Elevators

So I was going to write about Polish elevators on the "you know you're Polish" post but then I decided to make this a separate 'elevator' post. These are my confessions.

Hi. My name is Augustyna and I have a phobia of elevators.

Ever since I was a kid I feared elevators! When growing up I used to live in a building that had three elevators (all of which have freaked the shit out of me at least once). I became so sensitive to the moving floor under my feet that I told myself stories and even talked to the elevators to calm my anxiety. I'm not kidding.. I can go on and on about the shit I forced myself to believe.

I hated being alone in elevators and being in crowded elevators. So many times the elevator wouldn't open its doors OR it would open its doors but midway between the floors. I was more calm when this happened on say the third floor but when it happened on the 17th (and it usually did) I'd shit my pants. K, not literally.. but I would crouch to the floor (when alone) or move around (when with some1) so I wouldn't have to feel that "falling" feeling.

Nevertheless, I swallowed my fear just so I could be "cool" and ride in the elevators with my friends. Unfortunately they all lived on floors below mine.. so I'd usually hold the elevator door till the person living on the last floor got home.. then I'd sneak out and take the stairs to my floor (haha). I only got caught once.. so I pretended my mother sent me for some sugar and I accompanied my frnd to her apt. In addition, I would never take the elevator down. I'd take the stairs from the 12th floor to the first- which only took me 3 min's. As I got older I used to make sure I rode the elevators up with my special friend.. lets call him Sam.. because he used to live on the penthouse floor haha. But this got turned waaayyy out of proportion when he started noticing I wanted to be left alone with him in the elevators .. oh man!

Aneways, I was a strong believer that every elevator had a character. This is not to say that I believed the elevators were alive.. its just that all 3 elevators had a different way that they stopped and lifted off the ground. The first elevator was the 'uncertain' elevator. She was light on the departure and slow on the stop. She also couldn't pick up as many ppl as she stated she could (on that lil 'elevator paper'). She was the most common to get stuck and do something unexpected- such as the opening of doors midway between floors. She was my least favourite and I called her "The Bitch".
The middle elevator was my favourite. The feel of the rise and fall sensitivity was inbetween "The Bitch's" and "Grandpa's" (the last elevator). I named this elevator "Max" and knew his every move- he would not surprise me, he was safe, he was predictable. When going up I would always take this elevator (that is, when I had a choice of which one to take. During 'traffic' I had to catch a ride wherever me n my frnds would fit).
However, I did get stuck in this elevator (when I was 6 years old.. and I remember it like yesterday). Actually, I think this is how my elevator phobia started. I got stuck during the 'traffic' hours. A bunch of us kids were coming home from the park and we noticed the other elevators were full. So we decided to pack into the middle elevator despite the fact that it's lights were not working. So we decided to go down to the basement (to avoid traffic from the basement) and come back up in this dark elevator...and like the 6 year old angels that we weren't, we were jumping, bouncing balls around the walls.. and pressing every button just for fun. Then suddenly there was a loud noise, a jerk, and the elevator came to a stop. We were stuck half way between the basement and the first floor, in the dark, for over 30 minutes. I think I was fine the first few minutes.. but then my frnd started crying and someone started talking about some movie they saw with elevators falling from top floors (I know now this movie was Speed). We were all rescued by firefighters... who pried the doors open while were stuck half way btwn floors.
Cool huh? NO!
Since I was crouched on the floor I happened to see both basement and first floor..and my imaginations started taking me places I didn't want to go. As they were pulling me out of the elevator I also took a look at what was under the elevator. It scared the shit out of me. 1. Not only could the elevator have dropped and cut my body in half but 2. There was a large space or smtn' below the basement where all this garbage was present; it was dark, deep, and dirty- what if I fell in? lol.

So ever since then, and ever since watching Speed (which was on PPV at the time) I'd have the same elevator dream over and over again. Me being stuck- falling in elevators that were cut from the top floors- only having discovered that one elevator was connected to another, which was connected to another! and when I'd finally reach that dark, dirty room below the basement- I'd be pulled up on a rope only to start falling again.

The third elevator was sturdy and heavy. I'd call it "Grandpa" because it was usually used for moving in and out of apartments- also maintenance. This elevator was okay but it was incredibly slow. It's slowness took the doors to open more longer.. and it was soo pianful for me when I saw the doors open early (b4 the elevator fully stopped) and at slow motion. So I also avoided this elevator. lol.
But if I were forced into the elevator, by my parents f. ex, my belief was that if I talked and trusted the elevator it would treat me well (of course I believed the elevators could here my thoughts..so I'd never talk to it out loud haha).It was all about trust. lol.

Aneways, this isn't meant to be some sad, pathetic story. I assure you that as I'm writing this I realize how stupid this phobia is (and how crazy I really am :S)! but I battled this fear.. and am not afraid of elevators anymore. Although, I do admit that when caught off guard the same feeling of anxiety does come back.

Here is a video of the elevators in Poland.. I've seen them in person.. and to this day have not stepped into one. In fact, I hope I never have to ride these elevators. I do not trust them and can not believe that they are still operating!



This video shows what it is like in the elevator. There is only one door, that on the floor (not in the elevator). So when waiting for the elevator, you just push one door and walk in as if you were entering a room in your house. There is usually a sign before you pull the elevator door open that says "DANGER! Make sure there is an elevator on the other side of this door". I've read many stories where people would open the doors, the elevator was late in arriving, and they would lose their.. body parts. SAD!