My name is Tomas Terstad, and I am Roger Smith.

Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by JohnKnowles in Community, Hotel

Looking out the window, from the seventeenth floor it’s hard for me to grip what I’m seeing. Skyscrapers in different heights and shapes. Far down are hundreds of different people, coming from different places, all with different destinations. I’ve seen this place before many times, in media and movies. I’ve heard people singing about it, and I’ve heard people dreaming about it, but I never thought I would be seeing it with my own eyes. I’m in New York city.

I can’t help to think how I ended up here. The previous place that I could call home had a very different window view. There I could see tall mountains covered in snow, no matter the season.
In cold places I have glided over the snow, in hotter regions I have surfed waves, and in NYC I cruise the streets on my board. The world is like a one big playground, and for those that want it, it’s out there. All a person needs is a little curiosity and an open mind, to be able to spot all the fun that is around us. People will always be different and sometimes narrow minded, sometimes scared to stick out of the crowd and be different. I like environments where I know I can be myself, and where people don’t have to be afraid to be different. I mutually carry an open mind no matter where I am.

In no other element I feel more as myself, as I do when I’m dancing. I like to freestyle, and I like to find new ways of moving. The more crooked and bent the movement, the more it expresses me. No matter how I move, it’s got to me funky! Roger Smith represents that funk. All I want to do all day everyday is to put on my funky Roger Smith persona and get caught in the rhythm to where it reaches a point where everything else seems to disappear.

The things in life that makes me happy are nature, physical activity and sharing the good moments in life with friends. Sometimes a smile or a joke with a complete stranger can have an even more positive effect, in a sense that the bonding process happens ultra fast, and generates a powerful feeling of being alive.
I think that this is one of the main reasons to why I ended up in New York. I was lucky enough to find a place where my mentality fits in, and where I continuously meet potential friends from near and far.
To me New York is like a connecting dot on the planet where people with different languages, cultures and styles all share the city. It’s funny but after some time spent in NYC, you start to notice that many of the people you meet are not originally from here, and many others (just like myself), are just passing by.

Being Roger Smith is not hard, not straining and not fake. Everyday I meet Roger Smith. There is a little bit of Roger Smith in all of us, but since this all about me I’m going to say it.
My name is Tomas Terstad, and I am Roger Smith (even when I spin on my head).

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Tags: Breakdancing, culture, feature, New York City, Roger Smith, Roger Smith Hotel, Roger Smith Intern, Tomas Terstad, video