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Ann Qml (Anna Apalkow)

@annqml

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Polyglot & language tutor.
I craft @qsmistakes_learnpolish & @qsmistakes_learnenglish
Armastan Україну, Eеstit, Suomea, språk, metsää, a me книги.

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My beloved Ukraine! I know I probably shouldn’t call it mine, as it’s not mine yet, I don’t have my citizenship yet, but nothing would bring me more joy than that.

I don’t usually share my trips, but this one was really special for me, as finally, my hobby can actually have a greater purpose and help Ukraine!
As russia destroyed a third of Ukraine’s annual book production this summer, @bookforumlviv was an obligatory event for me. Ukrainian books always whet my appetite, and I want more and more, because I have this impression that I know nothing about Ukraine, and living in Poland, I should know so much more.
There is this weird feeling that I can’t get rid of, that somehow no one was truly committed, historically, to making knowledge about Ukraine more popular. And now I’m trying to catch up with the best Ukrainian teacher ever, @adriana_vakh.

Books are, in my opinion, proof of cultural heritage. More than just proof, each and every one of them is more like a treasure. For me, seeing them burning is an exceptionally harsh, almost palpable torture. But @bookforumlviv was the strongest display of Ukrainian resilience, as publishers now have the same responsibility as soldiers.

We need to remember that we don’t need to go to Ukraine to support publishers. We can also work on making Ukrainian culture better known in every country around the world, so that even more Ukrainian books can be published and translated into more languages. Nothing would bring me and my six chins greater joy.

As always, there is only one thing that dashes my hopes, and that is coming back to Poland. One may wonder if we should be more afraid of russian strikes or Polish abrasive comments towards Ukrainians crossing the border. It’s not my first time being ashamed of the behavior represented at our border towards Ukrainians. I know that many Ukrainians cannot say anything about it, as it would be considered rude in Poland. But I think I’ll never cross the border again by car. This way, by bus, I have these new experiences, and I met this amazing new friend. You meet strangers at кордон (the border), but sometimes you leave with a friend for life.

#ukraine🇺🇦 #poland #books by @annqml

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23 days ago

Freya and the energy of the forest. The dark, cloudy and peopleless forest gives me the most energy.

ліс

metsä

mets

(en) skog by @annqml

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a month ago

I miss Ukraine. How can this one be about politics and Ukraine? You can see my dog, Freya, you can see some beautiful nature, so how can I possibly write about Ukraine? I don’t like Poland. Those of you who know me know that I’ve had a huge problem with understanding this country, maybe because I’m extremely critical and demanding. I try to survive in this Poland of ours, keeping myself unflappable, but is it really possible? At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I saw so many people willing to help in return for a good photo or a catchy hashtag that helped them build their political careers. Now we can see so many politicians who have gone full far-right. And people bought it. It’s so easy to build on hate.

Who cares that Ukrainians have been paying the price for so many years? So many people in Poland and the EU don’t care that missiles are levelling Ukrainian buildings to the ground. They no longer feel the deaths of Ukrainian children. They don’t feel the pain. Some of them don’t know because Polish and European media don’t even mention half of the things happening in Ukraine. It’s boring and so old-fashioned. We enunciate the horrors of this war, and yet our voices are inaudible. Some people in Poland have decided to choose hate. Their hostility is blatant. And for me, this Poland is simply revolting.

There is, however, one place that I’ve loved revisiting in the Beskid Niski for more than half of my life. I hold this place dear. I’ve always felt welcome here, and I’ve even spent some time here with my best friend from Ukraine. We walked around old Lemko villages. We talked about black, white and grey. About books, cemeteries, people, languages, cultures, and my favourite Polish publisher, @wydawnictwoczarne We talked in Ukrainian and in Polish.

Today, in the misty mountains (the weather is finally beautiful: rainy, windy and soooo dark), I was wondering how it’s possible that everything we’ve built unravels so fast… Well, when you’re a stranger in your own country, it’s good to have a doggo for a friend as dark clouds gather over Poland. by @annqml

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2 months ago

I've just read another article about the incidents at Finnish MPs' homes. It's late as hell and I'm definitely over-caffeinated, but what happened is truly intriguing, in a Sherlock Holmes kind of way: fewer than 20 Finnish MPs suspect that someone entered their homes without permission. There were no signs of forced entry, and nothing was stolen. The incidents don't appear to be linked to any particular political party. At the moment, nothing is known about the motive or who might be behind them. But amid all the different stories going around, it's worth stressing that overreacting would play into Russia's hands.

And I learned a new Ukrainian word today: проникнення. One day, in about 50 years, I'll be C1 ;)

tunkeutuminen - intrusion

kansanedustaja - MP

maailma - world

This quote comes from the article “Näin maailmalla on uutisoitu mahdollisista tunkeutumisista kansanedustajien koteihin” (@yle), written by Jani Parkkari.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20249491 by @annqml

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4 days ago

As always, the only source of my energy.

ліс
metsä
mets
skog by @annqml

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6 days ago

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12 days ago

UKRAINIAN
Inspired by my Ukrainian teacher @adriana_vakh, as it's one of the words I didn't know in Ukrainian. It's actually pretty advanced, in my humble opinion, although kids probably know it for sure.

#naukaukraińskiego #ukrainian #słówka #języki #poliglota by @annqml

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14 days ago

GERMAN
to invite

Well, German is quite new when it comes to the languages that I learn. I'm starting with A0, but it's so cool to understand a lot because of English and Norwegian. I will, as always, share with you some cool words and my mistakes as well.
My goal is to first and foremost read the news in German and then books. When it comes to speaking, I may use it once or twice, but as an introvert, my passive skills are more important. When it comes to active skills, writing is my priority.
And it's my dream to reach B2 level pretty fast. We will see about that. I learn mostly by reading when it comes to vocabulary, so here the level is totally mixed, and I started with A0 grammar. I also love to solve Polish Matura exams from different languages. (Matura is like an exam here, similar to the SAT/A-levels, but a bit different.)
Fun fact: ages ago, I had to read a grammar book about Proto-Norse in German (Michael Schulte: Urnordisch), and I would say that when it comes to linguistic vocabulary, I somehow understood something. But because we don't have a lot of interesting books available in English, I envy people the possibility of accessing this knowledge through German, and that's my main motivation here.

#german #niemiecki #nauka #learning by @annqml

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15 days ago

FINNISH
asettaa vaaraan (to endanger/to expose to danger)

#polyglot #Finnish #words #nauka #fiński by @annqml

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18 days ago

FINNISH
tunkea by @annqml

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21 days ago

NORWEGIAN
And another mistake, this time from my amazing student. by @annqml

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a month ago

FINNISH
Just a tiny mistake my student made. by @annqml

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a month ago