I was born in Korea, but spent most of my life in Indonesia. After living in Indonesia for 15 years I decided to study abroad in the United States. Traveling back and forth around these three countries, this batik helped me to create a bond between my families and friends. Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique. The use of batik has become a strong source of identity for Indonesians crossing religious, racial and cultural boundaries. The batik has been used since I was a new born until now and is comforting for me because of its sentimental value. Whenever my family had a trip to Korea from Indonesia, my mother always packed her luggage with batik as gifts for families and friends while receiving gifts from others as well. It was my mother’s first step in learning and sharing about the Indonesian culture. As time went by, I started to pack my own luggage with batik as gifts for my family and friends in the United States which enables for me to share Indonesian culture and learning new cultures in the new environments.

– Jeong Won Choi

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