Manhattan, N.Y., May 14, 2009 — The bright yellow cabs of death distract the hectic crowds rushing past the small Egyptian man standing on the corner, who hasn’t seen his wife in 3 years.
This man is 5 feet 4 inches tall wearing dark jeans and a royal blue sweater, covered only slightly by his gray designer coat. His freshly shaved face with a few rough whiskers, he left purposefully, runs over his face. A couple small cuts on his left cheek stood out, as it was the only part of his physical appearance that didn’t match his dark complexion.
His back to the street, 22-year-old Ashras Sared faces the front of his hot dog stand on 37th and Broadway, which he manages every day in the busyness of Manhattan’s swarming streets. His tall stature and dark illuminating skin beamed radiantly in the slight array of sunshine pushing through the dismal sky.
When he smiles his white teeth with yellow stains on the front shine bright. Sounds of soda cans pop as mothers open them for their young, hungry children that surround where this Middle Eastern man was standing. The strong aroma of hotdogs fills the street and flows from his mouth as he begins to speak.
“New York City is nice. I like it much better than my life in Egypt,” Sared said. “Whether here or one or two blocks down all the people, the train stations and Time Square, it’s all nice.”
Sared came to the United States six years ago after spending most of his growing up years overseas. He came to the U.S. six years ago to live in Brooklyn. After three years he ventured back to Egypt for a few months. He occasionally finds time to go back to his birthplace, but prefers to stay immersed in the New York life.
Soon after he arrived overseas he met his wife and was married soon after. The marriage happened quickly and had an unexpected twist soon after. Sared planned to come back to the states with his new bride but found out she wasn’t going to get through immigration and accompany her new husband to a new country.
Sared was then faced with the decision to stay with his wife or move back to his beloved city life. With no doubt in his mind that he wanted to return to the vibrant city he loved so much, Sared solemnly packed his things and walked through a door that he could never turn back from.
He stands with a cynical stare coming from his baby blues eyes beaming off of his blue sweater. The exhaustion seeps from his weak stance with his hand holding up his head. An occasional loud burst of energy streams from his mouth as his Bluetooth is bound to his ear, hidden from his black baseball cap.
Sared moved to Manhattan when he returned from Egypt to begin his job in the food business. With his heavy Middle Eastern accent he works hard from early morning to the dark of night selling hot dogs, pretzels and sodas.
“Business is bad right now. One day it’s busy one hour and the next day no business, then the next day still no business,” Sared said.
He paused for a moment as a young man in jeans and a gray t-shirt walked up to buy a hot dog. He places the few dollars he earns into the moneybox and turns back around.
“See, we’ve been here talking for what, 30 minutes, and that is the only guy to come buy something from me. The next blocks on 5th Avenue have too much in the streets, too many stands for business,” Sared said.
After working hard all day Sared loves to be involved in his favorite part of the city—the lottery. He says he and his friend like to play and have seen some luck come from time to time. It wasn’t until Sared moved to Manhattan, after returning from his trip to Egypt, that he started playing the lottery. He sits on the edge of his seat, after buying his ticket, to see if the numbers he chose bring him good fortunes.
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