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Back in the year 2006, I made a trip to the Australian capital for a medical school interview. I assumed I would book lodging upon arrival, but when I arrived, a big convention was in town and all the budget hostels and cheap hotels had no vacancies.

As a visitor from the city-state of Singapore, the idea crossed my mind perhaps I could just sleep at the airport – but quickly found the local airport, not like the one back home, is not open around the clock. Unsure of how to proceed and getting a bit desperate, I hopped on a bus into town and found myself drifting in the direction of a gaming venue, believing it was a place to spend the evening in a place that stayed open through the night. Admittedly, this plan at my peak for nailing the admissions interview the next morning, yet, as a student on a tight budget, luxury accommodation was impossible.

Our society requires more people who show such kindness.

I must have looked confused as a woman saw me loitering in the city and asked if I was OK. I explained my predicament and without hesitation she offered I could sleep on a spare mattress in her student dorm at the local university – a perfect solution, as that’s where the important interview would take place the next morning. Generously, she also provided a meal: one of the stuffed baguettes she had taken home her evening job. I was able to use the bathroom and somewhere safe and safe to spend the night.

In retrospect, I can appreciate the enormous leap of faith she took as a woman inviting a man she’d just met crash at her place. Back then I operated under my male privilege bubble and did not consider to such safety concerns. Now, as a father, it astounds me she offered that help – but still very grateful.

I didn’t end up study at ANU, and I lost touch with the student afterwards, but her act remains etched in my mind that incredible gesture of human compassion. I hope karma has returned her good deed tenfold. The world needs more individuals who show such kindness.