"At the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, I was waiting in line for customs when I realised the border guard was asking those ahead of me to pay US$5 in departure tax – money I didn't have. It doesn't seem like a lot now but it was back then. I'd flown in from New York's JFK airport two days previously and the only ATM had been out of order, so I hadn't been able to get cash out there, and I'd spent my remaining few dollars on an overnight stay in the city."
"Just as I was starting to catastrophise, a very poised woman who had been a couple of spots behind in the line handed me the money as she walked past. Here you go, she said, with no fuss. I've been in a similar situation before. And barely giving me time to thank her, she walked past me and into customs."
"She handed me a lifeline when I felt as though everything was about to fall apart, without expecting any praise. That small act of kindness from a stranger prevented my entire five-week journey from being cancelled and demonstrated the power of human compassion in moments of crisis."
A 19-year-old solo traveler faced a crisis at San Jose airport in Costa Rica when unable to pay the required US$5 departure tax. Having arrived with depleted funds and unable to access cash due to a broken ATM and closed banks on Saturday, the traveler stood to miss connecting flights to Panama, Chile, and Bolivia. A woman waiting in the customs line, recognizing the predicament from her own past experience, quietly handed over the needed cash and continued through customs without seeking acknowledgment or gratitude. This spontaneous act of compassion resolved what seemed like an insurmountable travel disaster.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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