Last week Red Bull Indonesia launched by throwing a kick off party in Jakarta. They flew in Red Bull athletes, wings girls, and me to shoot images. I was reminded how I still get nervous before shoots. The pressure felt high. I had one day to get images of people flying in from all over the world.
I was nervous about not having enough time to get what was needed. There is always a tight schedule and many things to do in a day. On top of it Jakarta is notorious for traffic that made getting to each location more time consuming. However, everyone was down to get up early and explore.
Luckily, I was working with Pasha the Boss, who I have shot with many times, and Jason Choi, a sponsored skateboarder from South Korea. Its been a while since I had shot skateboarding and I have missed it! There was never a problem of us all getting along and everyone brought their positive attitude.
Shooting in the old town Sheva and Pasha were mobbed by a group of young kids frantically wanting photos and selfies with them because they were blonde foreigners. As they posed and made their pouts and duck faces Pasha copied them and made a kissy face and sounds to go with it. The whole group erupted in laughter. Smiles and selfies are universal.
I got to meet many new friends from all around Indonesia in the parkour and freerunning community. We talked until it got dark and had to leave for dinner. This is what I love most about traveling, meeting people for the first time from a different place and finding every reason to relate.
I got to do this when I was traveling with bands. We would make new friends in every city in one night. Now its the freerunning community that introduces me to these magnetic individuals, but the connection is the same.
Thanks to the internet and social media I know our conversations will continue until our paths cross once again.
There is an odd sadness when I travel and am exposed to new cultures, foods and languages, I will never have enough time to experience them all.
There are over 700 living languages in Indonesia, and I most likely will not be get to hear them all let alone understand them. I won't be able to learn all the languages and have conversations in native tongues. I can only hope to taste as many local dishes as I can.
I am blessed to visit Jakarta for the first time and lovingly bombarded with all the other beautiful places in Indonesia I must visit with first hand accounts from people who have left their countries and moved there. I want to go there, I want to see it all. And this is why I may never call one place home.
I am so thankful to Red Bull for giving me this opportunity and bringing these amazing people together.
- edi
