Introduce Yourself — May 2025

Connections & celebrations
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Hi everyone! Welcome to Local Guides Connect. Please take a moment to introduce yourself to our community.

As “Introduce Yourself” threads can be lengthy, we start a new one each month and lock past threads. You can check previous threads, like April’s, to see who recently joined and where they’re from. We’ll merge any “I’m new” and “Hello world” posts we find elsewhere with this thread to keep things organized.

Do you want to be featured in our monthly Introduce Yourself posts? Share your introduction in the comments, following the five prompts below, and a horizontal photo of yourself (in landscape mode). The best introductions will be considered for future Introduce Yourself posts. Please note: Your response may be edited for clarity. By taking part in this challenge, you agree to allow us to share your answers and photo(s) publicly here on Connect.

This month, meet @V.per.valentina! Valentina is a Local Guide Level 5, and here’s what she shared.

A photo of Local Guide Valentina on a bicycle overlooking a river in Torino, Italy. (Local Guide @V.per.valentina)
A photo of Local Guide Valentina on a bicycle overlooking a river in Torino, Italy. (Local Guide @V.per.valentina)720×540 44.6 KB

1. Name: Valentina

2. Location: Torino, a city in the north of Italy

3. What I love about being a Local Guide: I really like to feel useful to everyone who needs some advice. I love helping small businesses in my city get more exposure and reputation through my reviews.

4. My favorite thing to explore: Cultural sites and restaurants.

5. Fun fact about me: I have a huge black cat.

Nice to meet you, Valentina! Local Guides, don’t miss the chance to say hi to Valentina in the comments below and share your introduction, too.

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Hello From Japan :japan:
Welcome @V.per.valentina

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Welcome @V.per.valentina and congratulations :tada: :clap: on getting featured here. Nice to meet you and know about favourite place to explore. I too love to explore cultural heritage sites.

Thank you @AngieYC for introducing
Valentina to the community.

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Welcome to the Connect Local Guide Community @V.per.valentina

Nice to meet you. A big handfoled :folded_hands: Namaste from India. :india:

Thank you for this new introduce yourself feed. @AngieYC

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Thank you for sharing this wonderful article @AngieYC and welcome @V.per.valentina :smiling_face:

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:glowing_star:Dear @V.per.valentina, congratulations on being highlighted in the introductory post! :tada::tada:

:glowing_star:Dear @Jezzibell, @sumeshsundaran, @Suhendri, @pitbulldog911, @surajhilsayan354, @Kholoud, @General, @Kimmiko, @julianparge, @Mozlum_Islam, @VeraDvA, @landen36778989, @drkenchao, @deepaksharma, @jdeep, @MarkusPey, @tarikmanoar, @LARuiz8679, @mone.aderne58, @Javi1, @Abduorhan, @Sandeepa, @Vuong, @SJPLOCALGUIDE, @ziaulislambhatt, @darunee, @Solovyina, @Wpbflausa, @Ayakareh, @Sheik_Afsar, @visitmoshinow, @Alone, @Olesia_kp_cv_ua, @fayez1, @SandraArbelaezToro, @1006, @Timoteo, @bikramdev, @Barun, @souvanhthong, @PhotoStorica_Moji, @thinnakon.k.m, @H.A.A.S, @Aditya23, @Hicham1, @Oceano** a warm welcome to Local Guides Connect!** :glowing_star: :tada:

This congratulatory banner was designed by K. K. Sharma using Canva
This congratulatory banner was designed by K. K. Sharma using Canva1920×1080 198 KB

Congratulations to everyone on your badge reward! A special shoutout to @pitbulldog911, @julianparge, @drkenchao, @deepaksharma, @MarkusPey, @Vuong, @Sheik_Afsar, @Olesia_kp_cv_ua, @fayez1, @bikramdev for achieving not just the ‘New Friend’ badge but also the ‘Newly Popular’ and ‘New Writer’ badges.

Since January 2025, we have been celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Local Guides Program and the 20th anniversary of Google Maps. You have joined Connect at a significant milestone!

:small_blue_diamond: So let us celebrate together! Get started with these exciting activities:

:white_check_mark: Introduce yourself :backhand_index_pointing_right: I recommend reviewing the guidelines in the main ‘Introduce Yourself’ post if you’d like a chance to be featured in an upcoming months main post :backhand_index_pointing_right: Introduce Yourself — May 2025

:white_check_mark: Attend Meetups :backhand_index_pointing_right: Connect with fellow Local Guides

:white_check_mark: Take Part in Ongoing Activities :backhand_index_pointing_right:Join our Local Guides anniversary photo booth!, This Month's Challenges at a Glance

:white_check_mark: If you’re from India, don’t forget to subscribe to the Local Guides WhatsApp Channel—link in the post!

:pushpin: You’re welcome to explore the tutorial available on the tutorial on the Community Guidelines page.

