What's the best thing about being a Local Guide?

[KarenVChin]

I know there is a lot of discussions about why being a Local Guide is great.  From helping one's community get on Google Maps, sharing your favorite restaurants and places to visit, to better improve Google Maps, etc.

One of the things, I believe we don't discuss enough is the strong, lasting friendships that have been built from being a Local Guide, especially if you are active here on Local Guides Connect.

I like to share my story

This year I became a Connect Moderator in June.  I have been active welcoming new Local Guides on Connect, taking care of spam, answering questions about San Francisco from late Spring, right up to LG Summit 17, reading and learning about other Local Guides' communities (cities and countries), meetups, and their passions and motivations.

One of the cool things about being a Connect Moderator is that we get together for a monthly hangout with members of the Local Guides Team. 

One Local Guides Connect Moderator, in particular, Español Connect Mod @FaridTDF, would join the hangouts and listen.  Farid feels his English is not great. But I completely disagree. His English is much better than my Spanish.  He normally communicates with us using Google Translator. 

Who is Farid Monti?

For those who don't realize here in the Connect Community, Farid is Argentinian and lives at the southernmost tip, the very bottom, in Tierra del Fuego. 

Map of Tierra del Fuego. Image: GraphicsMaps.com

When he is not being a Connect Moderator, Farid actively posts about his country and Tierra del Fuego, the province where he lives on Connect, including many of his beautiful wildlife, landscape, and food photos.

Farid proudly showing where he lives - Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Photo: Farid Monti

Knowing Farid for only 3 months . . .

Farid is a kind and very generous man. He mailed @YK1001 @ErmesT and me each a wonderful Tierra del Fuego Goodwill Christmas package. 

My Tierra del Fuego Christmas package

 When I picked this up at my post office, the postal worker commented on all the pretty, colorful stamps.  She said she doesn't get to see many packages mailed from Argentina!

When I opened Farid's gift, I was amazed by what was in it! 

Being an ignorant American, I did not realize how close he lives to Antartica and that Argentina has penguins!  

I did not realize that where Farid lives he is close to Antartica!I spent several hours happily reading online about the history of Tierra del Fuego and what it has to offer:

• Argentina Penguins - Magellanic Penguins
• Argentina's southernmost point in which it has both the longest days of winter and longest days of summer is in Ushuaia  (only 750 miles or 1200 km to Antartica!)
• And that Patagonia is not just an American designer of outdoor clothing and gear for the silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly fishing, and trail running (www.patagonia.com), but an actual place that Tierra del Fuego is a part of!

Map of Patagonia. Image: wikipedia.com

I am deeply honored that Farid spent his time gathering all these wonderful Tierra del Fuego /Argentina items, including collectible stamps, writing postcards, for me!

Amazing collection of Tierra del Fuego gifts from Local Guides Connect Moderator Faird Monti to me! Words cannot describe how honored I am to receive these and the chance to learn more from the source himself, Farid.

Using Google Translator, I wrote to Farid and pleaded my American ignorance of not truly realizing where he lives and now wanting to know more about what life is like WHERE he lives! 

If you are a stamp collector, you would want this in your international stamp collection!

Ermes, Sampson, Farid and I did actually spent time early last Saturday morning using  "Hangouts, " this wonderful free Google technology, and had our informal global Holiday Hangout Chat in which we finally did get to see and speak with each other without using Google Translator. 

Thanks Google!

I am always amazed with this free Google technology, the ease of use and the unbelievable possibilities of meeting once strangers who become easily good friends in warp speed (using a Star Trek metaphor). 

If it wasn't for Local Guides and being active here on Connect, I never would have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people like Farid, Ermes, and Sampson from literally every corner of the world.  

Have you met someone here on Connect or as a Local Guide that you would never have met otherwise and you now consider a great friend? Please share your story here. Feel free to tag someone here on Connect that you know would enjoy this post. 

Cheers,

Karen 

[LucioV]

@KarenVChin, Farid is an amazing guy 🙂

But anyone here could write (being able to) a story about friendship and discovery with some other Local Guide here!

Thanks to LG and Connect I've made a drilldown of all the countries that previously fall in the concept of "India", and started to understand better differences in culture and geography, although I pretended to be good in geo!

I'm starting to make a video with all the LG T-Shirts (#lgsummit17 missing ) I've received during these years.

The world is smaller after my first post in Connect, more than 2 years ago.

Thanks for being so kind and empathic Karen 🙂

[ErmesT]

OMG @KarenVChin

I am so happy to read this post! 

Friendship is indeed the huge, hidden extra benefit that we are receiving, a priceless perk. 

You wrote about our last conversation in Hangout, so I would like to add some small details to help to understand how friendship runs: it was 1 am in your country, 5 am in Argentina, 10 am in Italy, while @YK1001, at 5 pm, was preparing a barbecue.

This is what you can find here, I friendship without borders. 

