Hives...and I'm Not Talking About Honey

A couple years ago I had an allergic reaction to something, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. After lunch today I had the same reaction and now I know: I'm allergic to calamari, a.k.a. squid. Unfortunately I went to town on the plate set before me today. Dipped it in some sweet and sour sauce...mmm. Well, now I know. The hives have gone down, so no worries :)

The fruit of the day is [drum roll].........custard apples! When they're ripe the ominous scaly skin peels right off. Like the dragon fruit, it has a very subtly taste, perhaps even less so. It's also a bit slimy. I understand why they might call it an apple because it's similar to a soft apple. It's meant to be that way, though, so you're not disappointed by its un-crispyness.

A Vietnamese woman greeted me in English outside of the grocery store today and we had a brief exchange. It was exciting to me since I hadn't talked to anyone other than English teachers for days now. My Vietnamese so far is limited to my room number and "hello."

Below is a picture of the custard apple (displayed by my project partners) and the classroom we visit every day.