:light_bulb: Let’s get to know you! :light_bulb:

:loudspeaker: How did you discover Local Guides Connect?

  • After receiving an email
  • I discovered Local Guides Connect in a different way
0 voters

:globe_showing_europe_africa: Keep exploring, keep sharing, and keep guiding! :sparkles:

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I have never been featured in any Introduce yourself post so far. So here is present my details for “Introduce Yourself” post for the June Month. @AngieYC

Caption - A Photo of Local Guide Nand Kishore with a view of temple behind him (LocalGuide @NandKK)
Caption - A Photo of Local Guide Nand Kishore with a view of temple behind him (LocalGuide @NandKK)1920×1440 315 KB

Namaste to World :globe_showing_asia_australia:

1. Name: Nand Kishore Kumar (@NandKK)

2. Location: Kolkata, India :india:

3. What I love about being a Local Guide: As someone who travels frequently, I rely heavily on Google Maps to find amenities wherever I go. Knowing that, just like me, many others are searching for reliable place details inspires me to contribute actively. Every time I receive a notification showing how many people have read my reviews or viewed my contributions, it fills me with immense satisfaction. It’s rewarding to know that my authentic experiences are helping both travelers and local business owners. In my reviews, I make sure to share both the positive and negative aspects of my experiences, aiming to provide honest, useful insights for others.

4. My favorite thing to explore: I am a deeply religious person, and as a Sanatani (Hindu), my favorite places to explore are religious sites. Whenever I travel, the first thing I do is search for famous temples or pilgrimage spots in the area. Visiting these sacred places brings a deep sense of peace and fulfillment to my journeys. Also, in my country, India, most pilgrimage sites and temples are decades or even centuries old, so visiting them feels like experiencing a part of history as well. I take great joy in sharing my experiences and contributions through authentic reviews and photos, hoping to guide and inspire others on their spiritual and travel journeys.

5. Fun fact about me: You know how some people always planning about any trip. Yeah, I am one of them. In fact, I’m pretty sure my brain has a dedicated ‘Upcoming Adventures’ tab that’s constantly open, even during spreadsheets. And thanks to living in approximately one-fifth of India’s major cities, I have a lot of potential itineraries swirling around up there. It’s like my mind is constantly running a travel agency, just without any actual bookings happening… yet!

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Hey @NandKK this temple definitely maa kali temple somewher in bangal.
Anyway nice to meet you @NandKK :laughing::handshake:

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Hi @V.per.valentina from India :india: & Welcome to the community!
Congratulations on getting featured in Introduce Youself post! :tada:
Thank you @AngieYC for introducing Valentina to this amazing community! :smile:

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Congratulations :tada::clap: @V.per.valentina .
Welcome to our lovely community.

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नहीं भाई, आप जरा सा चूक गए हैं , @ShailendraOjha ये मंदिर भुबनेश्वर का लिंगराज मंदिर है , जिसे सभी शिव लिंग का राजा माना जाता है। मैं जल्द ही इसपर एक पोस्ट लिखने वाला हूँ ।

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हां @NandKK थोडी जल्दी कर दी Anyway :laughing: got it.

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Hi Valentina,

Congratulations @V.per.valentina
Glad to know about you and your favourite hobbies,
Thank you so much for introducing Valentina with us and sharing the post @AngieYC

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Hi @V.per.valentina Nice to meet you,

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Hi :globe_showing_europe_africa:

Cox's Bazar 🌊 Sea Beach 🏖
Cox's Bazar 🌊 Sea Beach 🏖1920×1280 110 KB

1. Name: Jahidul Islam

2. Location: Cumilla,Bangladesh :bangladesh:

3. What I love about being a Local Guide: Sharing genuine, objective reviews of my travel experiences to assist others.

4. My favorite thing to explore: Explore new places all over the world, most likely tourist places and restaurants.

5. Fun fact about me: I enjoy driving cars, especially the engine sounds that make me happy, and I love pet birds.

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Welcome to the Connect community @V.per.valentina

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नमस्कार
@AngieYC thankyou for introduce @V.per.valentina
Valentina Welcome to our local guide connect..

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Congratulations :tada::tada: @V.per.valentina

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hello @AngieYC congratulation.
From Kotbari, Cumilla, Bangladesh.

IMG_20250423_161558
IMG_20250423_1615581920×1440 260 KB

  1. Name: Md. Mehedi Mozumdar

  2. Location: Kotbari, Comilla, Bangladesh 

  3. What I love about being a local guide: Sharing real, objective reviews of my travel experiences to help others.

  4. My favorite thing to do: Cycling to tourist spots, heritage sites, archaeological sites in different countries

  5. Fun fact about me: I always like to travel by bicycle because it saves my car rental and also reduces the damage to the environment. At the same time, I enjoy the nature through slow rides :smiling_face:

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Congratulations @V.per.valentina on featuring here :slight_smile: happy to know about you, keep going and be blessed

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