Two brothers and their wives. I stayed with the couple on the right.

Man wasn't flipping the bird, but making a sign of rubbing his thumb and middle finger together. He did this a lot. Often, he wanted me to press my thumbs against his, to indicate everything was OK. His wife spoke five words of English and five words of Vietnamese, so I had to rely on hand gestures to communicate with them. With my hands together, I placed them to the side of my head and closed my eyes, to say I was ready to sleep. Making circular motions on my belly meant I wasn't hungry.

Man on the left is a rice farmer with seven children. His oldest, an 18-year-old daughter, has just gotten married, so is living with her husband's family. That leaves two adults and six children in their tiny wooden shack. Laughing, he told me he wanted one more kid.

They've spent $15,000 to build a much bigger house. Another thousand is needed to finish it. This may take another year.