Mike Townsend has been in opensim since way back when. If you're an oldbie, you may remember his UKTurk grid, with its freebies - such a precious resource at a time when finding content was a painful business on the HG. These days, you'll find him in his OSGrid estate, Tropicana. Hot or what. So, what's the story?
Mike Townsend: I have never really left OSgrid, just dabbled in other grids and moved around a bit. I guess for me the appeal of it is the building and creation of environment. And of course the friends that we meet in our travels. I don't miss having a grid of my own. Not at all. Most grids, as they get larger, become cumbersome and problematic. Tropicana was not here a couple of years ago, it is really the result of the pandemic. It was built very quickly and homes and lands were added as an afterthought, and it just grew and grew from 9 SL sized regions to around the 600 that it is today.
Makes sense, after all OSGrid is known as the crossroads of Opensim. You can check out the Tropicana Website to see what's on offer without going inworld, although of course, the best fun is had by your avie.
When he's not administering or fixing something on one of the tenant's properties, Mike likes to make stuff, he always has, even when he was a secondlifer. He still has an old shop over on the SL Marketplace, if you're curious.
Mike Townsend: At Tropicana its mostly assembly, landscaping and arranging regions, but I like to build and create things and learn new skills. I am a bit of a Jack of all Trades and master of none, lol. I think like most we have all dabbled in many things. I have stopped working in prims and let the experts create the amazing mesh stuff that we all love.
When it comes to Tropicana, the best way to discover all the regions is to go and get the free HUD available at the landing point. It allows you to experience the landscapes and seascapes - this is a very ocean friendly environment- for yourself, with minimum effort.
Mike Townsend: We have over 200 properties about 80% full. Everything is free, both land and homes for them to call home. But we also have some private regions and they start from around $5 a month and operate under the Tropicana community, but really, we are not doing this for commercial gain. Not that I have any problem with those that do.
When he says 'we', Mike's referring to the Tropicana team that includes helpers with the rentals, and with musical evenings, doing some fine DJing. But the team really begins with Blancanieves Levee. Fondly called 'the boss' she is at the heart of Tropicana, a culturally and linguistically diverse place. She came to join us.
Mike Townsend: We have a lot of Spanish speaking and Portuguese speakers. Blancanieves for example speaks only Spanish, but we have no communication problems thanks to the translators. She is always busy running around doing things
Blancanieves Levee: hola ¡
Blancanieves Levee [es→pt]: olá
Blancanieves Levee: uy perdon que estaba en portugues
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) oops sorry it was in portuguese
... and just for fun, all our translators went a bit nuts and we were conversing in Polish and Greek and Dutch without meaning to! That said, the OSGrid translators, by Dan Banner and Total Sorbet are really excellent. Gone are the days of the 10-phrase-timeout - these babies really get the job done.
Blancanieves is enthusiastic, sweet, and outgoing. Her energy is infectious and she's clearly committed to growing the Tropicana community.
 |
| Tropicana Village |
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) Mike has done a great job here...and now we've extended it to Facebook and YouTube. we upload videos, photos and almost everything related to Tropicana. Plans for the future? Well, let's start with the model academy, When it is already working, we will see the possibility of a language academy, and I would like to find people who dedicate their time in Tropicana to teach other people whatever their skill in RL is. From teaching gym, to art classes. I try to talk to the residents and when I figure out what they can contribute, that is when I have a new plan for Tropicana.
Thirza Ember: if people are interested in being part of the new projects, like the language school, or the modelling, who should they contact?
Mike Townsend: Either of us will be fine. Particularly people who are willing to teach a language. We are also thinking of opening embassies for those that want to tell us a little about their countries.
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) If there are no teachers I have a plan B hahahaha... but first we will try to have teachers.
Mike Townsend: Well, between us at Tropicana we can normally cope in Spanish, English, Portuguese, Turkish and German. And our Estate Office has instructions in 7 languages.
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) The work team we have is multilingual and sometimes we use two translators at the same time so that we can all understand each other
 |
| Use the HUD to explore the Tropicana regions. This one is Tropicana Safari, of course. |
Growing the community by making the most of its assets - the people - is a great way to bond. They're clearly crazy about each other, so I broke the rule and asked 'that' question... just as Blanca, who was having trouble with a chair animation, took off her ao.
Thirza Ember: so, is it Ok to ask, how did you meet?
Blancanieves Levee: sin ao
Blancanieves Levee: (pt:en) no
Mike Townsend: No? lol Was that a bad translation ! he heh
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) this translator says what he wants hahaha
Mike Townsend: lol tell Thirza how we met, Blanca! I'll begin: Blancanieves rented a place here...
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) ...I arrived at Tropicana, and I was one more resident until I asked for a couple of things for my island. He came over .. very distant, or it seemed so to me, because of the language. Later, I made a joke in two or three events that I attended. I think he knew how to capture my irony, despite the language.
Mike Townsend: The thing is we meet so many people so I always try and keep a bit of a distance at first
Thirza Ember: OK so... first, he seemed a bear... now he seems a teddy bear
Thirza Ember: (en:es) Bien, entonces... primero, parecía un oso... ahora parece un osito de peluche.
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) Exactly! I don't know if I can say it... but every day he is more important to me...
Running a place like Tropicana where the sun always shines, must be fun. But surely it also has its ups and downs....
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) For me, the best thing is to be together with Mike, helping the people who arrive feel that they are part of a group. The worst thing for me I have not discovered yet because I am happy seeing how the regions are filled with residents who discover that this is much better than SL
Mike Townsend: The best thing is having so much open space and some good friends. The worst thing is that it can get really too busy sometimes and tenants can be very fickle, renting a place and then not renewing their rental boxes which creates a lot of work with so many properties.
And then of course, he just melted everyone's heart....
Mike Townsend: I am lucky to have found you Blancanieves *smiles ... we make a good team :-) even though we can't understand each other at all if we go on voice he heh...
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) We will learn with voice too, we just need time.
awwwwww.... but enough of the romance! There's work to be done! We visited the Rental Office, and as you can see there's a lot happening here.
Mike Townsend: This is what keeps us so busy. The ones in red are taken, and people can also view the land and properties online on the website, as well as full instructions on how to rent in their own languages
Blancanieves Levee: (es:en) It is our daily bread as we say in Spain hahaha...
No comments:
Post a Comment