Travelling can teach you a lot. Sometimes, on your journey, despite coming from totally different backgrounds, we were able to connect on a human level and learn from each other. I have learned about kindness when travelling in too many ways, but there is one particular example that stands out in my memory.

Eight years ago, a friend and I journeyed to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to rent a private villa on the beach and do some relaxing. In the morning, we went to see the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of gentle sea. In the evening, we stepped barefoot on the soft sandy beach, feeling the waves touching our feet and watching the setting sun leaving the sky afire with orange and green light. It was so much fun living on the beach.

Apart from the breathtaking scenery on the beach, I was also constantly touched by the warm hospitality of the Dominican people in general, but Pedro totally blew me away. He worked at our villa as the security guard. He also regularly provided assistance to all guests by accompanying them on their excursions to ensure they would be safe among local scenes where tourists may not be common or could be taken advantage of. However, he did not speak good English so often it was a bit challenging for him. Luckily, I speak Spanish so I was able to communicate very well with Pedro and this delighted him. Due to this, we chatted a lot and felt very connected. Pedro insisted on catering to our every need. He would not even let us lift a finger in the villa, which was above and beyond his duties. He told us we reminded him of his daughter and he felt like our “Papa” so he had to take care of us.

What really blew me away though is that Pedro basically ended up saving my life.

After I arrived, I suddenly found myself catching a heavy cold and felt terrible.

The day before our departure, I was finally feeling a lot better due to the medical care I was given.

Mrs. Johnson lost her husband to cancer after months of failed treatment. She spent every penny she had saved working as a teacher, hoping her husband’s illness wouldn’t return. She only had $5 left in her bank account and didn’t know how to survive. She was just living on leftovers and junk. What’s worse, she hadn’t paid the house rent.

Standing before the ATM, Mrs. Johnson put in her card and entered her password. In no time, she saw a five-dollar bill slide out of the machine. The old lady was so focused on the dollar bill that she barely looked at the screen.

Holding a bag full of about-outdated food items, the old lady slowly walked towards her house. Upon reaching her apartment door, she saw an envelope with her name on it in the mailbox.

Once she entered the house and kept the grocery bag on the kitchen counter, she slid the envelope out and opened it. It was an invitation for reunion from the school where she had taught all her life, but she didn’t feel like going there.

After having dinner, the old lady picked up her phone, hoping to find a job. A message caught her attention, which was a notice from her bank regarding her cash withdrawal. She read the message and was about to exit it when the remaining account balance caught her attention. A hundred thousand dollars! ! !

The next day, Mrs. Johnson visited the bank, thinking this was a big mistake. After checking, the bank told her the records showed that Norma Tyler transferred the money to her account. There was no mistake.

However, Mrs. Johnson didn’t know any Norma Tyler! After thinking about all her friends, relatives and acquaintances, Mrs. Johnson could only think of one Norma— one of the students who never performed well in class. Mrs. Johnson thought of how hard she worked with Norma. She wanted the girl to get good grades, but nothing worked. No matter how hard she tried to teach new concepts to the teenage girl, she would never understand a single word.

“Woof! Woof!” Emma was closing up her bookstore and the loud barking behind her frightened her so badly that she dropped her keys. She turned and found a large dog standing behind her. “Where did you come from?” Emma asked as she got back her keys.

The dog walked closer and pressed up against Emma’s leg. He looked up at Emma and wagged his tail, Emma touched his ear, and her hand brushed against the collar (项圈) hidden beneath the dog’s thick coat. Emma parted the dog’s fur to see if there was a name tag attached to the collar. Instead, she found rows of shiny blue and yellow stones encircled the collar. “That is one fancy collar,” Emma said. “Someone must be looking for you.”

Emma glanced up and down the street, but didn’t find anyone who seemed like they were looking for the dog. She asked some passers-by if they’d seen anyone, but they all shook their heads.

It seemed like she had no other choice, so Emma took the dog home with her. She ate dinner, fed the dog some of the food she’d bought on the way home, then settled onto the sofa. The dog sat beside the sofa and rested his chin on her knee. Emma looked down into his soulful eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll find your owner.” She patted the dog’s head.

Emma took the dog to her bookshop with her the next day. “I didn’t know you had a dog.” Emma looked up at the man who’d just entered her shop. It was her regular customer Peter.

“I found him, but he’s not mine,” Emma said.

“Well, I hope he won’t scare away your customers.” Peter walked closer to the dog. Peter’s words worried Emma. She kept a close eye on the dog, but he didn’t bark at anyone. When a woman with a little kid entered the store, the dog even went over to sniff (g) the child.

Looking at the well-behaved dog, Emma decided to do something to help find his owner.

With days passing, Emma finally got a call from a woman named Sarah.