How I Made a Complete Stranger Break Down in Tears...

Me with the Singapore's Favorite Lion!

My parents have always warned me against talking to strangers. "You never know what their true intentions are..." I grew up not questioning that, keeping to my inner circle, minding my own business.
However, I have always wondered. How nice it would be to be able strike up a conversation with anyone. After all, you never know what you will get. Though the idea of approaching strangers scared me, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to step out of my comfort zone and embarked on a personal project to talk to strangers.

One particular story that touched me involved a Filipino maid whom I met at Changi Airport. As I was looking out for people to speak to, I came across this middle-age, dark skinned, simply dressed lady who was staring blankly into space. As she looked as if she had some time to spare, I decided to approach her for a conversation. As an opener, I pretended to ask for directions to the toilet, and before I knew it, the conversation led to her sharing her story...She shared that she was at the airport as she had initially planned to catch a flight home to Manila to attend her daughter's graduation ceremony. However, she had misread the flight timing, and had since missed her flight.

Suddenly her eyes welled up in tears as she shared that missing her flight meant she had to purchase another ticket which was equivalent to one month's worth of her pay. The next flight was only the next morning. She was alone in the airport, and had one day less to be home with her family. Having been in Singapore working as a domestic worker for 9 years, this would be only be her third time back to her home country.
My heart felt a tug of sadness. I was present to how fortunate I was to be with my family and how I never had to worry about not having enough money for basic necessities. Even though I did not know her, I felt a wave of compassion for her and felt that I needed to help her. Before I knew it, I found myself going to buy her some food and withdrawing some money.
When I passed the money and food to the lady, she burst into tears. At that moment, nothing else mattered. I reached out to give her a tight hug as she started sobbing uncontrollably in my arms. I felt her desperation, loneliness, and helplessness. I was glad I was able to play a small part in making her day a little better.
When she asked how she could repay me, I could tell my little act of kindness meant a lot to her. I told her that there's nothing I needed from her and all I wanted was for her to simply pass on the act of kindness.

This incident touched me deeply as I realized everyone has a story to share, if only we care enough to reach out…I was humbled by everyone I spoke to and even though most people were a little surprised to be approached by me, they were really open and connected really fast once they understood my intention. This experience made me realize that we all play a part in making Singapore a more caring society.

I'll like to leave you with some parting words. Be kind to everyone you meet. You never know what they are going through. After all, there are no strangers; only friends you haven't met 🙂

With Love,

Yuting