In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you wish. What you share are confidential, and will only be used the aim of this article.
