I joined this community in March, 2020; the same year I became aware that I was a Local Guide after I got a mail invite to attend Connect Live 2020; plans of which botched due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Everyone was home and I had more than enough time to try out new things!
One of the new things I tried was joining and becoming an active member IN this community and interacting with people all over the world.
Now, you may be reading this and wondering; “okay? What’s new 
?”
I will say; ‘many things’ but let’s begin with;
‘HOW ATTENDING, HOSTING & COHOSTING MEETUPS HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE FOR GOOD’
For some reason, I became really popular on this group and had to attend many meetups. Oftentimes. I attended Meetups in order not to offend the people hosting and to keep the great Camaraderie that exists between us alive.
While I hosted and cohosted meetups, in fact, some of the most unconventional meetups to date; to meet and interact with all my buddies; fellow Local Guides, from here, but did I know how this would affect my life? At that time; ‘No’ but in the long run, let me share with you what I have been able to achieve by participating in these meetups.
I picked up skills on;
- Photography- We are talking; composition, angles, ‘telling a story through photography’, dimensions, 360 photography, night time photography, etc.
- Designing Banners - you could consider this; an offshoot of photography but it is very different! The first banner I ever created was for the IVM- 3. Before that time, I had never done anything like that.
- Creating Videos - My goodness! I never knew what creative process went behind creating one video, I knew nothing about editing a video, I knew nothing about screen ratio, etc. until I joined this platform
- Mapping - While mapping is essential, how do you create better opportunities for people through mapping? how can mapping help people live better and more sustainable lives?
- Interacting with people and learning about ‘people’ (their ways, their thoughts, their culture) and how they perceive life. It taught me to be more caring and also taught me how not to get ‘burnt, lost or caught up in love’ and when to know and how to know when it is okay to step back and give it all up
- Organizing events - I have organized some of the fanciest meetups from Lagos, Nigeria on the platform and attended some. Imagine having a DJ from Famagusta, Cyprus, a Co-host from Mumbai, India, a Co-host from Jakarta, Indonesia, the one recording the video and accepting attendees into the meetup from Jakarta, Indonesia etc. Imagine all the correspondence and planning that goes into each of these events that ensures we have the perfect synergy. Once we even had a cohost (who is not a Local Guide) from Dubai, who was live at the Dubai Shopping Mall and showed us around
- The strongest relationships;acquaintances, friendships even marriage are forged here
So, how have these benefitted me?
PHOTOGRAPHY
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In 2020, I was on vacation when I was notified to come do some work in a village that was approximately 26 kilometres away. As a Streetview Trusted Photographer, we negotiated and struck a deal. Believe me or not, it was from the money I was paid for my services, that I used in settling my bills at the residence I stayed.
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In 2020, it was my mother’s birthday, they were looking for photos to print on the T-shirts everyone will wear as souvenirs from the party. Guess who took the picture they chose? ME, YES ME! Before, I joined the platform, I believed every photo had to be edited to make it look good and I believed for a photo to be good, you had to use FLASH. Here, I learnt that; there is nothing as good as Natural light and you as the ‘Photographer’ has to find it and use it to your advantage to get the best shots.
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Last month, I had not returned to my ‘life’s activities’ due to circumstances beyond my control, I was living with someone who decided to help me and take me in. Her kids were going to celebrate their birthday and their Photo-shoot was billed for three days before their birthday! How on earth would she get photos for Invitation cards? for banners? I told her not to bother about it. It was the Local Guide to the rescue again! I set up Props, selected costume and with my phone did a photo shoot. With what I had learnt on the platform about editing using snapseed, I edited some of the photos. With the Photos I took, I created the Invitation cards sent out to all the invited guests.
In summary, Photography skills learnt here has fetched me money, solved life’s problems for me and even made me famous? Who wouldn’t want to be famous? But how?
DESIGNING BANNERS
The thing about being here is; ‘if you are very smart’, you see things and are instantly mentally alert, your mind gets into an overdrive about the creative process. You ask questions like; “How did this happen? What elements had to go into this production? How do I make this thing look even better?”
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My host came to me and asked how she was going to get Invitation cards sent out for her kids’ birthday party for which a Frozen theme had been chosen. Carefully, I sat and designed an Invitation card. 100 people were invited to that event. When it was time to give out souvenirs, you will not begin to imagine how much I was swelling with pride when some of them had to present the Invitation card (the same one designed by me) as a proof they had been invited. Walahi! My head want burst!
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I styled the girls, directed the photo shoot, and took the photos some of which I used for this invitation.
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How to have a birthday party without a Photo area? I spoke with the decorator and shared my ideas with her. She shared my idea with the Graphic designer but he wasn’t getting a grasp of it. After many failed attempts, they finally asked to use the banner I had designed. The Cover photo for the St. Rita’s Park and Gardens was shot by me and contains that Banner as I got a message from Google; “your photo has been featured”
CREATING VIDEOS
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The first time I had to edit a video was the video for the IVM-3, I remember TravellerG advising me to wait for Jose Benjamin to edit the video, as he has always done it, but I took it upon myself! It took almost 2 days! It was so stressful, but from that time, I have done so much with videos.
