Birmingham.
(Image credit: Kruck20/iStock)

1. Pakistani man repays a city's kindness by inviting every resident to his wedding

He was welcomed with open arms by the people of Birmingham, Alabama, and when it came time to invite guests to his wedding, Shahzeb Anwer wanted to return the favor. Before traveling to Birmingham, Anwer, 31, had never left Pakistan. He has hyperparathyroidism, and since the surgery he needed isn't available there, he decided to get it done at UAB Hospital in Birmingham. Anwer posted on Birmingham Facebook and Reddit groups, asking questions about everything from what clothes he should bring to the culture. Tips and information came flooding in, and Anwer told CBS 42 "people responded in a way that I wouldn't even expect from my own people in Pakistan." One person who stepped up was Andrew Harris, who helped Anwer get to medical appointments and go shopping. "I've gained such a friend — a best friend for life," Harris said. Anwer's surgery was successful, and when he returned home, he showed his appreciation for Birmingham's residents by posting online an open invitation to his wedding on May 22. "Birmingham treated me as their favored son," he told CBS 42, adding, "Birmingham has now become a part of my life."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.