Even though Salma Hamidi wasn’t born in Canada, she considers herself a Canadian through and through. An Iranian immigrant, Salma has lived in Canada for 12 years and– as she describes in the post bel0w– she is proud to live in a nation so welcoming to immigrants. Not only is Salma herself an example of this, but the encounter she describes in her now-viral Facebook status below perfectly captures the Canadian spirit of kindness and inclusivity.
As Salma describes it, a woman from Iran, a man from Russia, a girl from China, a Middle Eastern woman, and a Muslim woman all came together for a complete stranger– a Latino man– on the subway. Check out the heartwarming story below:
This morning while waiting for the subway to leave Finch station, a Latino guy entered the train looking very angry and irritated. Sitting down in front of me, he was holding his head and kept saying “OH GOD”. The Russian guy sitting beside him asked if everything was ok, in a pretty heavy accent. He said he has a horrible headache and is running late for an interview.
Overhearing the conversation, I offered him Advil (cause let’s face it, I don’t leave my house without it!). He took it and thanked me but said he doesn’t have water so he’ll have it later. The middle eastern woman sitting beside me wearing hijab, took out a juice box from her kid’s backpack and gave it to him telling him that if he takes it now he’ll feel better by the time he gets to the interview. He started thanking all of us for helping him out and said he’s nervous for the interview.
The Russian told him to walk in confidently and to tie his hair back if he can. A Chinese teenager sitting on his other side, handed him a hair tie saying she has a million of them. I told him if he gets in late, to apologize but not bring excuses. Nobody likes excuses. The Muslim lady told him to smile a lot, people trust easier when you smile.
We got to his station, wished him good luck and off he went.
Now if THIS isn’t the ultimate Canadian experience, short of a beaver walking into a bar holding a jar of maple syrup, I don’t know what is!
It’s wonderful to see so many people from different backgrounds come together to aid a stranger.
Share this beautiful act of kindness today!
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