I think by now we all know how complicated this year 2020 has been and will soon be over. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives in such a way that it has radically changed the way we did many things. From being able to go to work, do the daily shopping or physical activity, move or simply enjoy our leisure time, everything has been altered because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite all these changes, many of them uncomfortable, nothing has been more important than preserving health. Fortunately and so far, everything has gone well for me, my family and friends. I hope that all of you will also go well and that you are all in good health. Please, do not stop respecting the sanitary regulations to continue preserving health 
In the month of March, everything turned and we entered the so-called “new normal”.
The first confinement caught me in Valencia, Spain 
preparing my application for Connect Live 2020. These days in Valencia they were going to celebrate one of the most important festivals in Spain, “Las Fallas”, which were canceled due to the pandemic.
With the first, almost planetary confinement, my activity as Local Guides was also very affected and almost paralyzed. With hardly being able to leave home, without places where I can travel to visit, without restaurants where I can go to eat and with almost all the shops closed, how could I continue contributing to Google Maps if I had entered a forced “pause mode” 
due to the lockdown?
It was a time of many doubts and uncertainties and the activity of many Local Guides was also greatly affected by this unprecedented situation. Google Maps stopped working as before and writing reviews and uploading photos was very difficult.
Thanks to @mchomsky I discovered that I just needed to have a little patience and understand that the safety of all Google workers had to be guaranteed (how could it be otherwise). And also thanks to @AdrianLunsong I knew that it could be the best time to update all those photos saved on my mobile and make reviews of the places where I had been in the past and that I didn’t have time to upload or write them.
Then, came one of the saddest moments for me and I suppose for many of you as well. This year’s big event for Local Guides # ConnectLive2020 has been canceled. Despite the enthusiasm and enthusiasm with which I had prepared my application, the truth is that the cancellation was a good decision due to all the uncertainties that arose.
All the work and time devoted to submitting my application turned out to be a beautiful experience and I sincerely believe that I had a good application… did you see me? 
Not yet? Go check it out now 
Well, very good things also happened this year. With the help of @Julien44 and @christophesubilia I have been able to participate for the first time in a MeetUp. We met many French speaking friends to exchange about our best Local Guides practices on Google Maps.
This year was also the year in which Local Guides were able to follow us on Google Maps 
. It was great news that many of us were waiting for 
.
However, for me, this year has also meant changing the way I contribute and share my photos and reviews on Google Maps with other users. Faced with this “new normal” it was time to support more than ever and show other users that many shops, restaurants, markets, theaters, cinemas, gyms and in general all public spaces that receive customers were taking important measures to avoid the spread of the virus and ensure a safe customer experience.
But I’ll talk about that in the second part of this post…
Happy new year everyone and please, stay safe 
.
et Meilleurs VĹ“ux pour 2021