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Recently, I participated in a competition organized by Amstel Malta for the; ‘My Time is Now’ campaign. There were videos submitted by hundreds of people! However, who was one of the winners of that campaign?
Ewaade.No, the video was not perfect, it was so imperfect! However perfectly flawed it was, it not only made the winning list but was one of the only two videos one of the Celebrities; Cynthia Nwadiora (a.k.a. Cee-c) who is an Amstel Malta Ambassador posted to her status! Usually, I will get at most a hundred views on my videos, however, because of her influence, I got thousands of views from her congratulations Instagram story post, she chatted me up and connected me with the Amstel Malta team who sent me a Cash prize in five figures, even though, all that was promised were free drinks from Amstel Malta. The icing on the cake was; that procedure and platform given to share my story; on the “My time is Now” Campaign opened my eyes to the fact that; I wasn’t doing exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I decided to forge ahead with my life and what did that earn me? I gained admission into Florida International University, Miami. I will be resuming in school and leaving my country this year. The whole experience redirected my path and it all began with some of the skills I learnt here.
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I started a video blogging platform and in less than three months got over ten thousand followers with some videos having well over one hundred and seventy six thousand (176,000) views!
MAPPING
Mapping has become more like a part of me! Considering my experience of the past four months, I shouldn’t even be considering Mapping but each time I had to go to somewhere new, I thought about;
- What are the accessibility options for those living with physical disabilities?
- What are the Covid-19 protocols observed?
- How was the service?
- How easy is the place to locate? is the location right on Map?
- How affordable are the products or service?
- What are the features here that may encourage people to visit?
Apart from doing all of these, I took time to also educate people about Maps and Mapping
This Photo is from Rhya’s Lounge. They had opened the place a day before I visited
This Photo is from Blaze Pizza & Yogo Parlour; one of the very few of its kind in Sagamu
The three photos are from B.F.C. Bossy’s Food Canteen
It was my first time of seeing Tangerine on Parfait and I had to leave that in my Review.
INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE AND LEARNING ABOUT THEIR WAYS
While I was away in hospital, it was so easy for me to bring comfort to the other patients who were awaiting or about to experience same thing I had experienced. It was easy to have a good rapport with everyone. I learnt how to be kind to other people irrespective of race, culture, ethnic, sociocultural and religious backgrounds or affiliations.
While I was away from my family, I lived in two different places with people who even though they were meeting me for the first time, took me in with a lot of love.
From here and the myriads of post shared on the “Food and Drinks” Page, I learnt that; it’s not only important to know how to cook but to make food look good and tempting and inviting to eat. While, I was with my second host, I got into the kitchen and made some very good food;
- Ogbonno soup
- Plantain-Yam Porridge
- Fried Rice
Without having seen some of the herbs and spices I used in cooking, I tried them all! I had read about them here; Basil, Rosemary, Parsley. I tried cooking with Soy Sauce, Cinnamon and Black pepper for the first time and was it good?!
Ogbonno Soup
Plantain yam porridge
Fried Rice
New Friendships
At one of the Physical Meetups I hosted, I met one of Nigeria’s entertainers; the most celebrated and the first Female Talking Drummer in Nigeria; Ara who has performed even for the President of France; Emmanuel Macron. She has remained my friend till date.
L-R: Me, Ara and @Chefamaka1 at the M.E.L.T. Meetup
ARA; Nigerian Foremost female talking Drummer
ORGANIZING EVENTS
- Who would have thought one could organize events successfully without having physical meetings? I put my skills to use while assisting in organizing a party last month. From my phone, I communicated with the decorator, the DJ, the M.C. (Compere) and they all had the same question; “why do you ask so many questions?” No! The questions weren’t random, it was of someone who knew what they wanted done and how they wanted it done.
- When the time for the Photo-shoot came, I got down to decorating and setting up location, the photographer asked if I was a decorator. During the shoot, for the kids’ last outfit, I decided to give them a change of hair. I fixed hair for the first time in my life and did it look pretty? Oh wow! It did!
THE STRONGEST RELATIONSHIPS ARE FORGED HERE
While I was away, the only person (friend) who wasn’t a member of my family who travelled all the way to visit me was someone I met here! A Local Guide!
For example; on the day I held the ‘Best Practices for adding a place to Maps’, I met with Sagir which made it my first Meetup that had a Part A & B, it was also on that day I took my only Photo of a shopping mall that is featured on Maps.
CONCLUSION
It has opened my mind to the endless opportunities here and availed me the opportunity to know; there is a lot more deep within each of us waiting to be explored, only if we open our eyes towards it.
As a Local Guide, open your mind to the endless opportunities that presents itself here, you will be a better person. Don’t focus on what the platform will do for you but on what you will do for the platform and by so doing; “as Iron sharpens Iron”, so will you be sharpened!
Welcome to the Month of May, Welcome to the Local Guides forum and if you are new here, welcome to connect! An endless opportunity awaits you!
It’s time to write your own story today, what will it be? It’s time to ‘take the bull by the horns’ and forge your own story
