I’m going to start with the story of how I became a Local Guide, to give you some context.
In December 2015 I uploaded a photo of a local to Google Maps, but it was not until February 2016 that I officially joined the Google Local Guides program because I received an email to do so, since the photo I had upload was having Good impact and many visits.
Being a Local Guide on Google Maps is completely voluntary. Nobody pays you, you are not working for Google or any associated company. You can upload contributions once a day, week, or year.
I started doing it because I use the application a lot. Wherever I go, I first check the reviews and if it’s worth going. Always thinking of helping people and looking for new ways to be useful to strangers, is that I was getting into this more and more, without expecting anything in return.
There are communities around the world, where they hold meetings, share experiences and design ideas to improve the app. In Uruguay I know there’s a small community, but I didn’t have the chance to attend a meet up yet. I’m looking forward to organize one.
Being a Local Guide is also contributing something so that users can make better choices of the places they go to; It is to help the development that is growing and that is inevitable. I am 100% sure that in a few years virtual reality will play a very important role in the way in which societies develop and users are the ones who are going to shape it trying to make it as transparent as possible.
This year I received the invitation and decided to apply. Overall, I had nothing to lose and for me it was impossible to be selected as they literally chose from hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
What had to be done? Easy: fill out a form with your information, write on the forum why you were a Local Guide and attach a video of your presentation of no more than 60 seconds, answering one of the questions offered.
I have to admit that my video, compared to the ones I saw, was a complete shame. Not because I spoke badly, but because I had absolutely no preparation. I just put on a little makeup, changed my shirt and locked myself in the bathroom to talk. I sent it in April and until June I was not going to have news so I completely forgot that I had done it. Of course, as always anxious and wanting to do everything NOW, I applied the same day that the inscriptions were opened.
I can not explain how happy I was, I started screaming, running, people looked at me like saying “what’s wrong with her?” My first instinct was to call my boyfriend and tell him. "DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT GOOGLE? GOOD, BECAUSE I’M GOING TO CALIFORNIAAAAAAA ?
When the initial emotion passed, I started looking for information. As the days went by and more or less the 200 people were confirmed, a Telegram group was set up to share the previous and all the illusions we had. The group contains people from all over the world and different time zones so they are sending messages 24/7, they are very friendly and fun people. In the months that followed we got to know each other, sharing photos and a little nerves.
Participating in one edition does not necessarily guarantee you to participate in another, but at least 4 people went several times and helped because they could give us information and things to bring, places to visit, etc.
Now I will start talking about my experience at the event:
Connect Live 2019 was an event that brought together 200 people from all over the world + people who work for Google.
The first day was a day of presentations, hugs, laughs. Many brought sweets, flags or souvenirs from their countries to share with those present and finally we put faces to the names with which we were chatting for months. There was food, a bar and a Google store to buy things such as shirts, hats, pens, jackets, etc.
After the welcome speech, we were announced that in order to do our job better as Local Guides we were going to need to have a corresponding phone, which could take the best photos. That’s when we all burst with emotion: they gave us a Pixel 3XL. It was something that few expected but most did not.
At night some went for a drink and I went to sleep because there are 5 hours less with Uruguay and the time difference killed me. Jet lag is real.
This is me at the welcoming reception holding the uruguayan flag.
This is me with Osama
With my friend from Argentina: Carolina
On the second day the event began at 9 am, so before that, a coffee meet-up had been organized b, so we left at 6 to a coffe shop that was not far from the hotel. I was awake since 5, for my brain it was 10 in the morning. I am not a fan of coffee, I must admit, but when I travel I like to do things that I don’t usually do where I live. By 7.30 a volunteer work had been organized at a Children’s Museum where there are games and learning is encouraged at an early age.
You may have heard the #CleanTheWorld meet up organized by @KarenVChin and @ermest. What can I say? It was amazing.
The goal was to clean the surroundings (they have volunteers all year round) and as I like to help, I obviously signed up. I introduced myself with the Scout scarf and I could explain to many what I do here and that it seemed like a good opportunity to educate by example and show the kids that no matter where we are in the world, we can make a difference. That’s how #CleanTheWorld happened, we were 30 people gathering garbage. We collected 30 kilos. A success.
Before the meet-up selfie!
Selfie time! With all the CTW participants.
*With the King of selfies: @LuigiZ *
At 9 in the morning the buses began to arrive to transport us to the long-awaited Google headquarters.
We were very well received, the people who organized the event were really cool and I can not give more details of what happened because we signed a confidentiality agreement but YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS COMING * and I need bigger cap letters *
About 5 pm they took us to the official Google store where they sold much more things than the one they put together the first day at the hotel. It had some giant Android dolls and Google symbols but it was already night, so I didn’t even bother taking pictures. On the way back I stayed for a while in lounge: a room they put together so that we were there socialization and then I went to sleep, exhausted
The third day we went back to Google and had a lot of information given of Google Maps.
We also had the chance to participate in a few activities previously selected.
Mine was talking to a small business owner. She was amazing! We had so much fun learning on how to improve the contributions we make to businesses and we got to make a beautiful suculent plant that I left at the hotel as a gift to the person that cleaned up the room.
At night we had a farewell party, which was so fun! There, I made all my effort to stay up until later in the night because it was the last day and I didn’t want to miss a single thing.
On the fourth day, I went to the last meet-up: Another coffe shop. Later the event started with a brunch, where we got some more gifts and we could enjoy all together for the last time.
Selfie meet-up at Philz Coffe Shop
In the afternoon I joined other people to go out to one of the last meet-up I was going to attend, beacuse I had to go to the airport around 9pm.
Returning to the levels, just so you know, I am currently level 7 (13,103 points) and I hope to reach 8 (15,000) before the end of the year. However, although there are people who can turn it into a competition, it could not be further than I want and hope.
Finally, I want to thank you if you read all this. I know I’m missing a LOT of things, but just wanted to share this with the ones that couldn’t attend.
A massive THANK YOU to all the googlers that made this possible. I won’t tag everyone because I know I’ll be missing some one, but this has been the best experience I could ever had.
Thank you Google for existing, you definetly changed my life for the better.
Thanks to you I made tons of friend from all over the world… I’m terrible with names but you are ALL in my heart.
Hope I can see you soon!
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