Encounters with good samaritans

Don't talk to strangers, try not to travel alone, be on the lookout for suspicious characters, never get into strangers' cars.

This is all sound advice considering the scary world we live in with atrocities being committed everyday.

But after having just arrived in Dubai from South Africa, encounters with strangers and alien experiences have been the order of the day.

Securing accommodation was at the top of my to-do list when I got here and off I went looking. Earlier this month I headed to Jumeirah to look at a place.

With the language barrier I could not make head nor tail of the landlord's directions and got terribly lost. I then walked to a nearby supermarket in the hope that someone would help.

Feeling awkward and embarrassed I asked a few employees and shoppers for directions when a woman walking out with her groceries stopped to assist.

She patiently gave directions and also offered to drive me there, which I gratefully accepted. I blocked out my mother's voice that screamed: "Don't get into strangers' cars!"

The British woman gently chided me for meeting landlords on my own and also volunteered other useful tidbits of information that a newcomer would need.

When we got to my destination she even offered to wait while I looked at the accommodation.

Since coming to Dubai I have experienced similar acts of kindness whether it was advice on apartment hunting to giving me a lift to the mall to suggestions on the best shopping spots.

I was also heartened to see that these deeds are going on all over the city such as the Emirati man who drove an unconscious child and her mother to the hospital recently, which was reported by Gulf News.

These are simple gestures of kindness but mean the world to the recipient who often feels overwhelmingly helpless at the time.

I never got the name of the Good Samaritan who helped me but I hope she reads this and knows how grateful I am.

While my safety will always be paramount, I hope to extend the same kindness that I have received from many Dubains here.

- Amelia Naidoo
Notes Staff Reporter
education@gulfnews.com