I knew @FaridTDF from my very first steps in Connect, when I was unable to understand the difference between a CM and a Googler. He guided me in my very first steps in the community, becoming quickly a friend.

Less than a month ago I hosted a meetup, and @AlejandraMaria

was with us, she had a 3600 km trip to reach us. 

So thanks @KarenVChin

For putting this point under a spotlight. 

I'm smiling now, in my working day, while you are probably sleeping.

Knowing each other, in a "barriers free" world, is a dream that, in this community, is becoming true.

I love it 

Ermes 

[Jagadeesh_Reddy]

Good to know about FaridMonti, lot of use feel the same way that their English is not better than others but trust me people around us and her always help us to improve our English skills and encourage us.

@KarenVChinThats very generous to know that you recieved good will package from #farid it shows that distance never seperates friendship 🙂

I haven't met any person like that in connect maybe because I'm not interactive like how others are or maybe some other day will meet in path of journey in connect or local guide meet up.

[FaridTDF]

Queridos amigos @KarenVChin, @ErmesT, @YK1001 y tantos otros, solamente decirles, gracias. 

Karen eres un persona muy empatica, que cuando no estás en las charlas de Mod que tenemos casi a diario en Hangouts se siente, ese pegamento, con la energía que tiene tu gran personalidad. 🙂 Ermes con su y tranquilidad y calma para analizar los temas y por supuesto Sampson en los más pequeños detalles de todo. 

Todos ustedes son estos “beneficios ocultos” que tiene Connect y en particular el ser un Local Guides, que no solamente está lo físico lo monetario, esto que llamamos persona, humano, hay que llenarlo con otras cosas y esas son los sentimientos las amistades que se forjan, pasar un tiempo con personas que están en las antípodas de tu casa, con realidades muy diferentes cada uno de nosotros pero en las cosas básicas iguales. Iguales al grado de desear lo mejor para el prójimo, querer ayudar genuinamente al otro.

Sin ir más lejos ayer me pasó algo muy gratificante como LG, un nuevo colega en Connect y en el programa estaba iniciándose en todo esto, después de muchas horas charlas y demás, me dice, ya pude hacer todo, me sacaste todas las dudas “muchas gracias” esas palabras escritas que parecen tan simples, me dejaron colmado a la tarde. Por todo esto y por personas como Karen con su generoso Post Ermes, Sampson y otros a los cuales apreció mucho, en este entorno digital es por lo que me gusta ser un Local Guides, como también dijo en algún momento @TraciC , “esperamos que Connect sea un lugar alegre y divertido para estar”, bueno estas personas, son las que lo hacen. 

gracias

[FaridTDF]

Gracias @LucioV, por tus palabras siempre presente en el 90% de todas las cosas que ocurren en Connect y otros lugares con una gran energía 👍🙂

[ErmesT]

You are right @FaridTDF

In putting the spotlight over a single, simple, and frequently misunderstood word: THANKS 

• Thanks for being you
• Thanks for the support you gave me 
• Thanks for the continuous, friendly and helpful support that you give to everyone 
• Thanks for the friendship
• Thanks for teaching us about the help in removing barriers and borders

We are learning from each other day by day, we are discovering the huge potential that Google Maps can have for a better life for everyone, but mostly for people with disabilities.

So, for all this, and for much more, only a word 

THANKS 

Ermes 

[TraciC]

Thanks for taking the time to share this wonderful post, @KarenVChin. Our Connect Moderator Hangouts are the highlight of my month in interacting with fellow Local Guides as it's a nice way to chat with folks just as passionate about Local Guides and I get to see how wonderful you all are to each other!

I, too, received a postcard set from @FaridTDF and felt so very special though it took extra time as it came to the office, so THANK YOU, too, Farid! You made me feel included and special, too. 😄

I've met so many of you that are special in different ways and wish I could meet everyone! 😄 

[ShafiulB]

Its Really a remarkable post for Local Guides who are wanted to know, What we can get being a Local Guides....

@KarenVChin Its an amazing feeling to make a friendship with a special . This Community give me a lots of Fellows and Friends which is the best thing for me to being a Local Guides. Since  the starting till now I don't get any type of perks or benefites from the team. But I am always happy that I have a big Support from my International friends with suggestion and encouragement

But all in all one of the letter gave me such kinds of great and priceless fellings.  That was from @LucioV. But I didn't meet with him but he is always with me. My friend hope I will meet with you one day. He always support me and I found inspiration from his work.

Now I am so thankful to the Local Guides team that I found nothing but I found some friends like diamond.

The letter from Lucio with a special friendship badge

 In my country I have now a large friendship and suporting network with a lots local guides.

Happy Guiding!!!

[EricMartinezPH]

Hola Farid! Su hogar se mira simplemente bella y grandiosa. Ojala pudeo ir algun dia para conozerlo y tambien ti personalmente!

Gracias por compartir su rinconcito de paraiso por medio de ellos y felices fiestas hermano LG!