I HATE rollercoasters! I don't like heights, the speed makes my stomach hurt, and the anxiety of just being on the ride gets me every time. Even rides like Splash Mountain or Railroad whatever its called in Disney world, they make my stomach turn! They scare me! Ridiculous, I know.
I've been on maybe 4 (adult) rollercoasters in my life, mostly in Disney world, and when I was younger.
During my sophmore year of high school my family and I were headed down to visit my brother at the University of Tampa where he attended college at the time. My parents let me bring two of my closest friends, so right then and there it became a party. Half of what we did, I don't remember, but it was a weekend full of love, and skipping.
One of the days, my parents took us all to Busch Gardens. My friends loved rollercoasters so it was the perfect place to go, and (like a mom) I happily stood on the sidelines taking pictures and cheering them on. One rollercoaster they rode went at a 90 degree angle at some point. Just by watching my stomach turned, and I said "eh, no thanks."
My mom doesn't like rides like that either. She and I are very agreeable sometimes, so we would find something else to do, like get Henna tattoos, or take lots and lots of pictures.
It came time that we were leaving within the hour, and my friends have failed their mission of convincing me to ride a rollercoaster with them. ALAS! One of the final rides was a rollercoaster called Gwazi. An enormously high and fast wooden ride, with no loops, or upside-down things. Everyone was taking bets on whether I would do it or not, but the real deal breaker was when my friend, in a baby voice, and also in French, asked me to ride the rollercoaster with her. Ask me in a baby voice or a foreign language and you're pretty convincing. But ask me in a baby voice AND a foreign language at the same time?! You have me hooked.
Thats the great thing about foreign languages in the U.S., when you hear or speak them it feels like you're discussing a secret.
So of course when my friend says with a pouting face, "est-ce que vous roulez le rollercoaster." I don't even think she said it right but "le rollercoaster" in a French baby accent got me.
Upon twiddling my thumbs for ten minutes in line, my stomach was twisting the entire wait, but my friends were jumping up and down with excitement. The worst part of a rollercoaster, whether you like the rides or not, is the click click click click, and the sloooow motion of going up the peak from the station to where the REAL ride begins. That is the most anxious moment for me. Particularly when the cart is slowly rounding the top of the peak and half of me is starting to fall while the other half can still feel the least bit of contentment that the ride has not yet begun. After that fall, anything is possible! I mostly say "HOLY!" a lot without finishing my phrase, because even in a rip of panic I am aware that there may be children around. Also, another choice phrase is "WOAAAA" It's a combination of woah, and ah that I was inclined to repeat throughout the 2 minute ride.
The rollercoaster wasn't so bad, it was only the big drops that really had me hesitant to throw my hands high in the air. By the end I had let loose a little bit, but my stomach was in agony, and I was not convinced to do it another time.
I've always had motion sickness since I was a kid; boats, trains, planes, all kinds of movement. I guess I can use that as an excuse, it's just something that I can't control.
Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang. :P
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