🔗 Share this article

Back in 2006, I traveled to Canberra for an interview at a medical college. I figured to book accommodation after getting there, yet upon reaching the city, a big convention was taking place and every single backpackers hostels and cheap hotels had no vacancies.

Hailing from Singapore, I considered perhaps I could bed down in the airport – but soon learned Canberra airport, in contrast to Changi Airport, closes 24 hours. Unsure of what my next move should be and growing worried, I boarded public transport and started wandering towards a gaming venue, believing I could pass the evening in a place that was open 24/7. Admittedly, this plan at my peak for acing the admissions interview the next morning, yet, as a cash-strapped student, luxury accommodation was impossible.

We could all use more folks with such compassion.

I must have looked confused as a woman saw me loitering in downtown and wondered if everything was alright. I recounted the story of my accommodation crisis and without hesitation she suggested I could crash on a spare mattress in her student dorm at ANU – an ideal turn of events, considering that was where my medical school interview was scheduled for the next day. Generously, she also provided me some free dinner: one filled rolls she had taken home her part-time job. This gave me a hot shower and somewhere safe and safe for the evening.

In retrospect, it’s clear to me what a big chance she accepted as a young woman letting a male stranger she had only just encountered sleep on her floor. In those days I operated under my male privilege bubble and did not consider to the potential danger. Now, as a father, I’m amazed she offered that help – yet very grateful.

I didn’t end up attending ANU, and I never saw her again, but her act remains etched in my mind her selfless deed of generosity. I hope karma has repaid her good deed tenfold. We could all use more folks with such compassion.