Imagine being dropped at a random country on this earth where you’ve never been to. The only people you know are the ones who your sponsor connected you with but they live nearly 60 kms away. On a very tight budget, you’re going to be living there for 3 years and have a mission to achieve. Side missions are a bonus. This was my life while studying in university - and this was my introduction to using Maps and becoming a local guide (Paper maps and the digital ones). The cause I advocate for; being a local guide is for everyone, even introverts.
As a university student in Malaysia, I was an introvert with a secret desire to discover the world outside the classroom and dormitory on a very tight budget. There were no Übers or Lyfts and cabs were pricey. Growing up, my mum once told my brother and I that she knew all matatu (Kenyan public transport) numbers in Nairobi. We tested her with random numbers and she actually got them all right. If she could do it, so could we. This led to the option of using public transport (KLRapid, LRT and MRT) which not most of my friends were fans of. When I had to go to church, a far away skatepark or a mall, I planned my trip the night before calculating the routes online and searching on Google (Maps and Earth) for the most effective means of transport. On the course of the trip, I’d memorise landmarks or take a photo on my very low megapixel phone so as not to forget directions. The price to pay was more time spent on the road but better sights and locations discovered and new friends made along the way.
Later on the use of Maps came in even more handy while serving a mission in Australia for two years. we had to rely on using paper back maps and landmarks to get to locations. The only digital maps we were allowed to use then was Garmin while driving or riding bikes. This was yet another experience I’m grateful for as it strengthened my photographic memory especially at times when I took hundreds of landmark photos and can’t recall where the locations are.
Fast forward to 2019, my love for travel and discovering new places still exists. Life having gone from 0-100 in the last 8 months, I took a step back into an introvert. I still take photos of key landmarks or places of interests. Unfortunately, I hoard them in my phone (reasons why one is not a level 10 right now) and currently going through LG rehab to be posting more often. Thanks to the Local Guides Program, family, friends co-workers and even strangers reach out to ask for tips about where to go, what to do and how to get Maps to work - a reminder that being a Maps volunteer contributor has an effect around me. Aside from helping them out, I remember the golden rule of inviting them to become a Local Guide and give back as they received assistance from another.
Compared to earning the points, the best thing to happen is to see someone become interested in the Local Guides program and give back. My proudest moment over the past 12 months is when different people around the world reach out and say they saw my contribution in a different city especially in Kigali where not many contributions have been made. (Check out the lists made based on the 1 week trip).
For the last 1 year, I’ve connected more with people offline when talking about the Local Guides program and encouraging them to contribute to Google Maps. Certain experiences were beyond my assistance but hope the one person I was able to convert into a Local Guide, their contribution will be able to impact millions more around them.
To any introverts reading this post, I’ll quote @brittym, “#BeFearless”. You never know what you’ll discover once you take that first step.
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But agreed wholeheartedly - Connect has made it much easier to share for us 