Kindness Experienced

Throughout my month here I have been the beneficiary of various kindness from all sorts of people. Whether it be international students befriending me or locals giving me directions, the vast majority of people have been kind and considerate. During my trip to Penang this trend continued. However, I have to make mention of two wonderful experiences.

My first experience was while staying at an old mansion in the city of Georgetown. I was asking one of the hotel/hostel employees if there was a restaurant near by that would be safe to eat at. Although his english was rough at best, he directed me to a small restaurant. I asked him about the good sights to see in Georgetown and he answered me with a question. He asked me if I was staying alone or if I had family or a significant other with me. Upon hearing I was alone, he began probing how long I was staying for. I thought this was a little strange and I had the feeling he was trying to determine if I was a customer that was worth a lot of money and his time. I couldn’t be more wrong. What he was offering was to come by on his days off and show me the various sights of Penang. He offered to come by in his car, or on his motorcycle, and take me to all the places and give provide a local’s perspective. I was blown away. Unfortunately, I was flying out the day before he had any time off, but I was none the less impressed with his willingness to make sure I had a good time in Penang.

My second experience occurred on my trip home from the island. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed four and half hours at the airport. This meant that my arrival time went from around 8:30 to 1:00am. Unfortunately, the consequences were beyond just time. At 1am there is no public transportation running. As a result, I was forced to take a cab across the border from Johor Bahru (the Malaysian city just across from Singapore) and then another cab to my residence. The cost escalated from a reasonable $10 to an astounding $150.

Luckily, I was the beneficiary of some very kind people. I was sitting next to Anita, a mother of two small children, on the plane. When I asked her about the cab that would take me into Singapore she mentioned that she was flying with her brother and a friend so they would have to take two cabs and there would be room for me. I eagerly accepted her offer. The total for the two cabs came to about RM450, around $120. I paid RM100 and felt lucky to safe the other RM125. However, this only got me into central Singapore. Once we arrived in Singapore, Anita brother insisted on driving me to my residence in NTU, about half an hour away. They invited me into their home while they put the kids to bed and dropped off their bags and offered me food and water. I was then whisked home in a car. I was so thankful for this and I arrived at my residence at around 3AM. When I was about to leave I offered to pay some more money for the cab because I felt they were very kind and I was getting off easy. Instead, he insisted on giving me RM50 back and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was astounded how these people made a long and arduous journey so much better. Thank you!