. I’m always shocked when I visit  Second Life and discover the many locations within one country. There are specific buildings and streets to visit and time periods as well. I’m also stunned at the detail of these places. I often find myself wondering how long it takes to create such an intricately created virtual community. I’m looking forward to exploring England and learning more about the culture and people through my virtual experience.

I also discovered many people use Second Life to prepare for trips abroad by speaking to people who live in the country they wish to visit or practicing their language skills. I discovered The Cooper International Learning Center of Oberlin College which pairs students with SL avatars who speak the language they are learning. Students can even request speaking partners from specific countries. The Cooper Center has many universities from around the world as affiliates making collaboration easier.

As a Spanish major this is a great resource. It’s easy to speak with one of my peers since I can butcher the language, but since we both speak English and are learning the language they are still able to understand what I’m saying and the conversation flows. However, when you are with a native speaker who has an accent and no understanding of English you are forced to think critically about verb tenses, conjugation,and articles. I definitely plan on visiting the language lab in Second Life to practice my Spanish skills and learn something new.