In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual 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?
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