‘I wish someone had told me, 'It's going to be okay.' Be patient. It's okay that you aren't getting what you want. It's gonna be all right and even if it takes a while, things will work out.' ~ Astrid Vinje
by Travis Hellstrom
Recently I came across as a podcast that I really enjoy called Corps Conversations with Astrid Vinje.
Astrid served in the Peace Corps in Togo from 2002-2004 and her return home to the United States (like most Volunteers including myself) was unexpectedly challenging. In the first episode of her podcast, which launched in March, she is honest and thorough about each of the steps she took after Peace Corps.
From working in a daycare to attending graduate school and eventually landing a job she always wanted, she said something that I can really relate to, "I wish someone had told me, 'It's going to be okay.' Be patient. It's okay that you aren't getting what you want. It's gonna be all right and even if it takes a while, things will work out." In her case it took her year longer than she expected.
Disappointed that there weren't enough resources and conversations out there for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Astrid decided to create her podcast and I'm glad she did.
I look forward to listening to more episodes and I encourage anyone connected to the Peace Corps family to do so as well.
I will be in sitting down with Astrid for an interview myself next week and I'll be sure to tell you all about that soon!
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Update! You can listen to my interview with Astrid here.
