I still remember when we first arrived in Manchester. It was pouring with rain and a significant change in temperature. We left Sydney on a balmy 25 degrees, arriving in Manchester to freezing rain. It was -2C outside. 

When my partner, Duncan first mentioned that he'd like to live in the UK, I wasn't sold. I told him 

"Why the f**k do I wanna live there? It's cold, crowded and expensive!"

What made me change my mind? A holiday to Bali, Indonesia a year earlier. I discovered a completely different culture and it was there I caught the travel bug. A few months later, we were on a plane headed for the mother country. 

In hindsight, it was the best decision I've made in my life. I've never looked back. 8 years on and we now have Indefinite Leave to Remain which essentially means we have permanent residency. I'm not quite a citizen, though I am eligible now. 

We stayed in a 5 star hotel in Manchester City Centre for 2 nights to recover somewhat from the jet lag. I don't remember too much of that stay except for the rain and freezing temperatures. From there, we booked an AirBnB with a host for a month just outside Manchester in a suburb called Chorlton. 

From there, we established ourselves, setup bank accounts, applied for our National Insurance Numbers and found a place to live. The next step was to bring our cats over from Australia. Once we found a place, we arranged for them to be transported from Sydney and picked them up at Manchester Airport. Then it was time to find employment which we did quite easily. 

I scored a job at a local picture framers while Duncan secured employment in the social sciences sector, working for the American conglomerate GE Healthcare. That was how our new life in England began.