A Tale of Surprising Kindness: The Time a University Student Let Me Sleep on Her Dormitory Ground

Back in 2006, I made a trip to Canberra for an admissions interview for medical school. I assumed to book accommodation upon arrival, but once I got there, a big convention was happening and every single youth hostels and budget accommodation were fully booked.

Hailing from Singapore, the idea crossed my mind maybe I could bed down in the airport – but quickly found Canberra airport, not like the one back home, does not operate all night. Not knowing what my next move should be and getting a bit desperate, I caught a bus into town and found myself drifting in the direction of a gaming venue, thinking I could pass the night in a place that was open 24/7. Admittedly, this plan at my peak to succeed at an interview the following day, yet, as a cash-strapped student, luxury accommodation was impossible.

The world needs more people like that woman.

Apparently, I appeared lost because a female student saw me loitering in downtown and wondered whether I needed help. I explained my predicament and immediately she suggested I could crash on a spare mattress of her dormitory at ANU – which was perfect, as that’s where my interview would take place the next morning. She went further by offering a meal: one of the stuffed baguettes she brought back her work shift. I was able to use warm shower facilities and somewhere safe to rest for the evening.

Looking back, I can appreciate the significant risk she undertook as a young woman letting a male stranger she had only just encountered crash at her place. Back then I existed within my own unawareness and did not consider to the potential danger. Now, as a father, it astounds me she offered that help – yet deeply appreciative.

Ultimately, I did not attending that university, and I never saw her again, but her act remains etched in my mind that incredible gesture of human compassion. It is my wish life has rewarded her act of kindness many times over. The world needs more folks like that woman.