The story I’m going to tell is not fiction. This happened for real and is something that could even increase your faith in people and their warmth. When we talk about India and Pakistan, conversations tend to become sensational, whether it’s cricket or any other field. I am a patriotic citizen of my country but at the same time, I am a huge fan of Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan and want them to work here.
This is the story of what brought me close to a country I’d never visited but had only heard about on TV.
In 2015, I was writing my letter of purpose to get admitted into the world’s prestigious universities like Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford and these letters played a vital role in the admission process. Coming from a humble background and not having enough knowledge, I looked at a lot of online posts that gave suggestions on writing these letters. I found it very difficult to write. Even after writing 50 letters, I couldn’t find even one that would match the university standards.
The deadline was approaching and I was stuck not knowing where to go for help. People who I could have asked were either too busy or had no idea what I was talking about. Finding it extremely difficult to write, I went through the list of students from India and other countries that got selected for the scholarship last year. I had reached my lowest point and was unable to decide what to do next. I finally decided on messaging the students.
I messaged about five students and got no reply. But then, I messaged a Pakistani girl on Facebook. I sent her a really long text and told her my story and the reason why I needed the scholarship. However, I wasn’t expecting a reply. But fortunately, she replied to me within a few hours and I was on cloud nine as I could not believe that she had replied.
She explained the whole procedure to me in simple terms. Long story short, she helped me in everything and in every possible way. From miles away, a girl who I had never met helped me write my personal statement without even thinking of the fact that I was from India. She helped me the way my elder sister would.
I never got a chance to meet her and say thanks to her. I don’t even know where she exactly is right now. But what I do know is that there are certain people in the world with great souls. These people will reaffirm our faith in helping others. They’re the people who will help you without even know you or expecting anything in return. And these people are hard to find. But I believe that once in a blue moon, we all get a chance to meet someone like that. When we do meet these people, we should never let them go and try to be there for them the way they have been there for us.