The Guardian for this meeting was Xirana Oximoxi, joined by Pema, Multiverse, Zon and Boxy.

Pema Pera: Hi Xirana!
Xirana Oximoxi: hello Pema!!! nice to see you:)
Pema Pera: same here, Xirana!
Pema Pera is wondering whether Xirana will no hose him . . . .
Xirana Oximoxi: I was wondering if I will begin my first hour of silent meditation taking this time of PaB
Xirana Oximoxi: hehe... still not sure about all the meanings of 'hose'... all languages have a lot of subtle meanings..difficult to get for a foreigner :)
Pema Pera: oh, it would mean that you would splash a lot of water on me, and then I would shake my long hair like a dog, and you would get all wet too . . . :-)
Pema Pera: very simple!
Xirana Oximoxi: anyway... I hope I can clarify if sometimes I don't understand someone well here :)
Xirana Oximoxi: ahhh :)
Pema Pera: not to worry, Xirana, half of us are not native speakers
Xirana Oximoxi: oh, really?... you are not a native speaker of English?
Pema Pera: "hose" comes from a garden hose, which you use to water a garden.
Pema Pera: no, I'm from Holland
Xirana Oximoxi: ah yes... sorry, I read it some time ago:)
Pema Pera: you talked about silent meditation
Pema Pera: you mean, when you're here and there is nobody else?
Xirana Oximoxi: I guess you are a little bit from a lot of parts of the world
Xirana Oximoxi: yes :)
Xirana Oximoxi: and that's not a problem for me :)
Pema Pera: yes, indeed; I now feel equally as being from Holland, from the U.S., and from Japan :-)
Xirana Oximoxi: do you think you can get all the cultural differences between occidental and japanese culture?... I've been talking about it in a French chat I usually go
Xirana Oximoxi: where also come two japanese ladies:)
Pema Pera: mostly I feel very comfortable in Japan, and of course speaking the language helps
Pema Pera: somehow I've never felt very alien in Japan; I always felt a deep connection
Xirana Oximoxi: ah yes...that's very important
Xirana Oximoxi: my memory is bad, but we've been talking about a japanese writer that was grown up in France, and when she's come back to Japan..she was half strage here and there too
Xirana Oximoxi: sorry, I don't remember the name, and now I have not the information here...new computer and not all information in the old one saved
Xirana Oximoxi: I must be more careful to save everything:)
Pema Pera: :-)
Pema Pera: Yes, I know the feeling: once you leave your own country for several years, you can never get back to living in your own country as before
Pema Pera: you have a culture shock when you enter another country
Pema Pera: and then you have a reverse culture shock when you return
Xirana Oximoxi: maybe that helps to be more open mind
Pema Pera: yes!
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Pema Pera: you become a more universal human being, less tied to a particular culture
Pema Pera: while still appreciating the nuances of each culture
Xirana Oximoxi: SL is a good way to also share and talk about differences... it happens very oft at the chats..different points of view or laws ..in each country
--BELL--
Pema Pera: yes, very much so. avatars are called residents here, for a reason: going into SL is like immigration in a new country, a new realm.
Xirana Oximoxi: yes...it's very special place... for now, I've never felt big cultur
Xirana Oximoxi: sorry... the sentece is cut :)... I meant that even with cultural differences, here at least for my experience you don't feel it
Xirana Oximoxi: no borders here
Pema Pera: yes, indeed, that's the way it feels, very direct
Xirana Oximoxi: but, probably they also exist
Pema Pera: I've met people here from many different cultures, but all appearing here in an avatar form already quickly gives a sense of connection
Xirana Oximoxi: hello Multiverse:)
Pema Pera: hi Multi and Zon!
Multiverse1 Resident: Hi Xirana, Pema
Multiverse1 Resident: And Zon
Zon Kwan: hi there
Xirana Oximoxi: when I go to German chat sometimes also come people from very different cultures...but maybe we avoid 'difficult' subjects
Xirana Oximoxi: hello Zon!
Pema Pera: do you speak German, Xirana?
Xirana Oximoxi: I am learning :)
Pema Pera: also, koennen wir ab und zu auch Deutsch plappern, ja :)
Xirana Oximoxi: I've discovered SL when I was looking for a German course at Goethe Institut
Xirana Oximoxi: sicher, wir können aber es ist nicht einfach für mich :)
Pema Pera: ah, geht doch ganz gut, gel !
