TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms)

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying reading my posts, or that you at least feel like you're somewhat informed about what's happening in my life right now.

Also, because Peace Corps is a government agency, and as such, the language of its operation is riddled with acronyms and proprietary lingo, here's a little guide for any and all of you who have been confused by their use.

Bureaucracy--

PC: Obviously, Peace Corps.

CD: Country Director. The American head of Peace Corps in a specific country. Everyone's boss basically. Ours happens to be Obie Shaw, and he's just swell.

APCD: Assistant Program Country Director, (or something) Basically these are the heads of the particular programs of Peace Corps in a country, and ours are all Mauritanians. Mine happens to be Aw, and he's quite wonderful too.

Peace Corps Programs-

SED/ICT: Small Enterprise Development/Internet Something Technology

ED: Education

Health: Health

Agfo/EE: Agroforestry (that's what I am) and Environmental Education. EE works in the schools, and just for kicks, we call them Agfo-lite.

Regional Capitals-

Tijikja, Kaedi, Aleg, Atar, Nouadibou, Bogue, Rosso, Kiffa and others which no one cares about. These are the "big cities" in each of the regions of the country (aka territories), where there is usually a Peace Corps "office" (a room with a computer) and markets where you can buy the same crap you can in any other part of the country.

Languages--

Hassaniya (a dialect of Arabic), Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof. And French.

Language Facilitators: Our language teachers, who live in the village with us, and in whose house we have class each day.

Miscellaneous--

Sat Phones: Satellite phones, given to volunteers in places which don't have Reso. Don't ask me how they work.

Reso: from the French (and English) word Resolution, which is how they describe cell phone service. It's the bars on your phone.

Taxi Brousse: How everyone in the country gets from place to place. Its a car, into which they cram as many people as possible.

ET: Early Termination. When someone who is ill, disillusioned, or of a weak and inferior character quits Peace Corps before their service is over.

MedSep: Medical Separation. When you are terminated because you are really fucking sick. Or you broke your head.

AdminSep: Administrative Separation. When you are terminated because you did something very wrong.

HCN: Host Country Nationals, otherwise known as the people of Mauritania. But I find this phrase so robotic, I promise never to use it.

The Lycee: The Lycee is the place which is our home base during 'stage' (the training period which we've just completed). It's actually a school during the rest of the year, (hence the name, Lycee is (one of) the French words for school) for the students from the surrounding villages who are able to go. It's analogous to high-school.

Host villages/Families: the villages/families in whose beneficence we have lived the past few weeks, when not at center/lycee, and with whom we eat, speak language, and spend hours languishing in the heat.

PCMO: Peace Corps Medical Officer. The person who is paid to take care of us when we become sick, and who lives in this hell-hole of a country with us.

Well there's a lot more, but that's a start.