The Toughest Job: Peace Corps Headquarters

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Peace Corps Headquarters

PeaceCorpsHQ.JPG
Originally uploaded by hawaiianbrian.

This photo was taken when I was in Washington DC a couple months ago. I went down to see all the sights on the National Mall and HAD to take a side journey to check out the Peace Corps Headquarters. So this is it -- the humble building that serves as the "brain" for the operation. I was surprised; I was expecting something bigger, I guess. :)

I'll be back there for Thanksgiving to visit my ex-girlfriend (see The Way We Were). If I still haven't resolved this medical issue, I'll be dropping by to see them in person!

-Bri

p.s. If posting this image is deemed to compromise Peace Corps security or confidentiality, I'll gladly remove it. In this day and age of paranoia and hyper-vigilance, I hope I haven't crossed some kind of line. :(

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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