15th December 2008

Today I arrived in Lalibela, and so far, it's fabulous! I grudginglyrolled out of bed at 4.30 in the morning, was in the airport departure lounge in time to watch the sun come up, and arrived in Lalibela at about 9.40am. A., the project manager of the charity I will be working for, came to meet me, and together with the driver and the foreman (and my luggage!), we piled into the 4x4 and started thewinding journey to Lalibela.

I was in Lalibela for about 3 days in 2006, and had really felt at home there. I'd hated Addis when I'd first arrived, and was concerned I was going to hate Ethiopia entirely, but then I arrived in Lalibela and fell completely in love. I remember saying to K. as we were driven up the mountains 'I don't mean to be insensitive, and I know these people are poor, but my God, they have amazing views!' And I honestly felt no different this time. The steep, winding roads, the incredible views across the mountains, the women making their way into the town with bundles of firewood on their backs, the traditional wooden tukuls … all of it was so familiar, I just kept grinning the entire journey.



And then my grin got wider (if that was possible) when we arrived inthe town of Lalibela and I was shown my house. At the top end of Lalibela already, we walked up a dirt hill, and then several hundred (well, it felt like it at the time) stone steps, before getting to a little wooden house with a kitchen, two bedrooms and a big open living room with floor to ceiling windows. All the better to see the amazing views of the mountain on the right, and Lalibela town at the front!
The house is on a compound with A.'s house, and the LEAP Ethiopia office, meaning I have a 30 second commute to my desk in the morning. Fabulous! I also have a guard (who appears to be about 103 and makes worried noises whenever I go out on my own!) and his two sons who are available to run errands for me – like buying me bread or something.

I also have a flatmate – unfortunately! – in the form of a rat named George. I don't particularly want to share a house with him, but he appears to be unwilling to leave. My second night here, I was cooking dinner when he popped up to say hello and scared the crap out of me. So I went to find A. and some of his friends to get rid of this rat (Damsel in Distress complex? Me? Never!). They responded to my call, and came bearing rat poison and a shovel (presumably they were going to beat it to death!) but sensibly, George had disappeared. So we put down rat poison and bread. In the morning, the bread had disappeared, but there was no dead rat, and judging by the noise, George is definitely alive and well.

So it looks like I'm stuck with him a while longer. It means I'm kept awake every night by his scrabblings, I am constantly disinfecting my kitchen, and have to keep all of my food in the fridge so he can't nibble at it. He is not a good houseguest.

But other than George, Lalibela is fantastic, and I'm definitely ready for my first week here!