A Blessing in Disguise

If you have a heart, you can help anybody

When I began planning to move to Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, to study, my mother worried about the uncertainty of living in a place that was so different from India. She worried particularly about a lack of jobs, cultural differences and racism.

Despite these concerns, I came to New Zealand in July 2009. I found the place and people to be very gracious and supportive. When I arrived, I soon realized the importance of getting a job to supplement my living allowance.

Determined to do this on my own, I spent a whole day going door-to-door asking for a job, but found little or no response. This became my daily routine after college for a few weeks.

One afternoon, I went into a building and asked if there were any opportunities. All of the people there were stunned by what I was doing and advised me not to continue that way. As I was about to leave, a man in the building, who had been listening to what the others had said, approached me and asked if I would wait outside. Fifteen minutes later he returned and asked me about my plans and encouraged me to stay positive. He then offered to take me to the Royal Oak suburb of Auckland to search for a job.

I was a little baffled by this stranger but had a good feeling about him, so I went along. On the way, I realized I had run out of résumés, so the man stopped at his business partner’s office and made 15 extra copies. He gave me some tips on how to improve the way I dressed and how I spoke—before adding that if I ever needed anything, to give him a call.

I distributed the résumés and went home feeling very satisfied. The next day I received a call from a store in Royal Oak offering me a job.