Professor Latif and Shy

UPADM-GP 260
Integration paper 11
11/27/2022
Integration Paper #11

A recent act of kindness I received from someone was an invitation from my friend to her

house during thanksgiving. As an international student, it feels especially lonely during this week

of holiday when everyone gets to go back to celebrate the holiday with their family. Having no

family members here, I thought that I would be spending thanksgiving by myself, or possibly

with some other international friends. However, I was delighted when I heard from my friend

that her mother invited me over to have dinner with them. I brought gifts and sweets, and the

family members were especially welcoming and made me feel included as part of their family.

Although to them, it is just one extra serving to prepare for, it meant a lot to me. In Asia,

thanksgiving is not a holiday that is celebrated. A similar festival would be the New Year,

however, as the spring semester starts in January and the lunar calendar’s new year is in early

February, it is impossible for me to celebrate such festivals and holidays with my family in

person, at least for the next two years or so. Therefore, to have received such an invitation and to

be included in a family dinner was particularly heartwarming, and impacted my life in a positive

way, making me feel included in a foreign country.

A time that I did an act of kindness towards others was when I bought my friend food

while she was sick. She caught the flu and was having various symptoms so it was hard for her to

take care of herself and cook her own food. As I was concerned and worried for her, I ordered

food delivery from a Chinese restaurant that had warm congee and other light meals, which was

perfect considering that she was sick and did not have an appetite. It felt great, and arguably even

better than when I receive care or kindness from others, as I always feel more happy or satisfied
when I make an impact on other people or help others with something, and I usually prefer to do

so without receiving anything in return. It makes me feel happier when I see a smile on another

person’s face.