Interview with Ted Dieffenbacher, March 22, 2021
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Ted Dieffenbacher was raised in Ashtabula, Ohio in a multi-cultural environment. He was attracted to the Peace Corps by a poster that said: “The hardest job you’ll ever love!” Dieffenbacher graduated from Wittenberg University with a degree in English and education. He was assigned to a Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) project in the Philippines. Dieffenbacher trained in Hilo and Pepeekeo, Hawaii. He learned Ilokano, the local language. He was assigned to Santiago in the province of Isabela in the Cagayan Valley. He lived with a family during his service in a house near to the school and a radio station. His role as a co-teacher was to share his knowledge and skills of various techniques to supplant typical rote teaching. He provided teaching clinics during school breaks. Dieffenbacher and another Volunteer started an inter-school basketball league that was expanded and sustained by a local banker, Tony Santos, interested in youth development.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Ashtabula (Ohio) Wittenberg University English (Language) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) Hawaii Hilo (Hawaii) Pepeekeo (Hawaii) Philippines (Country of service) Tagalog (Language) Dagupan City (Philippines) Santiago (Philippines) Isabela (Philippines) Cagayan Valley (Philippines) Elementary schools Basketball leagues Recreation programs Davao (Philippines) Teaching clinics Muslims Gamelan orchestra Cotabato City (Philippines) Ilokano (Language)Interview LC Subject
Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Philippines Philippines Acculturation Communication and culture Culture Culture shock Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations Interpersonal relations and culture Language and culture Language and languages Lifestyles Manners and customs Voluntarism VolunteersInterview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Dieffenbacher, Ted Interview by Randolph A. Adams. 22 Mar. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Dieffenbacher, T. (2021, March 22). Interview by R. A. Adams. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Dieffenbacher, Ted, interview by Randolph A. Adams. March 22, 2021, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7n91bv34rd4