14 Things I Learned In London [Original Poem]

For those of you who don't know, I spent last semester studying in London. Here is a poem I wrote, in the style of Lord Birthday, about my life in London.

14 Things I Learned in London
Sal, 2023

1. You really don't need as much stuff as you think you do. 

2. Nothing good happens at the nightclub before 1am or after 2:30am. 

3. Going off the previous point, never ask a member of nightclub staff for an illicit substance. 

4. People come and go. Friends, even, come and go. Do not force anyone to stay in your life who doesn't want to be there. 

5. You may be sad but at least you aren't addicted to nicotine. Then you'd be broke AND sad. 

6. It's okay to know nothing else if you at least know who you are.

7. Goat cheese is edible and delicious. Try new things. That said, cod is terrible and I knew it would be from the moment I smelled it. So be sure to trust your intuition, too. 

8. Cheating the system is only okay if you can get away with it and your net gain is greater than any individual's net loss. For example, no rail worker is going to get fired over you hopping a 3 pound gate. 

9. The world is big but not big enough to be mean to people. 

10. Men remember compliments forever.

11. There are many things in life that you will never understand. Rugby. Bus routes. Christmas crackers. Just take solace in knowing that nobody else understands them either. 

12. You don't need to get drunk to have a good time, but it doesn't hurt. 

13. Just because their circumstances would make YOU unhappy, doesn't mean they're unhappy. 

14. Love simply cannot die. It will change and fade, but it will never die. If it dies, it wasn't love.

And that's the poem! I really like it and I think it encapsulates well everything I did and learned in London. I'm a new woman now or whatever, yipee!