A Swiss take on East London

It is always interesting to hear what people have to say about places that you are familiar with; to get the outsider’s eye. I have commented before how I often feel I have acquired this outsider’s eye even in the country I grew up in, but I still obviously have a different level of familiarity than that of a tourist on a flying visit. Having landed at City Airport, I was then standing next to three Swiss university students who had been on the same flight from Zurich. They were gently mocking the ‘very British’ accent and doing what is often amusing to do in a foreign country; repeating the announcements of the station names in their best British. In my experience it is more amusing in a country where they consider one vowel sufficient in a ten-letter word, such as the Netherlands.
The girls on the DLR were clearly excited about their trip to London. In their polka-dot mackingtosh, Converse trainer combo, they actually looked more London that Zurich. They observed that the brick houses were cute; they would love to live in a brick house with a coloured door. Then they spotted the more common sombre sky-high rise blocks of East London; ‘can you imagine living there?’ said one, as she took out her pink Pentax to immortalise the multi-coloured laundry hanging out to dry on the balconies-come-entrance halls of these blocks. I realised that I evidently turn a blind eye to the sad poverty of it all; you grow used to such sights in London in a way that you never do in Zurich.
The girls were excited by a red bus. I found that quite endearing. It is so interesting to notice what other people find fascinating, for them to point out that in fact, little brick houses are quite appealing. They said less favourable things about the torrent of rain that was bucketing from the heavens, but I guess they’ll still get used to that.