Xirana Oximoxi: maybe Zon and Multiverse don't understand now :)
Pema Pera: unfortunately, I don't speak Spanish . . . .
Pema Pera: perhaps multiverse is multilingual?
Multiverse1 Resident: I am limited to english, here
Pema Pera: parlo l'Italiano un po soltanto
Xirana Oximoxi: well.... but your English is perfect...so you can go everywhere...it's the most important language for comunication actually
Multiverse1 Resident: not perfect, but english, non the less, you Zon?
Zon Kwan: english is understandable yes
Alfred Kelberry: hi :)
Multiverse1 Resident: Hiya Alfred!
Xirana Oximoxi: hello boxy!"!! :)
Alfred Kelberry: xira cruz :)
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Multiverse1 Resident: what is your main toungue Zon?
Pema Pera: hi Alfred!
Multiverse1 Resident: my mispellings must not be good english for you then
Xirana Oximoxi: mispellings...you mean when you write some word not right?
Multiverse1 Resident: yes
Xirana Oximoxi: I guess I do quite a lot more...:)
Xirana Oximoxi: also when I want to type quick
--BELL--
Multiverse1 Resident: well thinking of the translation, to another language, must cause greater confusion, and less communication.
Pema Pera: time to move on to my next RL task . . . good seeing you all !
Multiverse1 Resident: good to be seen, tc Pema
Xirana Oximoxi: yes... translating is always difficult..but it's also important the intention and the wish to make oneself understood
Alfred Kelberry: be well, pema san
Xirana Oximoxi: bye Pema thanks for coming!! :)
Alfred Kelberry: learning the language is all about learning the culture
Multiverse1 Resident: I guess if you wish to be understood, there are many ways to express yourself
Alfred Kelberry: otherwise you just map words in 2 languages together
Xirana Oximoxi: exactly...it's absolutly related
Multiverse1 Resident: I enjoy learning of other cultures, In the usa we now have what is called Spanglish, a cross between English and Spanish
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Alfred Kelberry: i think "spanglish" exists in many countries
Xirana Oximoxi: I speak Spanglish and also Germanglish :)
Multiverse1 Resident: didn't know that
Alfred Kelberry: xiri :)
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Xirana Oximoxi: when I go to German chat, I mix completly both English and German :)
Multiverse1 Resident: yes, it is inevitable with common languages, then some just wither away, through generations
Alfred Kelberry: and you also speak perfect catalonian :)
Xirana Oximoxi: ah well this is my First language :)
Alfred Kelberry: have you noticed it changing?
Multiverse1 Resident: where does that come from?
Alfred Kelberry: borrowed words fro mspanish/english?
Xirana Oximoxi: Catalan is changing ..yes.... because of the Spanish strong influence
Xirana Oximoxi: also some new words specially about technology come from English
Alfred Kelberry: so, catalonian words are being replaced by spanish slowly?
Xirana Oximoxi: yes :)... usually small languages if don't have the power of a nation are easy to desapear
Alfred Kelberry: yes
Alfred Kelberry: it is sad to see languages go, but that's how it is. one day english will be forgotten.
Xirana Oximoxi: we have our own rules for Catalan to keep both languages...but we must always fight for this right ...Spain is a centralist country... and still a lot of influence of Franco's dictatur
Multiverse1 Resident: Larger interaction on the web, do you think it would revive languages or suppress them?
Xirana Oximoxi: the languages only survive if they are used and even then, they are always changing
Alfred Kelberry: xiri, but a lot of organisations help you to preserve the language and the culture in spain and in eu, is it not?
Multiverse1 Resident: pulled up a map on cataloia, volcano hiking sounds nice
Xirana Oximoxi: well...in Spain it's a constant fight with the central government...
Xirana Oximoxi: for exemple, we have very good laws for education... a way to get that all children living and coming to Catalonia will know both languages...but, now, the new PP party that has won the elections wants to change it
Alfred Kelberry: as with any other commodity, languages follow the supply/demand graph. right now, it is not advantageous to speak catalon, i suppose, except keeping the culture.
Multiverse1 Resident: Quebec in Canada, has a fight on between the French and English that were heavy influences in forming the country. It sounds like a preservation of culture, Xirana, as Boxy said, about understanding a language, it's culture is embeded in it's words
--BELL--
Multiverse1 Resident: With many languages, it seems that a thought process is involved in formation of concepts.
