The Kindness of Strangers Series - A brief overview
This series ‘Kindness Of Strangers’ focuses on events and occurrences where unexpected acts of kindness were displayed by complete strangers. Acts that were selfless and without hope of reciprocation. So far, I’ve only captured some such events from my own life. You can read the other posts in this series here: Kindness Series. I would love to include more from my readers. So send in your stories to get featured in this series!
Coming to America!
I was one of many young, eager and wide-eyed travelers to the United States of America. I left India to pursue a Masters Degree in a complicated field and having never traveled outside India before then! Filled with so much anticipation and excitement around the new life I was embarking on, I operated on pure adrenaline and optimism like any young adult setting out on an exciting new adventure!
Some Rookie-Specific Obstacles
The journey itself takes a while given that India and the USA are literally across the planet from each other. But I had some challenges to overcome:
1. My Physical Makeup: My physique at the time (in my early twenties) could only be described as scrawny at best. Weighing in at a mere 100lbs with luggage weighing 70﹪ of my body weight was an added challenge.
2. My First Flight Travel: I picked an across-the-globe itinerary for my maiden air voyage! Not intentionally of course. It just happened that way. Cue all the many unknowns I needed to handle.
3. My First International Trip: Not only had I never before flown on an airplane, I had never left the country for anything before that. Crossing international waters comes with another layer of paperwork and documentation that one needs to deal with.
4. Solo Travel: I didn’t have a travel companion. No one to talk to, consult with or rely on.
5. New Destination: I did not know anything about my end destination. With extremely minimal research on the university and where I would land I left on this journey. In hindsight, I am amazed everything turned out alright with how little preparation went into this particular aspect of the whole thing!
Cue The Angels
Now that the stage is set with everything that could and should have derailed this rookie trip to the land of dreams, it is time to cue the true intent of this post. The wonder of all the nameless angels who happened to show up along the way guiding and assisting me, unbidden throughout my journey out West.
Although it may seem I’m over-dramatizing a travel activity that millions (if not billions) do often and frequently, I kid you not when I say it was the most stressful and challenging thing I had done thus far as a young, clueless international student. I can say this confidently now because I’ve since done numerous domestic and international flights myself and simply know better. 😃
The Porter Angel
The guy who helped get my ‘almost-as-heavy-as-me’ suitcase off the carousel at the Boston International Airport. Just a nameless, faceless, kind human acting without expectations of reciprocation.
The Guide Angel
The officer at the Boston airport who gave me guidance on how and where to go to catch my connecting flight. For a newbie in America, large airports can be extremely daunting. It was also very late in the evening and this officer chose to be kind and helpful when he could have ignored or been brusque.
Funny story: Boston being my port-of-entry, I had to pick up my extremely heavy, taped-up luggage for re-check. It was late in the evening and I made my way up in the general direction of people still lingering at the airport. As I made my way towards a kiosk, an airport official looked at me and said ‘Synthia! Head this way. Let me help you’.
I was shocked! There was no way he knew me. I was brand new to the US. Hesitantly, I walked up to him and handed him my documentation. He smiles and gives me instructions on where to head to for my connecting flight. I am still a little shocked he knew my name. He finally says ‘What? Are you wondering how I knew your name?’ and I say ‘Uh.. Yea!’ He laughs and says ‘You have your name written all over your luggage. Of course I knew your name!’ 
My dad had put my name and contact info right on my luggage in huge lettering for all to see. I, being wiped out from my long journey, had forgotten all about it and never connected the dots. It’s funny after the fact but at that time I completely convinced that the guy was an actual angel in disguise. 
The Student Angels
One of the many worries about arriving in a new country without knowing anyone prior to is the thought of getting stranded at the airport. I had reached out to the Indian Students Association (ISA) at the university a few weeks before travel. They connected me with a few students who offered kindly to pick me up from the airport and also house me in their homes temporarily until I found more permanent accommodations! So, a couple of students drove to the airport to pick me up and drive me back to the university. Given that my flight arrived in Norfolk very later in the evening, it definitely wasn’t a run-of-the-mill pickup/drop off for these students. I do appreciate their help and willingness to do this for strangers they didn’t yet know.
The Roomate Angel
As I said earlier, students who were already at the university graciously offered to host new incoming students temporarily. Just until they found their feet in the new environment and could subsist on their own. It is a noble task in my honest opinion. A disruption to their everyday life from clueless 20-somethings that literally have to learn a new way of life.
The toughest learning curve happens during those initial weeks/months. The seniors (as we used to call them – not a knock on their age but the fact that they had seniority in their tenure as students in the university) took it in their stride. My senior, Shruthi, was an absolute angel in all aspects! She gave me and a few other new students (who later became my roommates and friends for life) everything she had at her disposal.
Endearing Side Story: The extent of Shruthi’s benevolence came to light when the week after I landed in Virginia. A combination of things (exhaustion from travel, jet lag, some bug I caught along the way, just being in a new land etc) made me fall very ill. I had fevers, chills and couldn’t keep anything down. Being sick in a new land, alone with no one to care for you is the worst.
I was making my way through the bout of illness as best I could confined to by room and bed. During one such day, a horrible episode of delirium with high fever and vomiting ensued. I needed to get out of bed to handle the vomiting but just couldn’t sit up on my own. Shruthi walks in right at that instant and does what no one expects to do easily. EVER. She holds her hands near my mouth to catch my throw up!
Even in the midst of my delirium I was blown away by her kindness and lack of hesitation, even momentarily. I remember protesting to this selfless act immediately to which she said ‘Synthia, I swear on Jesus, I will do this for you. Don’t resist.’ Simply amazing!
Summary
And that about does it for this rather lengthy post. I wanted to do justice to the many humans along the way who made my maiden voyage to the States as seamless as it could be.
If you made it to the end here, well done and thank you! Kindness is free and shockingly effective. Mother Teresa said “I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness than work miracles in unkindness.”
What better way to practice being kind? All these humans I mentioned above didn’t intend to be remembered for their greatness in life but still left an indelible mark on mine without meaning to. I’ll leave you with that thought to consider as you go about your day-to-day.
Your Thoughts/Experiences and Comments
Last but never least, if you have similar stories you’d like to share, please comment on this post or drop me a message here: Message Me. I’d be happy to feature your stories on this blog!
