It was mid-semester in a typical graduate student's life, when the commitments start to stack up and work hours seem to grow longer as the days grow shorter. Fall was becoming winter and staying up late in the night working in my cold apartment was becoming exhausting and uncomfortable. This was also the first semester I started to take my Turkish learning seriously and I began a 5-credit course at my university. The daily lessons were mostly fun, and a nice break from the often tedious work that took up most of my waking hours, but the nightly homework was becoming a bother. I would start it after I finished my other homework, and the time kept creeping later and later into the night as the weeks wore on. Meanwhile the Turkish assignments were becoming more and more challenging, with longer writing assignments and my vocabulary, sadly, not keeping up the pace with the rest of the class.

The stress was eating at my enthusiasm and learning Turkish was becoming a chore instead of a pleasure. I wasn't about to quit the course. I could see how it was helping me improve and I felt like I was learning a great deal, but I needed inspiration and motivation.

My fiancé found these amazing videos created by the environmental non-profit Doğan İçin Çal - Play for Nature. These videos became a respite from the tedium of studying and a reminder of why I want to learn Turkish - to connect with my fiancé's Turkish friends and family, and better understand the beautiful country and people of Turkey.

To me, these videos represent Turkey - they show the dichotomy of tradition and modernity that is synonymous with Turkey. The songs that are played are traditional folk songs, but the singers and musicians each use their individual style to create music that does not fit into one single genre, one single style. Instead these videos reflect the eclectic style of the Turkish people, they show the diversity of landscapes that make up the Turkish countryside, and they heed remembrance to the Turkish historical and cultural roots that stabilize the nation. The traditional folk songs of Turkey will not be replaced by rock and pop music, but instead will be remodeled and revised by the Modern Turks that also listen to rock and pop - what a concept.

I still watch these videos when I need a break and a reason to clap my hands, snap my fingers, and exercise my vocal cords - and I still get goose bumps.