What does the Local Guides program mean to me?
The program means freedom and community to me.
The freedom to share our individual stories while helping others in the global community.
I am not your typical content creator. Ironically, I would describe myself as a very private person.
But I like to believe that there is a place even for people like us in the Google Local Guide community.
For people who value the moment, for people who create and document authentic and real-life experiences.
This is for the introverts who would still like to live life to its fullest and rely on a valid source for that. The extroverts who would like to try new things that have already been proven to be worthy.
For the ambiverts in need of finding the best places for their social time as well as their alone time.
In the beginning, 3 years ago, the Local Guide Community meant for me to be able to leave honest reviews about the places I have visited. I loved experiencing life through other people’s experiences.
I thought that the Google Local Guide Community would have the largest reach of diverse people from around the world to guarantee that the over-all reviews would be fair.
Over time the Local Guide Community has become significantly more important to me.
I am a 22-year-old African-Austrian. I am a singer, an athlete, a trainer, a godmother, a social worker, a life-lover and a woman.
Those are only parts of me to name a few and only on Google Maps I can combine all of them to create a unique experience.
As a singer:
I value artistry.
I make sure to visit various plays, operas and open mic sessions to be able to leave a honest reviews and draw in more people to come.
As an athlete and a trainer:
I am always looking forward to discover new places for me to train or to train my pupils. There is an increase in performance for me and my students when they feel secure and connected to their surroundings. There is nothing more rewarding than watching the beautiful landscape after a long exhausting march in the woods of Vienna.
(Lainzer Tiergarten, 1130 Vienna)
As a godmother:
I am constantly aware of the danger that young children face in their daily lives.
My duty as a godparent is to ensure the safety of my godchildren.
On Google I am always on the look-out for kid–friendly activities, fun parks and accessible schools and kindergartens. I like to share my experiences with other parents and help build a relatable online presence.
As a social worker:
I manoeuvre quiet differently through my city when it is with someone in a wheelchair.
My friend in the wheelchair is trusting me to ensure a safe ride wherever we go.
I must plan ahead for every trip that we take and be cautious of his safety everywhere we go.
Only when you are in a position of disadvantage is when you start to thinking about it constantly.
As a Local Guide I want to guide others like us through the city and hopefully, one day, around the world safely. For that to happen we need to stress the fact that accessibility matters.
Only then we are truly living as a community.
As a life-lover:
Life in every form is what I love. I love the nature surrounding me and far away.
(Akagera National Park, Rwanda)
I love the expression of life when I am dancing. And experiencing the joys of life through a play.
I love sharing the love of life through travel and commenting on the various aspects of life through my reviews.
Discovering interesting and unusual places to eat all over the world is part of my life-lover ambition as a Local Guide.
(Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant, 1180 Vienna)
And finally, as a woman:
There is a distinctive way that you move through the world as a woman.
Your sensibility to certain situations is different which makes you cautious in different ways.
As a woman I am aware of the advantages and disadvantages I have.
I like to use that knowledge and share this very important aspect of being a Local Guide as well.
In some countries to this day woman face extraordinary difficulties.
As Guide I have a responsibility of sharing truthful experiences and since being a woman is part of me, my own experiences will reflect that fact.
I am one of a few Local Guides in my hometown of Vienna. I have become a Local Guide to help others like and unlike me to live life to its full capacity. To create a pathway to safe, fun and inclusive activities.
To me the Local Guides program means the ability to do all the above with every aspect of who I am.
The Local Guide community makes this world a little bit easier for all of us.