~* Road Trip Africa *~

...strange yet true association I have with this song I stumbled upon:

When I was 6, and we lived in Zambia, we toured quite a bit of Eastern Africa. By car, with no air conditioning. I sure got to understand, at grassroot level, what a very large continent Africa is. Bumpy dirt track roads, neverending distances, relentless heat and 14-hour daily trips with no stops meant that some amusement had to be created for the 3- and 6-year old girls in the car. Luckily (as we didn't have a cassette player in the car) my dad was a great singer. Karhunpoika sairastaa, Mikki Hiiri merihädässä, Rosvo-Roope, Pieni tytön tylleröinen, Ihme ja Kumma... With his spirited renditions of his own childhood classics he somehow managed to keep us entertained for hours on end. I still know the full production of Georg Malmstén by heart. This chorus, that my dad sang to me sooooo often as a lullaby, has followed me all my life. Strangely, especially at times of sorrow, I return to it and find some comfort. Sorry dear foreign readers, I wouldn't dream of translating these lyrics as I could never capture the childhood innocence implied with mere words. "Maailmassa monta On ihmeellistä asiaa, Se hämmästyttää, kummastuttaa Pientä kulkijaa" The song embedded, Hopeinen kuu / Silver Moon by Olavi Virta was my father's own all-time favorite. We used to have horrible taste with my sister, as we'd loudly protest in favor of children's rallies whenever he belted out this tango... Now that I heard it again, after decades, it brought an incredible storm of nostalgia to my heart. Ei tulla koskaan, voi tällaista iltaa... Oih. ~*♥*~