Hello everyone,
It’s Mohammed Salmaan Nawaz, a Level 8 Local Guide currently living in Bengaluru, India. I am going to share with you all what does Local Guides Program means to me. It molds me every day. It’s been around 3 years since I become a Local Guide. In this wonderful 3 years of journey as a Local Guide, it has been full of learning, caring, sharing as well as exploring. From the day I joined the Local Guides Program, my learning is always most of through Connect. Let me tell you what Connect has given me.
Global friends who are close to my heart yet live in a very very far distance
As I use Connect, I get in touch with many wonderful like-minded people from the different parts of the world. Connect is my first virtual platform where I get to talk with people from different places, becoming friends with them, learning about their cultures and traditions. To be honest, I was so close to my Connect friends, I remember that I have even seen a few of my Connect friends in my dreams. My Connect friends are such if I meet them, It will be just like meeting my old friend yet if it was the first time I am meeting them in my life.
I learned to explore and share it with the world
I am quite a shy person who usually takes time to get close to others. After becoming a Local Guide, if you ask me if I am not that same person, I would say, my Local Guides friends are exceptions as its always easy for me to get close with my Local Guides friends. Hosting and participating in the Local Guides Meetups is a great way for me to get in touch with many Local Guides and make friends. The experiences I get through Local Guides Meetups are the moments of my lifetime. I was the person who feels difficult to talk in front of many people. I remember myself singing a song in front of around 100 people in a Local Guides Meetup just for the reason that one of my Local Guides friends requested. Being a Local Guide, exploring and sharing is what makes my journey much fun each and every day.
I become the one who cares for the community
I was the person who expects something first just to do anything. But Local Guides Program changed me. I learned what contributions are. Now, I correct any misinformation about a place in Google Maps just because in the care for my community. When I visit a restaurant, I add photos of dishes first just to let others decide what to order when they visit this restaurant. I share my experience of a place that I visited through reviews to let others learn about that place. I remember visiting a restaurant that was showing closed in Google Maps and I right away asked the business owner for correct timings and suggested for edit in Google Maps. It got corrected in a few minutes and yes that the shop owner was so happy. Now the smile on the business owner’s face also matters to me which makes me happy.
Getting the chance to highlight Small businesses to people through Google Maps
I always look up to small businesses as I have experienced getting great services and I feel it’s my duty to get them discovered by people in Google Maps. The confidence they get is extraordinary when I show them their place in Google Maps and the photos which I added to their place in Google Maps. That happiness I get when I highlight small business, trust me, I would love to do it for my lifetime.
I believe, now you know that for a person who had such experiences in his Local Guides journey, what would Local Guides Program mean to him. It means everything to him. It means everything to me.
Thank you all!
Stay safe everyone! Peace.
