I am inordinately proud of myself for ordering four! separate times today and exchanging money without any problems because these small things have become really intimidating and even if I know the word for what I want my pronunciation gets in the way of the desired result. Granted, this consisted of pointing and grunting, but it’s a surprisingly effective form of communication. I have considered speaking slowly in english and repeating myself over and over, because that's what people do to me in vietnamese, but cooler heads prevailed. When I bought a coffee and bao this morning I was giddy, like I had just Done Something, and I sat enjoying the cool morning, pretending that I had an air of the cosmopolitan about me. It was one of the worst baos I’ve ever had in my life, but whatever.

I'm serious about pointing and grunting being an overlooked method to communicate. What people who do speak english have accents so thick it's another language to my ears and my coworkers are used to english spoken with french accents so we consistently misunderstand each other because our pronunciation is so wildly different. My perplexed-face is getting a work out.

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Griselda has made two more appearances. Honestly, I'm just so happy that the streak in the corner of my eye isn't a spider the size of a matchbook that I welcome her presence. She said good morning before scurrying under the fridge and just now ran across the headboard while I was typing. I think she lives in the bed frame.

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The Return of Bánh mì: Trứng (egg). My eggs were cooked to order in a small wok on a single burner gas stove, and this lady knows how to do over easy, but the meat trio was better. I think I know my favorite street cart.

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My landlady just knocked on the door to give me spring rolls. Last night she fed me enough for two people to be fully satisfied and when I came home today I found bananas on the fridge. It feels super awkward to say "thank you" in Vietnamese because it sounds so similar to "come on" (cảm ơn) that I feel ridiculous, like I'm snarking at folks. Come on.