🔗 Share this article A Story of Unexpected Kindness: When a University Student Allowed Me to Sleep on Her Dormitory Ground Back in 2006, My journey took me to Canberra for an admissions interview for medical school. I figured to book a place to stay when I arrived, yet upon reaching the city, a big convention was in town and all the budget hostels and cheap hotels had no vacancies. Hailing from the city-state of Singapore, I considered perhaps I could spend the night at the airport – but soon learned Canberra airport, not like the one back home, closes around the clock. Not knowing what my next move should be and growing worried, I boarded public transport and started wandering in the direction of a gaming venue, thinking it was a place to spend those hours in an establishment that stayed open through the night. This was not ideal in the best shape for nailing the admissions interview the next day, yet, as a broke student, a pricey hotel was out of reach. The world needs more folks like that woman. I must have looked confused since a young woman saw me walking aimlessly through the city center and asked if everything was alright. I explained my situation and right away she suggested I could crash on the floor in her student dorm at the local university – an ideal turn of events, considering that was where my medical school interview would take place the next morning. Generously, she also provided a meal: a leftover stuffed baguettes she had from her evening job. I had access to warm shower facilities and somewhere safe to rest to sleep. In retrospect, I now understand the enormous leap of faith she undertook as a young woman allowing a guy she’d just met sleep on her floor. At that time I operated under a bubble of male privilege and did not consider about things like that. Now, as a father, I am astonished she offered that help – and remain very grateful. Ultimately, I did not attending that university, and I didn’t meet her again, yet her memory has stayed with me that incredible gesture of human compassion. My sincere desire is that karma has repaid her generosity many times over. We could all use more individuals like that woman.