Cambodian Mowing

Improvise, improvise, improvise. That's what you do when you don't have all those handy gadgets around. I have yet to see a real lawnmower (push or rider) in Cambodia. Probably because there isn't enough grass in Phnom Penh in any one spot to actually need one. After walking a few feet with the mower it would be time to turn it off, hardly worth it. Importing machinery is expensive and there is not enough industry in Cambodia to produce mowers.

So...what do you do when you need to cut the patch of grass? Haul out your weed wipper and don your motorbike helmet. It's rather amusing to watch, especially when you compare lawn services back home. My brother works for "Straight Stripes" in Grand Rapids and proudly boasts that he has the straightest stripes in town. When Nate (my brother) was in Cambodia it was downright hilarious to see his facial expressions as he watched the grass get cut. Let's just say that the goal is not so much to "get the stripes straight" as it is to get the grass below shoelace level. We were at the school this morning and I had to grab a picture of the school lawn getting a grasscut.

The weeks are flying by here in Phnom Penh. Darryl is exceptionally busy this year developing new classes. He's filled in a few times teaching at a local church and will be assisting another Khmer church from time to time. My days are busy round the clock taking care of three little Dederts. I enjoy being with them and once my littlest peanut start sleeping some stretches at night I'd like to hop back into volunteering a bit at Logos doing development projects. I'm afraid this blog is becoming very one-sided...as I'm the one who usually posts you hear little from the school front! I need to work on getting Darryl to post, let's see what I can do!

Here's a picture of the littlest peanut...