The Toughest Job: Time Keeps on Slippin'

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Time Keeps on Slippin'

I'm really starting to get jumpy about my invitation. If you've read earlier posts on this blog, you should remember that my departure date is supposed to be "early November," which I assume could mean anything from the 1st through the 15th. You may also have read that the Peace Corps supposedly cannot send an invitation without at least 6 weeks advance notice. Which makes sense, when you think about it, because would-be-volunteers need a little while to get their lives in order before they go. Well, do the math -- 6 weeks is either NOW or coming up in a very short while. Every day I log onto the Peace Corps web site and it tells me the same thing: my paperwork is still on hold in the legal and medical departments for consideration.

It's really getting scary. I hope I make it in time.

-Bri

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Glossary

Assignment: The location and job the volunteer is placed in
APCD: Associate Peace Corps Director. A host-country national in charge of that region's program
CD: Country Director. The one in charge of the volunteers in that country
COS: Close of Service. The end of a volunteer's service
Country Desk: The department representing regional countries, at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington D.C.
ET: Early Termination. Leaving, for whatever reason, before COS
Homestay: Part of training where the volunteer lives with a member of the community (the owners of the house are often referred to as "family," i.e. mother, brother, etc.)
HCN: Host Country National. A person from the Host Country.
Host Country: The country where the volunteer is serving
Invitation: A formal summons to serve in a specific job/country after receiving medical/legal clearance, which marks the beginning of one's official Trainee status
IOS: Interruption of Service. When local political or environmental conditions require the entire program to be pulled from an area
IST: In-Service Training. A secondary training event that happens mid-service
LCF: Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitator. Trainers responsible for language and culture sections during PST
Medevac: Medically Evacuate. To return a volunteer to the States for medical treatment, usually because they have an injury/illness that is untreatable in-country
Medical Separation: When a volunteer cannot complete service due to a medical problem
Nomination: A proposed invite to a very general region and job area made during the early application process, pending medical/legal clearance; highly subject to change
OMS: Office of Medical Services
PC: Peace Corps
PCMO: Peace Corps Medical Officer. The nurse or doctor in charge of all that country's volunteers
PCT: Peace Corps Trainee. Volunteer's title during training and before becoming an official volunteer
PCV: Peace Corps Volunteer
PO: Placement Officer. Person in charge of officially placing each volunteer in an assignment worldwide. Based in the Peace Corps D.C. Headquarters
PST: Pre-Service Training. The training program, usually 3 months long, that teaches volunteers language, cross-cultural sensitivity, and job skills before they begin their official service
Recruiter: Locally-based representative in charge of providing information on Peace Corps to potential applicants and screening applicants during the initial stages. The "voice" of the PC
RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
Site: The location where the volunteer lives and works for 2 years
Staging: The first day of training, held in the U.S., before flying out to the host country
Swearing-In: The ceremony that accompanies transition from PCT to PCV
VAD: Volunteer Assignment Description. The lengthy document given to applicants describing an assignment in detail. Part of the official Invitation