'Be careful!' called out my fitness instructor. 'Take plenty of water and food with you.'
I was leaving my fitness session early one day a few months ago to watch my daughter run in a regional cross country race. She had been training for several months, and was thrilled to discover that she had made the cross country team for her school. Of course she had begged me to come along and watch her race. The only problem, from a Melbourne point of view, was that the venue was a fair distance away.
'It's out in the wop-wops,' my friend Gillian remarked when I mentioned the race.
'What exactly are the wop-wops?' I asked.
The wop-wops, you may not be surprised to learn, are not a precise geographical location. Rather, they refer to something 'out there,' a possibly dangerous place, a place that no civilized person in her right mind would go without sufficient cause.
I probed Gillian for a more exact answer. 'Anything outside the tram tracks,' she elaborated. I searched back in my memory for the phrase and remembered that once when I had texted her to let her know we had arrived back in Melbourne from a trip to the outback, she had responded, 'You are safe ... back inside the tram tracks.'
This city perspective on things is very different from the one I inherited from my mother. For my mom, there are few things better than a drive into the country. Her ideal is to be out in the woods, climbing a mountain track or winding along a lane surrounded by fields and farm animals. Not so for the average Melburnian. The city represents culture, safety and all good things. In the city, you are never more than a stone's throw from a good cafe or art gallery, whereas who knows what you might find out in the wop-wops?
There is no question that my own attitude has changed over the past three years from a slightly negative slant on city life to a much more positive one. I still love beautiful scenery, and often my heart longs to be away from the crowds and gazing out over a gorgeous view of a crystal blue lake surrounded by mountain peaks with just one or two close friends for company. But at the same time, I have come to love this particular city with its interesting architecture, laneways throbbing with life, and its abundance of green space. It has indeed been a pleasure to live 'inside the tram tracks.'
Above: The city has its own kind of scenery. Below: My favorite laneway
Sophie running 'out in the wop wops.'
In my attempt to gain a wider readership for my blog, (which, in turn, will hopefully help convince a publisher someday that I can market a book), I am hoping to get some positive comments and ratings at the Expats Blog website in order to win an award for 2013. Asking for this makes me uncomfortable. It feels like self-promotion, and I would rather avoid it. My writing instructor, however, has informed me that I absolutely must have a more substantial online presence in order to publish. If you would like to help me out, please go to the following website to leave a comment and/or rating. It requires a name, email, and you also have to type in letters at the bottom to prove you aren’t a robot. It’s a bit of pain, so I will really appreciate anyone who makes the effort.
Christie
Here it is again: ExpatsBlog Link
p.s. Special thanks to those who have commented already. I will be forever grateful.
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