Being a child in a country with a “bad reputation” was not hard at all, when you are a kid you don’t understand concepts like “recession” or “political conflict”, you just kind of carry on with the life you know and move on with it. As you get older, you start to understand that the world is a vast space full of culture and people and you start to question why you never see tourists and why you always have the same type food at the same restaurants. Growing up in Colombia was not what people will call a “cosmopolitan experience”, but as the years passed and the country started to pick up its pieces and reconstruct its economy, things started to change faster and positively. Colombia started to become more of a famous destination to the point that hearing to people speaking other languages in the streets or interacting with tourists on a daily basis became a regular thing.
One of the main aspects that started changing rapidly as my country was expanding to the world, was the number of different types of cuisines and restaurants that opened in Bogotá (Colombia’s Capital city), one day I passed from eating the same local food at the same restaurants to having Thai, Indian, French, Japanese, Greek, etc. Being new to all these flavours and dishes that many take for granted was an eye-opener for me. Food is an important aspect of our own identity, it can cause a beef between to cities like Chicago and New York’s never-ending pizza argument, but it can also bring people together at a table. To me, food is a perfect way to create memories and discover new flavours. That’s why I’m so passionate about it!
Being able to use a tool like Google Maps where I can share my reviews and advise to the world, is empowering and has been the best way to promote my country and sharing my thoughts with those who visit it. I chose to write my reviews in English because it is a widely known language and by doing so I can reach out to more people around the globe. I personally enjoy giving my feedback on cool and not so commonly known places because I believe those quirky and unique restaurants will get more people excited to come and visit my country. Having a tool where I can share my thoughts on food gives a very exciting and rewarding feeling, I feel that in this way I can enhance people’s experience in the country and encourage many others to come and visit this fantastic place.
I think Google Maps has become an important platform for me because it allows me to share with more people my opinions and experiences. Knowing that I contributed to someone’s decision and that person might possibly create a great memory in a place I recommended is simply magical…