Nety Riana Sari
JAN: It’s so good to talk to you today, Nety!
NETY: Likewise, Jan. I wish we could be speaking in person. Indonesia is just a bit too far from the United States!
JAN: Has Indonesia always been home for you? What has it been like growing up there?
NETY: I was born in a rural area of a small town in Sumatra, Indonesia. My house was always surrounded by trees, from fruit trees to rubber trees. We even had thickets, which resemble young, regenerated forest a lot, with trees and undergrowth. So, I’ve always felt most comfortable in an area with trees and wide-open spaces. I’m now living in my childhood home. Though, a lot has changed to its surroundings. The thickets and rubber plantations have been replaced by housing developments. However, the fruit trees in my yard are still there!
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As soon as I push open the shop door and step inside, the busy sounds of Hong Kong the pelting of the midyear monsoon rains, the cacophony of bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the rapid-fire chatter of Cantonese on the street begin to fall away. There’s now a sense of calm and order. Neat rows of display cases and glass cabinets, pushed against the walls or placed in the middle of the room, gleam silently under the shop’s fluorescent lights.
Within each case lie hundreds of items. At a sweeping glance, they all look similar off-white with yellow or brown hues, smooth and creamy in texture, like solidified milk. But a closer look reveals otherwise. There are chopsticks and chess sets, necklaces and name seals. There are statues of the Three Wise Monkeys and the Goddess of Mercy. There are intricate carvings depicting scenes from Chinese myth and folklore bearded men bearing scrolls, suited warriors riding antlered deer, dragons and phoenixes flying through rolling clouds.