July 2018

Aided by his appearance and language ability, Christopher MacAlpine-Belton was able to deeply integrate into his community in the Dominican Republic. His level of integration allowed him to challenge the status quo and develop rich and meaningful relationships. This week, Christopher reflects on his service, the challenges he and other volunteers faced, and provides tips that any volunteer can use to better integrate into their community. 

Jennifer and Christopher met while serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Madagascar. Apart from serving in different Peace Corps sectors, they had very different experiences. Hear about their time a Peace Corps Madagascar volunteers in the land of mischevious lemurs and fat baobabs. 

“A ball of light then flashed before my eyes, as I sat on my bed. It struck my phone and went up my right arm; the pain was quite unbearable. I ran out of my room and collapsed…”

After the challenge of serving in a village deep in the rainforest of Suriname, Evan was up for another: becoming an entrepreneur and creating a company that would provide sustainable income to Amazon communities via delicious, healthy fruit snacks. In perfect Peace Corps fashion, Evan started Peaceful Fruits with a batch of fruit snacks made in his mother’s oven, packaged in ziplock bags, that he sold at his local farmer’s market.

Meisha Robinson served in Benin as a Peace Corps Volunteer and then again ten years later in South Africa. In between her time as a volunteer, she got an MBA and was the brand manager for Campbell’s Soup. What caused her to leave her high paying corporate job and return to life as a volunteer? Learn on this week’s episode.