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Yoojin is a Korean-American editor and painter currently based in New York City.
Q&A
Why do you travel?
Travel is a way of reminding myself that I am small and the world is big; it reduces my sense of self-importance.
What’s one thing you never travel without?
My notebook and pen--a necessity for on-the-go scribbles and doodles, especially in areas of the world where you have zero internet connection.
City or country?
City during spring, fall, and winter; country during the summer.
Do you like traveling solo?
I love traveling alone--it makes me bold.
Carry-on or checked?
Checked. I *must* always leave room for souvenirs.
What’s on your travel bucket list?
I’d love to visit Vietnam, particularly its smaller villages.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
If you had asked me five years earlier, it would’ve been anywhere but New York City; but now, it’s nowhere else but New York City!
What is your favorite time of year to travel?
Spring or fall, to avoid the summer heat, the winter chill, and the off-school vacation crowd.
What items do you always try to bring back as souvenirs?
My souvenirs are always either foodstuffs--like oils, cheeses, vinegars, powders--or items made by local artisans.
What's your first travel memory?
A family trip to Jeju Island in South Korea, where I swam with a hard, black rubber floatie and feasted on ripe watermelons until I passed out on the beach.
In Agra, marble inlay, a technique where white marble is carved in an intricate design to make space for an inlay of patterns crafted from precious and semi-precious gemstones, is a steadfast—and now, famous—tradition.