2025-01-08
20 分钟I'm Dodai Stewart and I'm a writer on the Metro desk at the New York Times.
What I really like about reporting in New York is that this city is full of fascinating people.
Armia Khalil is the luckiest man in New York City.
At least that's what he would tell you.
He's 45 years old.
He wears prescription glasses with bright red rectangular frames.
He's average height with a kind face.
And he's just always quick to smile.
Armia grew up in a small village in Egypt called Golsna.
He used to play on the banks of the Nile, making little figurines out of the clay he found there.
He went to college to study fine art,
but along the way he got really interested in ancient Egyptian art and woodworking.
His dream was that one day he would move to the United States and join the art community there.
On a 30 degree day in mid December,
I took the subway to the PATH train to the Hoboken light rail
and I made my way to Armia's woodworking studio to interview him
for the story I'm about to read to you.
The heat was broken, but he was warm and welcoming.
And he made Lipton tea from his electric kettle and he offered up some plain croissants.
His studio was pretty bare, but he had so many different types of tools.