Throughout the past few months, I’ve been blessed enough to have familiar faces come to Miami/South Florida. Although each visit has come with different reasons, it has been fantastic catching up spontaneously with these friends in sunny (and in some cases, rainy) South Florida - discussing life and Local Guides. Here is a recap of those visits from Summit/Connect Live alums in South Florida:
Innocensia
Once @InnocensiaO let me know that she was coming from Kenya to Florida to complete her PhD at a local, renowned university, excitement for what was to come was definitely brewing; we met during the LG Summit in 2017 and both were lucky to meet again at Connect Live 2018 as well.
Within her first few weeks here in South Florida, she was able to avoid a direct hit during hurricane season, which turned out to be a drill for her future years in Florida. Once the threat of storms were gone, Innocensia and I were able to meet up near her university housing complex to grab a bite for lunch. Surprisingly, it was Innocensia’s first time trying sushi! Thankfully she enjoyed it, and it has been exciting and fun following Innocensia’s explorations of South Florida while attending school.
Soon after our visit, Connect Live 2019 took place and thanks to the inter connectivity of LG’s around the globe, Innocensia was able to have @WaweruM bring some of her gifts and other items from Kenya. Innocensia and I met shortly after my return from San Jose, and she graciously gifted my fiance and I the keychain and bracelet below. Although school has been busy for Innocensia and work has been crazy for myself over the past few months, it brings us assurance knowing that we’re very near.
Osama
@OSAMA and I have known each other for years through LGC and had finally recently met in San Jose, so when there was an opportunity after Connect Live 2019 for him to visit, we took advantage! Osama spent a few weeks in South Florida and we ended up spending some time in one of my favorite places, South Pointe Park/Beach and in the Wynwood Arts District as well.
Osama came prepared with snacks and I came with the sunscreen necessary for a nice walk exploring the park and time for us to enjoy the beach as well. Osama enjoyed the nature and beauty of South Beach and made the most of being able to tan.
After South Pointe Park/Beach, we made the short drive to the Wynwood Arts District to visit the Wynwood Walls and take in the street art. As a surprising reminder of how small the world is, while exploring the Wynwood Walls, Osama met a woman that was from Jordan! The excitement in Wynwood was endless with the people watching and lively activity, which was a nice contrast to the relaxation of the beach.
Diana
@DDuangnet and I met during the LG Summit in 2017, and our friendship has continued to blossom since that event. Diana is a flight attendant based in Las Vegas and her recent layover in February provided us the chance to meet for brunch and catch up. Diana was also joined by two flight attendants on her team, which provided good conversation and catching up during our visit to Cooper’s Hawk near their hotel. It was great seeing Diana still vlogging her experiences as she had the recently released DJI Osmo Pocket. Hopefully there are more layovers for Diana in Miami in the future! ?
It is always great when Guides around the globe can travel anywhere and know that they have other Guides locally that may be able to assist in their travels or explorations. An even better feeling is having Guides visit your hometown and being able to share your insights and discoveries with them in person. Here’s to more Guides visiting South Florida soon ?!
Speaking of meet-ups, Guides in the South Florida area are invited to the upcoming SoBe Ships N Pups Photo Social on March 1, 2020 at South Pointe Park - if you’re interested, please RSVP. Hope to see you there! (cc SoFlo Guides: @InnocensiaO @Mubarakfalah @AmiaRozek @ashleytewes @ExprienceImprovmnt @infinitepixels @johnmiami )
that’s really a good news. I’ve been waiting this for so long…
