A Gentle Clash of Cultures: Filipino Students and Colleagues, Martial Law and Civet Cats
When the Claytons accepted the mission of teaching at a small college in the Philippines in the late 1970s, they had no idea how much their lives would change. Dale Clayton taught science; his wife, Karen, worked and took classes; and their young children, Kimberly and Jeff, attended a one-room, multigrade school. But this simple summary doesn’t come close to encompassing the thrill and shock of becoming embedded in an entirely different culture. Martial law, academic politics, homesickness, and ruthlessly hot weather presented many challenges, but through it all, the Claytons inevitably learned that people are more alike than different-yet the differences make life more vibrant.
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Karen is a sociologist and social worker who teaches in universities, presents to social service agencies, libraries, and bookstores, and works in hospitals, hospice, and for the American Cancer Society. She is the author of Demystifying Hospice: Inside the Stories of Patients and Caregivers and has presented to the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature about Easter celebrations in the Philippines.