In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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