Hello,
My name is Lawrence and honestly, I have no idea how I signed up for this…
I’ve always loved google maps though… Being a frequent traveller, I know first hand what it means to be in a new city with no friends, family and heck! You can’t even speak the language… Trust me your mobile device feels like the centre of your universe. And of all the Apps you love, consciously or subconsciously, necessity and convenience bring you to tap on Google map, repeatedly, while getting acquainted with your new environment, until it becomes a literal habit…
I remember flying down to the beautiful Russian city of Volgograd in 2018 to watch the world cup and nobody spoke English out there or hardly, even street signs were not in English. Getting around or even reading the food menu at restaurants was an exciting challenge, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was a remarkably pleasant experience because I love experiencing new cultures, I love meeting people, sharing a smile and a compliment, but all thanks to Apps like Google maps and Translator for making the experience really beautiful.
So how did I become a Local Guide? I have no idea…?
I really can’t remember the details, but I know what it stands for, I understand what it means to be a Local guide.
In Africa, we say a child is raised by the entire village, this means everybody has a part to play to help raise that child… It’s like a call to duty… It’s a conscious effort to do good and help those around you.
That’s exactly what the Google Local Guides program means to me… It’s a call to duty, albeit suggestively, to spend a few minutes and share my experience, through words, images or videos to help the world around me make informed decisions that could lead to better choices and more beautiful experiences.
I know, I’m not perfect, heck! I often forget about the Local Guides program, but whenever I get that email that says 'We’ve missed your reviews", or whenever I remember to share my experiences, I drop all else I’m doing, I pick up my phone with a smile and I start updating my experiences on the places I’d visited in the past week or so, and I smile realising that once again, I’m helping to “raise a child better”…
Cheers!