Welcome to Make Like An Apeman
Hi! I’m Duwan! In 2011 my husband, Greg, and I bought a sailboat, sold all of our stuff, quit our jobs, rented our house, and sailed to the Bahamas all within 3 months. We were going off forever, and we did. But the thing is, we didn’t really know how this forever thing was going to play out. And we still don’t.
Sailing led us to traveling by house-sitting. And house-sitting led us to traveling by van. And the van has led us to traveling by backpacks.
I have written a blog about our travels since 2011. My friend Holly suggested that I join Substack to find a larger audience for my stories. I started lurking around and found many Stacks that I regularly read, enjoy, and comment on. I love the idea of having one place to connect with other people who are writing about things I’m interested in.
So now I am bringing my stories to Substack. I will mostly be duplicating the same content that I share on my blog, but I might write some additional stories just for Substack - who knows?
With my blog, I haven’t been a very regular poster. Writing can be very hard for me. But when I’m on a roll I will probably post at least once a week. I’m hoping that likes, comments, and joining the community onSubstack will inspire me to write more!
I have added a paid subscription option to my Stack. I don’t need the money so I have decided to send any proceeds to someone in need. I am starting with the first friend Greg and I made when we were traveling in Mexico., Yolanda We were on a tour but the guide didn’t know English so Yolanda volunteered to be our interpreter. We have been friends ever since. A couple of years ago Yolanda contracted Guillain–Barré syndrome. This condition attacks the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Yolanda has worked with physical therapists to relearn to walk and do many basic things. She lost her job teaching at a university. She has been trying to raise money to pay her bills and to retain her physical therapists through a donation website and by selling her personal belongings. There are still many physical things she can’t do, but she is looking for work and with her current limitations, attempting to return to her old life filled with art, history, and music.
If you want to know more about Yolanda or donate to her directly here is her Donadora page.
I have no idea what I will offer as premiums for paid subscriptions, but I’m open to suggestions!
This Substack starts where Greg and I are right now, in Colombia. We have come to South America to study Spanish. We will be on the continent for at least 6 months living in different cities and countries. I will be writing about the places we visit, the wildlife we see, what it’s like to travel with all your belongings on your back, what we learn in Spanish class, and how much it costs to live, travel, and learn Spanish in South America.
If you want to read about our last 12 years of travel, check out our blog here.
If you want to follow along, click the subscribe buttons on this page.
¡Gracias por leer! Thanks for reading!
I’d love to hear from you! Do you know more than one language? How did you learn your other language(s)? Have you traveled in South America? Have you ever traveled long-term with a backpack, in a vehicle, or on a boat?
Omg, omg! I am soooo excited that you’re here! I love those photos of you both. And I love that you’re supporting Yolanda with subs.
To continuing to figure out what forever looks like! 🍻
Duwan and Greg, welcome to Substack! Any rec by Holly is one I check out! I’d like to hear about some of the less comfortable aspects of your travels. How do you create a sense of belonging when you move around so much? Do you find you rely too much on each other? What’s the one thing you miss the most from “before”?