about how things were for me there

[EngLearner]

Suppose I went on a business trip to London for three months. After returning home, I told my friend about how things were for me there. Among other things, I said to him: "When I lived in London, I was getting up at 5 a.m. to get to work by 6."

I wrote the text above. Is the use of "were" in "how things were for me there" grammatically correct, or do I need the past perfect "had been" (because one thing is earlier in time than the other)?

 

[emsr2d2]

Suppose I went on a business trip to London for three months. After returning home, I told my friend about how things were for me there. Among other things, I said to him: "When I lived in London, I was getting up at 5 a.m. to get to work by 6."

I wrote the text above. Is the use of "were" in "how things were for me there" grammatically correct, or do I need the past perfect "had been" (because one thing is earlier in time than the other)?

Please define "one thing" and "the other".

 

[EngLearner]

Please define "one thing" and "the other".

"How things were for me there" is earlier in time than the telling.

 

[tedmc]

I would say, "I told my friend about my daily routine there".

 

[emsr2d2]

I wouldn't use the original or tedmc's.

... I told my friend about my time there.
... I told my friend what it was like for me there.

 

[tedmc]

I think OP is not really talking about "how things were", as in how he finds the place, but rather, what he did as a routine when he was there. Things that are done on a regular basis over a period of time become a routine, don't they?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would say, "I told my friend about my daily routine there".

He said that he told him about his getting up time "among other things". Those other things might not have had anything to do with his daily routine.