SOMETIMES OUR daily life becomes too repetitive and mundane. Finding retreat in some of our favorite works of fiction, from the beautifully written pieces of literature to the picturesque scenery of virtual game realities, is a great way to transport our minds to another world. To help students break away from the monotony of life that might befall upon them in the middle of the semester, The Yonsei Annals decided to interview our fellow Yonseians to see where their imaginations take them.

Gossage Mackenzie (Soph., UIC, International Studies)

   “The fictional world I would most like to visit would be Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was perhaps six or seven when I first started watching the show, so I have a lot of nostalgia for it. In Avatar, the world is divided into four distinct nations: the earth kingdom, water tribes, air nomads, and fire nation. Each nation has a corresponding element that sits at the heart of its culture, and some of its citizens can bend these elements. For me, instead of being one of the main characters, I would rather experience the everyday beauty of the world without having to worry about enemies or impending evil. Apart from leisurely testing out any of the bending skills, I would first head to the spiritual oasis in the Northern Water Tribe or the upside-down buildings of the Western Air Temple.”

Jo Yun-hyung (Soph., UIC, Economics)

   “My ideal fictional world is Hogwarts from Harry Potter. Hogwarts serves as a boarding school in Scotland, where the protagonist and other students master the art of wizardry. I have read the series through my adolescence, but it was the films’ extraordinary visuals that genuinely deepened my interest in the wizarding universe. I imagine myself entering the world as one of the students learning magic or as one of the characters’ acquaintances. Although stepping into Harry’s shoes would lead me to adventures, I would be constantly concerned about the possibility of having endangered others’ lives for my safety. Hence, spectating all the amazing action from the background is more suitable for my personality. I think I would remain in Hogwarts for as long as possible in order to retain my newfound magical powers while acquainting myself with a new livelihood away from the real world.”

Kim Anastasiya (Jr., Dept. of Business Admin.)

   “Sometimes, I just want to take a break and isolate myself from reality. If I had such an opportunity, I would love to visit the Kingdom of Hyrule in the game called The Legend of Zelda. I believe Hyrule was inspired by the medieval ages, but what differentiates it from our world is the presence of magic and magical creatures, from the cutest fairies and forest spirits to the most dangerous beasts that can kill you. The main character is a warrior who tries to protect the entire kingdom by single-handedly defeating the world’s deadliest monster. When I first played the game as a 15-year-old, I fell in love with every corner of the kingdom. Every location is so mesmerizing; you cannot help but wonder how much work was put into creating the game.”

Hasegawa Alysa (Jr., UIC, Comparative Lit. & Culture and Asian Studies)

   “When I was a kid, I was really interested in Greek mythology. I remember my classroom in elementary school had all the books from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and I read all of them almost in one sitting. The world of the series features various mythical beings, most of them derived from Greek mythology. The demi-gods, who are children of the Greek Gods, normally live together in a hidden shelter called Camp Half-Blood and occasionally use their inherited supernatural abilities to fight against evil forces. If I happen to travel to the world of Percy Jackson, I would definitely want to be a demi-god, become a resident at Camp Half-Blood, and learn to control my powers.”

Kazakova Elena (Sr., UIC, Creative Tech. Management)

   “I have been thinking about this for quite a while and decided that the world I would love to visit is Narnia from The Chronicles of Narnia. I have been a huge fan of the movie series growing up and remember the impact it had on me when I was around seven years old. To be honest, as an adult now, it is impossible to fully describe what that world meant to me when I was young. Still, I would say that Narnia is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of “childhood” and “nature” together. I was most intrigued by how, in the first movie, the characters step into a world full of magical creatures through their wardrobe, which I suppose made any child viewer believe they could access Narnia through their closets too. As a kid born and raised in Siberia, I could relate to the snow-covered view of Narnia on a personal level and could easily imagine myself as one of the main characters. Narnia will continue to be a significant part of my childhood and be reminiscent of the time when I felt like anything is possible.”

Lee Krys (Prof., UIC, Common Curriculum, Creative Writing)

   “For me, Alice in Wonderland is one of the few stories I find just as compelling as the dark fiction that I am usually attracted to. The border between reality and dream in that story has always been very interesting to me. It is one of the books that I continue to return to again and again. It is a place full of wonder, a sense of which grown-ups tend to forget as they get older. I like the idea of drinking a potion and becoming smaller and taller as Alice did just to see what the world would look like from that perspective. What I also like about Alice in Wonderland is that opposed to real life, where there is a constant need for camouflage, one does not need to fit in that world. The strange is normal in Wonderland.

   Our lives have always revolved around fantasy. People find ways to escape reality either through storytelling or our imagination. I hope it is not because the real world is grim, but because it enhances our real life.”