IO-COS

Heads up to those who are interested in being in Peace Corps, you're going to have to learn a new language. No, not Spanish, Tagolog, Cantonese, or Swahili; it's the language of Peace Corps. They don't use special glotal stops or subject-verb agreements, but instead it's a bewildering game of acronyms.

I mean can you make sense of these sentences:

You begin with staging, that's easy, but then you fly to your HC, meet your CD, PTO, and PCVs who will begin your IO. You get checked by the PCMO, meet your LCF, TCF, RM, SM, and find our where you will be for PST. You work, work, work for swear-in, take the oath and rush to your site to be with your HF, HCA, and CP. Inbetween trainings and PDO you will attend in IST, MST, and language camp (where you will take your LPI). But really, the whole time as a PCV you're working towards COS, when you can fill out your DOS and finally, finally, finally you become a RPCV.



I know, I know, it looks like jumbled alphabet soup, but it really does make sense Here's a translation:

You begin with staging, that's easy, but then you fly to your Host Country, meet your Country Director, Program Training Officer, and Peace Corps Volunteers who will begin your Initial Orientation. You get checked by the Peace Corps Medical Officer, meet your Language Cultural Facilitator, Technical Cultural Facilitator, Regional Manager, Sector Manager, and find out where you will be for Pre Service Training. You work, work, work for swear-in, take the oath, and rush to your site to be with your Host Family, Host Country Agency, and Counter Part. Inbetween trainings and Professional Development Opportunities you will attend In Service Training, Mid Service Training, and language camp (where you take your Language Proficiency Interview). But really, the whole time as a Peace Corp Volunteer you're working towards Close Of Service, when you can fill out your Description Of Service and finally, finally, finally you become a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.


Right now, I'm at COS conference... yep, scratch another acronym off the list!!! :)