Like any government agency, Peace Corps loves its acronyms. Here are a few that you may find it helpful to reference:
CD: Country Director (aka the head honcho of the Peace Corps program in a certain country)
COS: Close of Service (the completion of a Peace Corps Volunteer’s overseas service)
CP: Counterpart (a coworker at a Volunteer’s workplace that the Volunteer works closely with)
CYD: Community & Youth Development (one of the Peace Corps sectors that Volunteers can work in here in Mongolia)
ET: Early Termination (when a Peace Corps Volunteer decides to end their service prior to the end of their 27 months)
HCA: Host Country Agency (the agency/organization that a Peace Corps Volunteer works with during their service; in Mongolia this is usually a school, college/university, health department, or hospital)
HCN: Host Country National (any citizen or permanent resident of a Volunteer’s country of service)
IST: In-Service Training (a week-long training approximately 4 months after a Volunteer cohort has begun their service)
LCF: Language & Cultural Facilitator (a Host Country National who teaches language and culture skills to Trainees during Pre-Service Training)
LPI: Language Proficiency Interview (the interview conducted near the end of Pre-Service Training to evaluate each Volunteer’s language skills)
M26: The 26th group of Peace Corps Volunteers to go to Mongolia (the cohort I’m a part of!)
MEDEVAC: Medical Evacuation (the evacuation of a Trainee or Volunteer from their country of service because of medical reasons)
MI: Master’s International (a program combining Peace Corps service with obtaining a master’s degree)
MST: Mid-Service Training (the training taking place approximately one year after a Volunteer cohort has begun their service)
PC: Peace Corps
PCMO: Peace Corps Medical Officer (a health care provider working for Peace Corps in a particular country, who is responsible for the health needs of Trainees and Volunteers in that country)
PCT: Peace Corps Trainee (what a prospective Volunteer is called during Pre-Service Training, prior to being sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer)
PCV: Peace Corps Volunteer
PCM: Peace Corps Mongolia (the Peace Corps program here in Mongolia)
PST: Pre-Service Training (a period of 2-3 months when a cohort of Trainees first arrives in country, focusing on learning the language and culture of the country)
RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (someone who has successfully completed their Peace Corps service)
TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (one of the Peace Corps sectors that Volunteers can work in here in Mongolia)
UB: Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia)
Nothin' But Blue Skies 