When I was studying abroad in Beijing, I spent most of the time at a local coffee shop in Wudaokou. I became friends with some of the employees there. At that time everyone was using a VPN to use Google and Facebook. One day, they were asking me about California and New York. I showed them photos of some of my favorite places and they asked me about the mansions and giant homes people lived in. I told them that I grew up in a modest house in New York and I used Google Maps to show them my home. As I zoomed in on the tree to the front of my house in Queens, I saw the outline of a blurry figure in front of an open garage door. It was my grandma. I got really emotional and started missing my grandparents. I haven't called home much in the last year and I was wondering who was shuffling the snow at this time of year.
I love using Google Maps to show people the places I love. My favorite feature is the ability to drop the little man onto any street and see whatever is there. When I was at the Shanghai expo, there were thousands and thousands of Chinese people waiting in line to get stamps on a "passport". A lot of my friends wonder why would people would wait in line for a "fake" stamp. Although some might be seeking a profit on these passports, I said that many of these people will never have the chance to actually visit and see these places. Google Maps is another way for people to see these places.
2022
