Three Years Later, I Finally Feel Like I Live Here

When we first moved to Perth, everything was new. And I mean everything.

Every suburb was unfamiliar. I didn't know where to live, let alone get a good coffee, where we'd spend our weekends, which beaches we'd like or even where I'd end up doing the weekly shop.

I was constantly Googling things.

And then there was the money.

I was forever converting everything back into pounds.

I'd see something in a shop and immediately work out what it would cost in the UK. I'd go for dinner and do the conversion in my head. I'd look at my bank account and somehow still think in pounds.

It made everything feel slightly unfamiliar.

I think one of the first signs that I was settling was when I stopped doing that.

I stopped thinking about what things cost “back home” and started just knowing what things cost here.

But more than anything, I think Perth started feeling like home when I started making connections.

People.

Places.

Routines.

I started having my favourite coffee shops. I knew where I wanted to go for lunch. I had beaches I liked. I knew which suburbs I enjoyed wandering around and which places were worth the drive.

I started recognising people.

I started having people to text when I wanted to grab a coffee or make a plan.

And suddenly Perth wasn't just somewhere we lived.

It was somewhere I had a life.

I think that's the difference.

When we first arrived, weekends felt like we needed to make a plan.

Now a Saturday can be incredibly simple.

Coffee.

A few errands.

A walk.

Maybe dinner.

Hopefully a sunset.

Nothing particularly exciting.

And yet, that's probably when I realised I felt settled.

When an ordinary Saturday didn't need to be an adventure.

It could just be our Saturday.

I also stopped comparing everything to the UK.

For a long time, I think I was constantly measuring Perth against what I already knew.

How things worked.

What things cost.

What felt normal.

And eventually, I stopped.

Perth became its own thing.

I still miss the UK. I still miss my family and friends. There are still things I would happily bring over from home if I could. But I don't feel like I'm waiting to go back anymore.

Three years later, I know where I'm going.

I know where I'll get my coffee.

I know what I'm doing on a Saturday.

I know the places I love.

I've made connections.

I've built routines.

And somewhere along the way, without really noticing it happening, I stopped feeling like I was new here.

I started feeling like I live here.