Dear Manchester

DEAR MANCHESTER

I remember the very first time I saw you. Dad was driving us across Mancunian Way, through the heart of the city, and all these buildings were mirroring the sides of the road around us. You looked so futuristic, metropolitan, intriguing. I wanted to discover your secrets and magic. We had come to look at the university, to help me decide if you were the place where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. Until that day, my only knowledge of Manchester was from Take That's Beautiful World album, a cherished part of my childhood, Manchester United football club, a team I used to pretend to support because it seemed cool at the time, and Coronation Street, because my Mum is a lifelong fan. I had no idea what to expect of the city I had only come to know through fragments here and there. Little did I know my connection to you, and the story we would write together, was only just beginning.

The next time I saw you, it was from a train high above, cutting through the city centre, making our way to Piccadilly. I remember seeing these buildings that were somewhat dilapidated, falling apart even, yet to me there was something so beautiful about that. I didn't see destruction, hopelessness, abandonment, tiredness, loss. Instead I saw stories, history, character, hope, wonder. And I knew that this was significant because my Mum, who was on the train with me, saw the former. She couldn't see your beauty. Much as she tried, she was blind to it. And that's when I started to realise that me and you Manchester, we might just have found a match in one another.

I remember taking the Magic Bus for the first time from Piccadilly Gardens, and we drove past these magnificent buildings both old and new. I was in awe. There were so many people too, and despite them being strangers, there was a sense of companionship amongst them. A sense of unity, if you will. It's hard to explain. I remember me and Mum trying to figure out where the MRI was on a map, because my university interview was on the road next to it. You seemed so big and confusing back then, when I didn't know you like the back of my hand. But a kind man sitting next to us overheard our conversation and told us when to get off the bus. That was the first time I experienced the kindness and warmth that so famously defines you and your people. 

Walking down that road to my interview, I had no idea that one day I would call that road home, and that I would spend most days of my life walking up and down it for one reason or another. And when I returned to you for my second interview, I again had no idea that you, Manchester, would be the next calling point on the road map of my life. All I knew, when I walked across the uni campus, and later when I walked through town to the train station, was that a part of me was longing to stay and be a part of you. I wanted to orchestrate and illustrate my life right in this mesmerising city. You felt so full of promise and magic and possibility and energy. I was captivated.

Over the last three years of my life, since starting university, I have come to know you so well. Manchester, you feel like a home to me now. The feeling I get when I see you on the horizon is unlike anything else I know. When the train pulls into Derby station, I feel nostalgic, and I think of the past. When the train pulls into Picadilly, or even Oxford Road, I feel excited, and I think of the future instead. To me you are my dream city. I am so in love with you. You are everything I ever dreamed for in one. That I ended up living out some of the best years of my life in Manchester is something I will appreciate with such gratitude for the rest of my days.

I have long stated this fact, but Manchester, you are truly the city that made me. Exploring your many roads, landmarks, districts and neighbourhoods has given me a passion for adventure and discovery and spontaneity. When I was lonely, lost, confused, sad, you always felt like a friend, a guiding hand, a companion. So many of my precious memories are contained within the backdrop of you. Nights out. Gigs. Dancing. Eating food. Going for drinks. Late night adventures. Early morning adventures. Sunny afternoons in the park. Coffee dates. Helping the community. Exploring. Laughter. Love. Friendship. You've always been at the heart of it all. You have led me to so many incredible people. You have helped me to grow and soar and keep moving forwards. You have shown me the possibilities that exist out there in the big wide world.You have educated me and carried me and given me so much fulfilment. You have shown me a new way of living. Your energy, beauty, grandeur, humility, modesty, kindness, compassion and love have helped me to become a better person. The kind of person I always hoped to be. The history, tales, culture and influence you possess continually inspire me. 

And as for your people... your people are some of the best, if not the best, I have ever known. Even the other night, when I went to a gig at the Etihad, I was reminded by how gorgeous, dazzling and vibrant the Mancunian spirit is. And I felt so lucky to be surrounded by these amazing people who love to laugh, sing, smile, chat to strangers, joke with police officers, swear, dress up to the nines, hold the hands of those they love so tightly, have the time of their lives whatever the day of the week, help others so selflessly, work so damn hard, protect their own as if their life depended on it, and live together as one united, unique, diverse, accepting and welcoming family. So lucky that I am continually exposed to such humanity, solidarity and love.

And I know that a couple of weeks ago, someone tried to break and hurt you and your people. They tried to create division, hatred and fear, through their inhumanity, selfishness, carelessness and brutality. They tried to puncture a hole in the very things that make Manchester so mighty, so strong, so unique, so admirable, so brilliant. They tried so hard, and used such barbaric means to do so. But they didn't succeed. Although so many precious lives were lost, as a city we found the hope, will, and strength to carry on. To ensure that only goodness and positivity led us forwards. When faced with hate, we responded with love. So much love. When faced with division, we chose unity and humanity. When faced with fear, we embraced fearlessness. 

Those couple of days were some of the worst many of us will ever know, and they will stay with us forever. But my god Manchester, those days also made me so indescribably proud to call you my home. To call your people my people. To be living my life in a city that embodies every value I ever believed in, and sets an example to the rest of the world of how we can peacefully live together as one. To be a part of your story and your history. To be a part of the life, energy and hope that will heal your wounds and continue to drive you forwards into a better tomorrow. To be able to help you rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes. Manchester, my dear, dear, home, you are phenomenal. I will love you always.