Shah
It's been a crazy few weeks here in Los Angeles. I've been preparing for my upcoming travels and procrastinating entirely too much. I won't bore you with details about the seemingly endless vaccines or mountains of Amazon orders that are waiting to be packed. Instead, I have an anecdote about a morning that I will never forget.
In January, I made a trip to San Francisco to apply for my Employment Visa. During that visit I met a very nice man named Shah. We became fast friends while waiting in the empty, dark room at the Visa office. Through my research online I discovered that although I had an appointment for 9:00am, this office did not go about accepting applications in an organized manner. They just take people at random. I resolved to arrive in the waiting room at 6:45am and wait until I could befriend the security guard and try to get the first ticket.
The visa process was smooth sailing because of that judgment call (I did befriend the security guard and get the first ticket). My favorite part of the entire day, though, was spending 2+ hours chatting with Shah while we waited for the office to open. By that point in the morning, Shah had shown me photos of his family and told me all sorts of places to visit in Mumbai. He gave me tips about how to stay safe and how to navigate the country. He explained that he took three trains to get to the visa office and his was his second time here in the last two weeks. He was missing one piece of paperwork last time that prevented him from securing his tourist visa to visit his family.
Fifty other applicants rolled into the room at 9:00am like newbies.When the office opened,Shah got my attention and we took a different set of stairs from the rest of the group. We were at the front of the line outside the Visa office door. He told the Visa officers that I was there first and to process my paperwork before his.I was out the door by 9:15am and had my visa one day later.
He did all of this out of the kindness of his own heart. Upon leaving that morning, Shah was still waiting for his turn. I thanked him and was overcome with gratitude for his generosity and optimism. This meeting with a complete stranger has had a profound impact on the way I will begin this new adventure.
The world can feel isolating at times, yet if you are open to it, kindness finds you along the way. I'm ready for my journey to begin.