During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising 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 forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
Please share your story if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. What you share are confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
