October 4: Gracias a La Vida...

Word of the Day: cantautor/a- singer- songwriter

Happy Birthday to Violeta Parra! She was one of the most prominent artists in the folk/protest music movement in Chile in the 1960s before she committed suicide.

Here's one of her most famous songs! There's also a version by fellow Chilean songstress Mercedes Sosa that is very famous, if not more so. Sorry, I can't seem to get videos embedded in the blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW3IgDs-NnA

These stanzas really sum up my experience in Chile:

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos
Playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me dio el corazón que agita su marco
Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano
Cuando miro el bueno tan lejos del malo
Cuando miro el fondo de tus ojos claros

My less poetic attempt at an English translation:

Thank you to life, which has given me so much
Given me march in my tired feet
With them I've crossed cities and puddles
Beaches and deserts, moutains and plains
And your house, your street and your patio

Thank you to life, which has given me so much
Given me my heart which marks my life
When I see the fruit of the human mind
When I see the good so far from the bad
When I see the hidden in your clear eyes

Also, pretty much completed unrelated, but I found an interesting article that talks about mining safety and economic impact in Chile. WOOOO. Someday, I will stop being such a nerd, I swear.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11467279