A Tale of Surprising Kindness: When a University Student Allowed Me to Sleep on Her Dorm Ground

During 2006, I made a trip to Canberra for an interview at a medical college. My plan was to arrange a place to stay when I arrived, yet when I arrived, a big convention was happening and all the backpackers hostels and affordable lodging had no vacancies.

Coming from the city-state of Singapore, I considered maybe I could just sleep at the terminal – but quickly found Canberra airport, unlike Singapore’s, closes all night. Unsure of how to proceed and feeling increasingly desperate, I caught a city-bound bus and found myself drifting in the direction of the casino, reasoning I could pass the evening in an establishment that stayed open all night. This was not ideal at my peak for acing a crucial interview the next day, however, being a student on a tight budget, I couldn’t afford.

Our society requires more people with such compassion.

I must have looked confused as a woman noticed me walking aimlessly through the city and wondered if everything was alright. I shared my situation and without hesitation she said I could crash on a spare mattress of her dormitory at the local university – a perfect solution, considering that was where my interview was the following day. She went further by offering a meal: one of the sandwiches she had from her evening job. This gave me the bathroom and a secure location to rest to spend the night.

With hindsight, I now understand the enormous leap of faith she accepted being a woman inviting a guy she’d just met crash at her place. In those days I existed within a bubble of male privilege and did not consider to such safety concerns. As a dad now, I’m amazed she took that chance – and remain very grateful.

I never did attending that university, and I didn’t meet the student afterwards, but I’ve never forgotten her selfless deed of generosity. My sincere desire is that life has returned her good deed tenfold. The world needs more individuals with such compassion.