美国国家公共电台 NPR Tiny Desk Contestant Diana Gameros: 'How Can I Dissolve Borders?'

 

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

We've been talking to some of the musicians who made an impression on the judges of NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest. This week...

DIANA GAMEROS: My name is Diana Gameros. I live in the Bay Area. I am originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. And I am 35 years old.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Diana Gameros filmed her entry on a cold morning at dawn. As the camera slowly zooms¹ out, a completely spectacular² view emerges³. We won't tell you what it is. You can watch it online on WEEKEND EDITION's Facebook page. She says the lyrics⁴ in her song, "Como Hacer?" were inspired by her own life.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "TINY DESK CONTEST: DIANA GAMEROS: COMO HACER?")

GAMEROS: (Singing in Spanish).

I moved to Holland, Mich., when I was 13 years old, originally to visit an aunt. And she invited me to stay and live with her because things at home - you know, the family was going through rough times. My parents had just gotten divorced. So I quickly answered, yes, I want to live with you, Aunt.

And I want to go to school here. After a really long process of me trying to get a student visa and kept failing at that, I still decided⁵ to remain in the country and give it a shot. So I went through four years of college as an undocumented student.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "TINY DESK CONTEST: DIANA GAMEROS: COMO HACER?")

GAMEROS: (Singing in Spanish).

I chose my song, "Como Hacer?" It's a song that I wrote - I actually wrote it a long time ago in 2011. I was in a very vulnerable⁶ state. I was really missing home in Mexico. And several things happen. A very dear aunt, who lived in Mexico, had lost her battle to cancer. My hometown, Ciudad Juarez, and where my parents and siblings⁷ and little nephews still live was going through really tough times since it was enduring a militarized policing of streets and drug cartel conflicts. And my father and sister experienced direct violence by getting pulled out of their car at gunpoint and not being able to travel outside the country because of my status.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "TINY DESK CONTEST: DIANA GAMEROS: COMO HACER?")

GAMEROS: (Singing in Spanish).

I just wanted to be with them. I wanted to be there when my nephews were born. I wanted to tell my brother I loved him and that I was proud of him for raising these beautiful kids. I wanted to be by my sister when she was going through puberty and she needed to talk to me.

And so being away from my family and my land in such hard times just brought up a certain feeling of guilt⁸ and fear and powerlessness and doubt. And I began to question many things in my own life. This song, "Como Hacer?" is made up of those questions that came up. The translation of some of these lines are, how can I dissolve borders? How can I make my land forgive me?

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "TINY DESK CONTEST: DIANA GAMEROS: COMO HACER?")

GAMEROS: (Singing in Spanish).

I have proper documentation now to reside⁹ and work in this country. But I won't get my green card until next year, hopefully, if everything goes well. And when I get it, I will be able to finally visit my homeland. It's been 15 years since the last time I was there. So I'm really, really looking forward to that time.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "TINY DESK CONTEST: DIANA GAMEROS: COMO HACER?")

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That was musician Diana Gameros.

1 zooms   

n.嗡嗡声( zoom的名词复数 )；隆隆声；（车辆等）疾驰的声音；变焦

参考例句：

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. 从你口中打出的喷嚏速度可达每小时600里。 来自互联网
• When the camera zooms in, the whole world watches out. 当镜头对准（汶川），全世界都在关注。 来自互联网

2 spectacular   

adj.引人注目的，出色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• This is a spectacular film.这是一部场面壮观的电影。
• This is the most spectacular financial crash of the decade.这是10年里最引人注目的金融破产事件。

3 emerges   

v.出现( emerge的第三人称单数 )；露头；形成；事实

参考例句：

• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society. 语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The man emerges from water. 那个人露出水面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。

7 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

9 reside   

vi.居住，定居（in），（性质等）存在，在于

参考例句：

• They reside abroad.他们居住在国外。
• The true face of Lushan is lost to my sight,for it is right in this mountain that I reside.不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。