Photographer based in Cairo, Egypt >> Shawn Baldwin

Portraits

Taj Maarafi, 24, from Tunisia. He has lived in Dubai for almost two years and works as a waiter. ''I got there and spent most of my money in two month - in bars, hanging out. I didn't look for a job until I was out of money. This is how I ended up being a waiter. I don't really like it, and I miss my life in Tunisia - but I'm not going back. I have an independence here that I wouldn't have even if I made more money back home. I'm making my own future. This is one thing in Dubai: you're not part of a family, or a group. You come here as an individual, and this is how people see you.'' August 2008.
Taj Maarafi, 24, from Tunisia. He has lived in Dubai for almost two years and works as a waiter.

''I got there and spent most of my money in two month - in bars, hanging out. I didn't look for a job until I was out of money. This is how I ended up being a waiter. I don't really like it, and I miss my life in Tunisia - but I'm not going back. I have an independence here that I wouldn't have even if I made more money back home. I'm making my own future. This is one thing in Dubai: you're not part of a family, or a group. You come here as an individual, and this is how people see you.'' August 2008.