Couple First Meet as Online Avatars
Pre
discussion questions
Do
you know about meeting people as avatars?
What
would you look like as an avatar?
`
A woman
is going to marry her younger lover 18 years her junior. The first met as AVATARS in a virtual reality game.
Fiona
was 39 when she met 21-year-old Patrik on Second Life. Second Life is an online
virtual reality world where users create characters. These characters are known
as avatars. These avatars socialize with strangers.
Fiona, who
lives in Australia, picked an avatar called Phoebe because she believes lookes like
her in real life.
After
joining the site she hit it off with
the character called 'Sareth.’ Sareth was actually Patrik.
In real
life, Patrik is a telecom technician from Sweden.
Patrik
and Fiona lived 24,000 km away from each other.
Remarkably they started dating online and building a
virtual home together.
But they
did not talk in real life until one year later. They met in April 2008 for a quick
tour of Stockholm Sweden.
At the
end of their trip they declared
their love for one another.
"It's
great how we met, it always raises
eyebrows."
Fiona
was working for an education company when she first discovered Second Life. She
joined the site to see on if it was a site her employers could use.
But soon
she loved the game. In the game she was enjoying being on virtual beaches, talking
to strangers.
She was
interested mostly in Sareth, because he made her laugh. And he really liked her
too.
Initially, the pair talked in groups but after a few
weeks they'd sneak off to private
spots on the beach and chat one-on-one.
Slowly
they spent more and more time online. They would log on each day to see how the
other person was despite the
eight-hour time difference between Sweden and Australia.
"We
didn't talk about our ages until a year later, but it didn't matter."
Second
Life users can 'build' homes and Fiona created a house - which Patrik was
always in.
Fiona
decided to take the plunge in 2008
and organize a face-to-face meeting.
Fiona
said: "They told me to see if I liked him, because once I met him I would
know if I really liked him."
When she
arrived at the airport, she was immediately excited to be with him.
She said:
"He looked like his avatar. We started chatting – and didn't stop."
At the
end of their four days, Patrik asked to visit Australia.
He flew
40 hours to see her in July 2008. And they continued their online life, but
visited a real beach this time.
And in May
2009 he moved to Brisbane permanently.[1]
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
hit it
off |
A |
1 |
Very noticeable, wow! , think of as very
good |
Remarkably
|
B |
2 |
At first, from the beginning |
declared
|
C |
3 |
Even though, do something without
worrying about some problems or difficulties |
raises
eyebrows |
D |
4 |
To be attracted to each other, to feel
comfortable with the other person, to really like someone from the first
meeting |
Initially |
E |
5 |
Surprising information |
sneak
off |
F |
6 |
To take a chance |
despite
|
G |
7 |
To go away quietly without anyone knowing |
take
the plunge |
H |
8 |
To tell everyone, to say or speak loudly
to everyone |
A=4, B=1, C=8, D=5, E=2, F=7,
G=3, H=6
Some
example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they
are used in the reading to help you understand better.
1.
It was a
blind date, but they hit it off from
the first meeting.
2.
One of
the most remarkably beautiful places
I have see is the Grand Canyon.
3.
When we
got married we declared our love for
each other.
4.
The
government’s decision to make smoking illegal has raised eyebrows all around the world.
5.
Initially, I found the yoga class hard, but now I am good
at it.
6.
I did
not want to stay for drinks after dinner, so I sneaked off without telling anybody.
7.
Despite the cold weather, we still went exercising
outside.
8.
I took the plunge and signed up for the
Korean language class.
Some
questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your
answer.
1.
Can you
understand how Fiona and Patrik hit it
off?
2.
Do you
find this way of meeting someone remarkable?
What other remarkable stories have
you heard?
3.
Have you
ever declared your love to someone?
How would you declare your love to
someone?
4.
Would
meeting someone this way raise eyebrows
in your culture? Why?
5.
What was
your initial feeling when read the
title for today’s reading?
6.
Describe
an animal you know that sneaks
around a lot?
7.
Would
you marry someone despite them
coming from another country?
8.
What is
one of the biggest plunges you have
taken?