TRAPPED
I am claustrophobic.
The first thing I do when I go to bars or concert venues is to look for the exit doors and make sure I have an unimpeded access to them, just in case. I can't sleep without lights on because I dread waking up in the middle of the night and getting the feeling that I'm trapped - it's not really fear of darkness because I've slept in large open spaces that were pitch black at that time (and enjoyed it too, but that's another post).
This is why I don't like taking long elevator rides, specially when alone. There was a time I had to take an elevator all the way to the 46th floor of a 48-storey buidling and I had to get off somewhere at the 32nd floor (I think) because I was beginning to have a panic attack. I used to work at the Tektite Towers in Ortigas and my office was in the 30th floor - I always made sure I wasn't alone every time I boarded an elevator.
Fortunately for me, the building where I work at now is relatively shorter -all of ten floors and my office is at the 7th floor. I take comfort in the fact that I can take the stairs going up and down, which I never do anyway. But the elevator rides are brief and relatively uneventful... until of course yesterday.
Yesterday, I got stuck in an elevator during a brownout. Arrrghhhhhhhhhhh. And the worst part was that I was alone. Arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh again! Fortunately, the building had a stand-by generator set that automatically took over the power requirements and the elevator I was in was also equipped with batteries that powered emergency lights. So thank god, at least it wasn't pitch dark inside the elevator. But it took a few minutes before the elevator started to move... and those few minutes seemed like hours.
I can now pompously state that I know what it really feels like to be trapped in an elevator. And all I can say is that I am not riding an elevator alone again!
The first thing I do when I go to bars or concert venues is to look for the exit doors and make sure I have an unimpeded access to them, just in case. I can't sleep without lights on because I dread waking up in the middle of the night and getting the feeling that I'm trapped - it's not really fear of darkness because I've slept in large open spaces that were pitch black at that time (and enjoyed it too, but that's another post).
This is why I don't like taking long elevator rides, specially when alone. There was a time I had to take an elevator all the way to the 46th floor of a 48-storey buidling and I had to get off somewhere at the 32nd floor (I think) because I was beginning to have a panic attack. I used to work at the Tektite Towers in Ortigas and my office was in the 30th floor - I always made sure I wasn't alone every time I boarded an elevator.
Fortunately for me, the building where I work at now is relatively shorter -all of ten floors and my office is at the 7th floor. I take comfort in the fact that I can take the stairs going up and down, which I never do anyway. But the elevator rides are brief and relatively uneventful... until of course yesterday.
Yesterday, I got stuck in an elevator during a brownout. Arrrghhhhhhhhhhh. And the worst part was that I was alone. Arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh again! Fortunately, the building had a stand-by generator set that automatically took over the power requirements and the elevator I was in was also equipped with batteries that powered emergency lights. So thank god, at least it wasn't pitch dark inside the elevator. But it took a few minutes before the elevator started to move... and those few minutes seemed like hours.
I can now pompously state that I know what it really feels like to be trapped in an elevator. And all I can say is that I am not riding an elevator alone again!
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