Conquering My Fears

Monday, October 12, 2015

I've been busy lately so I haven't been able to edit the rest of the photos from my Three Day Weekend. But it just so happens that today is yet ANOTHER holiday so I have the day off. :) Americans really do work too much. These holidays are great recovery days! Today's holiday is Unity Day, and I got an e-mail from the US embassy in Moscow warning me to stay away from large crowds that may become unruly.

Anyways, I met with my friend, Anton, and he planned to show me around the city. We walked up October Prospect to the Ferris Wheel. The walk took over an hour from my house, but my legs have turned into steel poles since I moved here. I just remember my first few weeks and my legs would hurt so bad from walking short distances. I almost forgot why I liked to walk so much. We ended up at the Ferris wheel, and we walked in like I had never been deathly afraid of Ferris wheels in my life. I don't even know why it didn't hit me as we walked on that I was actually going to ride one. It wasn't until we started to ascend that I started to panic, but I tried to play it cool because I knew if I didn't I would start crying. I literally have never been so terrified in my life. The only comfort was that the cabin was closed on all sides and I was facing outward so I couldn't tell how long it would take to start the descent. I was so stressed during the ride that I had a nightmare that night that I saw the devil and experienced sleep paralysis for the first time. I distracted myself by taking pictures and not looking down. :) I will probably not ride another Ferris wheel again!

After the Ferris wheel we walked to Lenin Square which was right next to it. I got my second selfie with a Lenin statue. My next goal is to get a selfie with his house which is also in Ufa.

When I was satisfied with my selfies we took a bus to Olympic Park. We didn't do much but walk around because it was cold and most things we closed but he did show me the ski lift that had incredible views of the river and countryside. In the park is an awesome rope park that I am determined to try before I leave Ufa. Hopefully I won't panic like I did when I rode the Ferris Wheel. We finished the night by walking to a mall to warm up when it started to snow.

Don't you just love the houses in the countryside? The roofs are so colorful and it's the first thing I saw when I landed in Ufa two months ago. In other news, Duolingo finally came out with their Russian version for English speakers. Finally!