During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
