“Be the change you want to see in the world,” said Gandhi. This quotation inspires me to think about how I can create a better world, a world to share good experiences with people and spread happiness around.
Before, I used to spread the good one by one, creating cookbooks with health recipes to friends and family and more. I put some effort to encourage people to try local foods and get to know new cultures.
I always participated in meetings and local festivals to encourage microentrepreneurs, artisans and artists who need our feedback and participation to grow their business.
The Local Guides program means to me the possibility of spreading these good things exponentially around the world. A comment about a restaurant, for example, is not only for the owner anymore. Now, it is read by several people who are considering go out there and discover its food and service.
It is priceless to see a local merchant from my small town excited about her business and smiling because now she knows about “this Google”. I always include the stores but, whenever I can, I like to teach the owners how to include new photos, update the menu and track the engagement with customers. Explaining in person makes all the difference, so they lose their fear and open a bright smile because they’re learning something new.
Furthermore, I love to travel and meet new people and places. As well as learning from other local guides about that small bakery that has the best dish in town and knowing the history of the place and the people that work there. This is so magical! I’m basically a collector of stories from places around the world, and now I can share it in the comments, hoping to spread this magic even more.
Thank you, Googlers, for providing the tools that we needed to build a magical world, more collaborative and better to everyone.
