A literal answer to the question asked

Today I interviewed an elderly Hmong couple (through an interpreter).

I asked, "what do you do here in Laos" expecting to hear a variation on the 'we're old, we don't do anything,' 'we're citizens,' or 'we watch the grandchildren' which are all common answers among elderly Lao applicants.

But this elderly woman, remaining teeth crimson-coated from a lifetime of betelnut, looked at me with a big grin and said 'WE GROW RICE AND WE EAT RICE' (all caps to connote a relatively forceful response).

Okay. A straightforward answer about their life here in Laos.

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Tonight we're heading over to our friend Jon's house for some poker. Diana and Alan are going to play. Beginners always win....we'll see...

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So, some possibilities for our next post, in no particular order: Moscow, Uzbekistan, Syria, Namibia, Belize, London, New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands, Turkmenistan.

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