4 out of 5... impaired.

my senses, not so good.
waking up on sunday morning with a pretty nasty cold was not a good sign, considering i was flying to spain that afternoon. with a meatloaf sandwich and apple pie packed in a lunch box, i said goodbye to holly and the house, and we were off to jfk! apparently traffic is bad in new york on sunday afternoon of labor day weekend.... but not to worry, i made it to the correct gate with about 20 minutes to spare. 20 minutes of tears, that is. the waterworks started once i hugged my mom and dad goodbye... and they didn't end for a while, off and on. i boarded to my window seat (39L) and sat next to a sweet, sweet woman, who put her hand on my arm and asked if i was alright... and i thought i was being subtle!
so not only did my sinuses affect my nose taste, but my tears impaired my eyesight.
landing (both in madrid and sevilla) was pretty painful. i thought my head was gonna explode! my ears were not down for popping - making my head down for pain. i think my right ear is still not all the way there. but hey, at least i have my sense of touch! i could feel my luggage in my hands!

i'm staying in a hotel tonight and tomorrow, then wednesday is the day we move into our homestays. that will be pretty nerve-racking! tomorrow is packed with orientation business, and now, i'm packed with nyquil. ciao! -- aaaah! i mean "adios!"