Abu Dhabi: A couple from New Zealand who lost their money and credit card on a flight to Ukraine were saved from being deported at the airport, thanks to the generosity of a stranger from the UAE who stepped in to pay for their visa and stay.
Abu Dhabi residents Sarah and Nathan Chant, husband and wife travel bloggers, were excited about their two-day trip in Ukraine, the last leg of their three and a half week long trip around Europe, when disaster stuck at the country’s immigration hall.
“The second we moved to the airport’s main terminal [immigration] my husband realised that he didn’t have his wallet with him to pay for our visas,” said 32-year-old Sarah, who is also a teacher.
The couple, who had planned to leave the UAE after their trip, had cancelled their UAE bank cards. They had only two left, one was in Nathan’s wallet and the other was in their apartment in Abu Dhabi.
They realised that Nathan had forgotten to retrieve his wallet, which contained their only credit card and money, after placing it in the pocket of the seat in front during the flight to Ukraine.
According to Sarah, they frantically tried to get back on the plane, but were not allowed to do so.
“They [authorities] asked us to approach the lost and found counter to claim the wallet, but we couldn’t get there till we got our visas,” Sarah said.
Unable to get back on the plane to retrieve their money and having no money to pay for their visas, the couple desperately turned to an Emirati man, Ebrahim, who had earlier struck a conversation with them in the immigration hall.
“We told him that we were really sorry to ask for his help, but were in a difficult situation,” Sarah said.
“He offered to help straight away. He loaned us the money, which was about $200 (Dh730), which is a substantial amount of money to give to someone you just met.”
Sarah described Ebrahim as a retired Emirati businessman from Dubai. He accompanied them to the lost and found counter and stayed with them for over an hour to make sure they were ok.
“He was really worried about us. We offered to pay him back through a bank transfer, but he couldn’t remember his bank account details,” she said.
Unfortunately, the couple were told by airport authorities that no wallet was handed in, leaving them without money.
“Ebrahim offered to loan us more money and gave us another $50 (about Dh185) for food and transport. He did all this without taking any of our details. He had no way to follow up with us, which was just incredibly trusting on top of what he already did.”
The couple saw Ebrahim again on their flight back to Dubai two days later. Once more he simply checked on their well-being and asked if they needed any financial assistance getting home.
The Chants assured him that they would have access to money as soon as they get home.
“I hate to think what would have happened if he had not been there. They would not have processed our visa. They would not have let us into Ukraine. He saved the day. He wasn’t worried about being paid back. All that mattered to him was helping us out.”
Sarah and Nathan finally received Ebrahim’s bank details when they returned home on July 19, four days after their ordeal in Ukraine.
“This was a nice little final reminder of how generous people can be over here,” Sarah told Gulf News, before leaving Abu Dhabi for good.
“It made a big difference to us. If we ever have the opportunity to help someone out like that, we will,” she added.
