I'll give a step by step guide on how the process works, and explain the most usual case scenario (it may be harder or easier), but the difficult part is the first month. If you can survive that, you're good to go, and having friends in the area makes it much easier from a safety net point of view. From the experiences of myself and others I'll give you some tips to make the transition as smooth as possible. If you have questions or tips feel free to drop me line. Also I'd love to hear about your stories so I can post them.