Xirana Oximoxi: the language is not a question of commodity and suply/demand...it's a matter of identity... and if we can not teach it to children that come from other countries... there's no way to keep also our own identity and way of express the world
Alfred Kelberry: quebecers are in much better shape than catalons :)
Alfred Kelberry: they basically have their own little country
Multiverse1 Resident: many are different, thus hard to understand or learn for some
Multiverse1 Resident: Yes Quebec has tried to seceed from Canada, many times
Xirana Oximoxi: the only problem here is about Spanish people that don't respect the diversity that we have in Spain...there's also Basque Land, Galicien... the best model is Switzerland, never making a problem of the different languages
Multiverse1 Resident: They almost have enough to do it, sounds like Catalonia is "surrounded"
Xirana Oximoxi: for me diversity of languages is a rich cultural thing
Multiverse1 Resident: Is there any media in catalonian?
Multiverse1 Resident: tv or radio?
Alfred Kelberry: xiri, yes, it is identity. but as a skill, there's no real demand for it as oppose to spanish or english.
Xirana Oximoxi: yes... we have TV in Catalan and also newpapers:)
Alfred Kelberry: i'm talking strictly in an economic context
Multiverse1 Resident: well that has a large influence in continuity I would think
Multiverse1 Resident: In the US, the native american languages, maybe because there are so many, are dwindling
Xirana Oximoxi: I guess in Island (for exemple) there are less people living than in Catalonia, but the language is not seen as a few demand :)
Xirana Oximoxi: anyway... we are very alive... and internet has helped in a lot of ways :)
Xirana Oximoxi: we always have voluntary people translating all programms and so on :)
Multiverse1 Resident: well then, it is helping your culture, the net then. That is good.
Xirana Oximoxi: yes, that's very good :)

Xirana Oximoxi: have you found the 'perfect' word for the 'retreats' boxy ?
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Alfred Kelberry: eliza did :)
Alfred Kelberry: she suggested to name it by the location where the event takes place
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Alfred Kelberry: e.g. pab berlin
Xirana Oximoxi: yes..that's nice:)
Xirana Oximoxi: the name is at the same time a souvenir of the place where people meet
Multiverse1 Resident: For a way to reference them in future years,many groups do this
Multiverse1 Resident: when we met in Berlin, for example
Xirana Oximoxi: have you been to Berlin meetup too Multi?
Multiverse1 Resident: no, never been to Europe
Alfred Kelberry: oh gee, i actually just noticed. the key ring that mick made for everyone says "pab berlin 2001" :)
--BELL--
Alfred Kelberry: we've had the answer there all along :)
Multiverse1 Resident: just citing a way to reference annual or special events
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Xirana Oximoxi: ahh ok ...yes... it's a good way as a reference :)
Multiverse1 Resident: especially for multiple meetings over time, a a point and time method. Usually a place will bring back memories.
Multiverse1 Resident: or incite them anew
Xirana Oximoxi: yes...every place puts also some special background to the event
Multiverse1 Resident: especially as a group
Xirana Oximoxi: if you come to Spain it will have the flamenco taste (joking!! :))
Multiverse1 Resident: Here it would be turkey!
Xirana Oximoxi: ahhh also very nice!!! I have been to Istambul some years ago...really special city...colours...
Xirana Oximoxi: mediterranean food...delicious ... :)
Multiverse1 Resident: speaking of food, I shalll have to prepare some.
Multiverse1 Resident: Not sure what yet, so see you Xirana and Alf
Xirana Oximoxi: ok... good appetti!! :) I will also go now
Xirana Oximoxi: have a nice day! :)
Xirana Oximoxi: boxy!!! see you soon!:)

Xirana Oximoxi: boxy!!! :) you are still here...'ausente' :) I guess that's why I have not received the chat log! :-)
Alfred Kelberry: xiri :)
Alfred Kelberry: ouch, sorry
Alfred Kelberry: you can end the session
Xirana Oximoxi: no problem!!!! can that be?
Alfred Kelberry: click on it
Xirana Oximoxi: I think that until there is someone here the chat continues recording, isn't it?
Alfred Kelberry: er...
Xirana Oximoxi: and what happens If I stop?
Alfred Kelberry: you can stop it
Alfred Kelberry: in the menu
Xirana Oximoxi: ok
Alfred Kelberry: the logger will stop recordin
Xirana Oximoxi: I've clicked 'stop'... and now...I will receive the chat? or I should do something else?
--BELL--
Xirana Oximoxi: hi Zon :)
Zon Kwan: heya
Alfred Kelberry: hmm