This is The Guardian.
Today, learning a language in midlife and in the middle of a war.
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I went to Ukraine for the first time in September 2022. And at that time, I wanted to write one article
about the way artists were reflecting on and responding to the war that was unfolding in their country.
This is Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian's chief culture correspondent.
Visiting Ukraine and meeting the artists and writers and poets under fire totally changed her life.
It was even before I went home that I decided I needed to learn some Ukrainian.
I suppose initially I wanted to make a connection with people
just to be able to navigate around the city without being completely helpless.
But yes, there was a part of me that thought maybe I could get good enough
to eventually be able to even read a poem in Ukrainian.
When she got home to London, she began having weekly lessons with Olya Makar,
who was exiled in the far west of Ukraine.
Olya squeezes in Charlotte's lessons between humanitarian work, helping displaced teenagers.
Now, Charlotte has always thought of herself as a linguist.