Describe a stranger who helped you

I'd like to talk about a woman I met in Istanbul when I was travelling with a friend two summers ago. I never learned her name, but I remember her very clearly.

It happened on our second evening. We had taken a bus to see a famous mosque, and when we wanted to return to our hotel, we realised that we had taken the wrong line and ended up in an unfamiliar part of the city. It was getting dark, my phone battery had died, and my friend's data plan didn't work. We were standing at a bus stop, trying to read a map in a language we couldn't understand, and I started to feel quite worried.

A middle-aged woman carrying shopping bags noticed us and asked in simple English whether we needed help. When I showed her the name of our hotel, she told us that it was far away, and instead of just pointing us in a direction, she travelled with us on two buses to make sure we arrived safely. She even refused to take any money for the tickets we offered to pay for, and gave us a small bag of sweets before saying goodbye.

I was truly moved. It was so unexpected, and she had absolutely nothing to gain. That experience restored my faith in people, especially because, before the trip, I'd heard a few negative stories about tourists. Since then, whenever I see a visitor looking lost in my own city, I make a point of stopping to help, as a way of passing her kindness on.