2022
The Local Guides program has had a huge and meaningful impact on my day to day life. I have become a trailblazer which brings so much joy to me, i wake up every day looking out for new businesses, shops or hot spots in my area. I have been able to have some awesome adventures aswell as meet and help new people from beyond my borders. Its also motives me to be more aware of my surroundings so I can capture information and share it with the world.
Trailblazer achievement which brings me so much joy, when i look at the first infomartion about places added.
Prior to joining the local guide program, it was a mystery how Google map had all these roads, places and directions. How does maps manage to get all this information I wondered. To me, being a local guide means being helpful, being aware and a social contest.
It turned out, local guides were the reason I was able to use maps so effectively and learn about places. The local information was so helpful and I wanted to be just that for others. My contributions help people find and make informed decisions about places & locations. To help people see what a place is like and give information about what to expect is weirdly fulfilling.
One of the places I added to Google maps last year had a meteorite fall. The pictures helped give an overview of the terrain and helped the meteorite hunters plan their trip. One group from Russia reached out to me for help with local support. I love that the program gives us the opportunity to help others while we explore and try new things. I got to learn a few Russian words during our interactions.
The meotorite crew and i being ready to set out into Nkeyema district to hunt for fallen meteorite deposits
I love how being a Local Guide keeps me aware. I m always on the look out for places, pictures and videos to add to maps. Precisely, when I m on an inter city bus or a new area , I check places near my location so I can fact find or add new places. I recently traveled to Lusaka from the Copperbelt. I was on Google maps the entire trip, Adding weigh bridges, factories, businesses and gas stations. Before the lock down, Whenever I enter a restaurant, I would love taking food pictures and displaying interiors on the restaurant's Google map menu. Its calming knowing my review will have an impact on a small local business.
A stop over at a local burger joint in Lusaka, Zambia.
My reveiw of a local burger joint. Owner of business really appreciated the feedbackBeing in the local guide program is a race against myself to make meaningful contributions and make more points. It's like a social contest. It's so fun. To get the monthly email notifying about a new badge or the number of people that been helped by my reviews is exhilarating. I love to share my level progress to Whats App to encourage friends to become local guides too. Every 1000 points I earn is a notable milestone for me.
