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An historic national park in Massachusetts draws tourists from around the world. And no matter how far they've traveled, a local man greets them with a few notes from home in the form of a song. Craig LeMoult of member station GBH met him and has this story.
CRAIG LEMOULT, BYLINE: John Muresianu was diagnosed about 10 years ago with congestive heart failure.
JOHN MURESIANU: And my cardiologist said, you have to get away from your computer and go for a walk.
LEMOULT: So he began a daily ritual of walking in Minute Man National Historical Park. Muresianu was once a history professor, then had a career in finance. He launched outlandishly long-shot bids for U.S. Senate and even president, and he's always loved learning languages. So one day, he decided to introduce himself to one of the park's many international tourists.
MURESIANU: And I say, hi. Where are you from? And the lady says, France. And I didn't have a plan, but something inside me said, sing to her "The Marseillaise" - the French national anthem.
LEMOULT: So that's what he did.
MURESIANU: And I finish, and she says, you made my day.
LEMOULT: He says that was a rush.
MURESIANU: So I'm hooked, right? I got to keep doing this.
LEMOULT: He started learning songs in other languages, including ones he doesn't speak.
MURESIANU: Hello. Hi. Where are you from?
LEMOULT: Muresianu, who's now 72, introduces himself to John Hu (ph), who's from Chengdu, China.
MURESIANU: My favorite Chinese poem is this one. Let me know if you recognize it.
(Singing in non-English language).
LEMOULT: Hu grins broadly and pulls out his phone to start recording. He mouths the words as Muresianu looks at the sky, arms outstretched, and sings.
JOHN HU: Oh. Nice.
MURESIANU: Thank you.
LEMOULT: Muresianu walks around this park nearly every day, wearing a fluorescent yellow vest that gives the impression he's there in some kind of official capacity, even though he's not. On this chilly day, he's sporting a hat with fuzzy ear flaps.
MURESIANU: Well, I'm like a Walmart greeter. I greet tourists from around the world in their native tongue with their favorite song or prayer or poem in 46 languages.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Wow.
MURESIANU: So if, for whatever reason, you'd like to hear the most beloved song from any country on the planet, pick a country. I'll sing you the song.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Netherlands.
MURESIANU: (Singing in non-English language).
LEMOULT: He says his superpower is breaking down cultural barriers. He can sing in Ukrainian.
MURESIANU: (Singing in Ukrainian).
LEMOULT: Sanskrit.
MURESIANU: (Singing in Sanskrit).
LEMOULT: Swahili.
MURESIANU: (Singing in Swahili).
LEMOULT: But he doesn't sing at home.
MURESIANU: One reason I sing to strangers is my family hates it when I sing. And so this is my outlet.
LEMOULT: Even here, it's something of a gamble.
MURESIANU: Hello, folks. Where are you all from?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: All right. We're going to keep going.
MURESIANU: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Excuse us. Thank you, though.
MURESIANU: Oops. Well, there we go.
(Singing in non-English language).
LEMOULT: But a lot of people love it.
MURESIANU: (Singing in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Very nice.
MURESIANU: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: That's amazing.
LEMOULT: And that is what keeps him going.
MURESIANU: I believe, actually, that in our DNA, that we are programmed to get our greatest joy from bringing joy to others. I think that's a biological fact.
(Singing in Italian).
LEMOULT: For NPR News, I'm Craig LeMoult in Concord, Massachusetts.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VOLARE (NEL BLU DIPINTO DI BLU)")
DEAN MARTIN: (Singing in Italian). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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