Kimberly
& Dennis

United States
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Travel information
We are currently
Travelling
Activities we are interested in:
Our aim is to volunteer our way around the world and never stop. We want to get to know you, your culture and traditions. How can we help you?
Our next destination:
Cambodia - from Sep 2023 until Sep 2024
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Description
Hi! We are a cartwheel-turning couple who value new experiences and learning new things. We ran a successful non-profit children's theatre company, that toured the United States for several decades. Now we are eager to share what we have learned on stage and in business. We are accustomed to the nomadic lifestyle, having lived and traveled in a motorhome (caravan) for many years. We are curious about you and your culture, the arts, traditions and seeing the natural wonders.

In November 2021 we set out to circumnavigate our way around the world from East to West. We choose our destinations based on where we think we can help the most. We are especially interested in programs that benefit children.

At the end of 2022 one of our volunteer gigs led to a job offer. So for the 2023-24 school year we accepted full-time positions as English teachers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Kimberly is teaching pre-school through 2nd grade students, and Dennis is teaching the 3rd through 6th grade. We love it here. But we still long to travel. We will be volunteering again at the end of 2024.
Interests
Technology
Cooking & food
History
Astronomy
Languages
Drawing & painting
Fitness
DIY & crafts
Books
Photography
Beach
Dancing
Music
Politics / Social justice
Videography
Yoga / Wellness
Vegetarian or vegan
Writing
Culture
Nature

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Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: Beginner
Spanish: Beginner
Japanese: Beginner
Khmer: Beginner
Turkish: Beginner
More details about my language interests
We are eager to learn as much as we can of other languages as we make our way around the world.
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Charity Work
Some knowledge of:
Helping around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
Able to teach about:
Languages
Art Projects
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Teaching
Babysitting and creative play
More details about your skills
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2023-2024 Krou Yeung School, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2022-2023 Volunteer teachers in Guatemala, Ecuador, Morocco, India, Cambodia, Vietnam
1988-2020 Entertaining and teaching kids theatre, dance, sign language and creative writing. Homeschooled (or as we like to say "Road Schooled") our son all the way through High School.

ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE
Founded a children's theatre company, Act!vated Story Theatre, and "wore all of the hats" required to put productions together that toured the United States from 1988-2020.

As actors we performed highly physical comedic shows to entertain and educate, performing up to 3-4 shows a day, 5 days a week /200 shows a year.
* Developed an interactive method of teaching American Sign Language through stories, songs and games that kids and adults alike enjoyed.
* Dennis is a published writer, experienced in editing.
* Travel writing and photography for Road Trip America.
* Videographer and video editing for theatre, travel website (Activated Adventures) and California State Parks.
* Kimberly has sewing skills, having created many costumes and clothes from scratch
* Dance choreography
* Composing music

MANAGERS/ORGANIZERS
* Experience running a small non-profit, nationally touring theatre company for children and their families since 1989. Responsible for web design, marketing, sales, production and more.
* Full time travelers since 1992: accustomed to plotting routes, scheduling itineraries and taking life as it comes, minimalists accustomed to making the best of any given situation.
* Christmas Tree Lot Managers for 10+ years: hauling trees up to 15’, using chainsaws, organizing, customer service and sales, all with magical elf enthusiasm.
* Haunted House Manager for 4 years: some design and construction, training and managing actors, SFX make-up, advertising, graphic design and marketing. Leading families through kid friendly tours during daylight hours.
* Several years experience in the hospitality industry working as a hotel receptionist in a San Francisco hotel and as wait staff at several restaurants along the way. And a short stint in a warehouse, filling orders and operating machinery.
* Experience as volunteers in Hostels
* Managing classrooms

SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE
Word Documents, Excel and Google Sheets
Website design: HTML, CSS (Dreamweaver, WordPress and others), knowledgeable SEO, keywords and editing copy.
Social Media skills (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube)
Photograph editing and graphic design: GIMP
Advanced Video Editing: Da Vinci Resolve
CRM from design to implementation
3D Design - Sketch-Up
Sound Editing - Audacity
Music Composition - Finale

Neither one of us has any health issues or is on any medications.
Age
56 & 70
What else ...
WorkAway/Volunteer Experience since November 2021:
* hosting activities at a hostel in Merida, Mexico
* teaching in Jaibalito, Guatemala (grade school)
* conversational English in Ambato, Ecuador (children and adults)
* teaching English in Villanueva, Colombia (preschool - adults)
* teaching students (preschool-middle school) Chicaque Natural Park, Colombia
* teaching students English in Oulad Teima, Morocco (preschool - grade 12)
* conversational English in Casablanca, El Jadida and Berrechid, Morocco (children and adults)
* teaching Pre-K-3rd grade students in Chengannur, India
* teaching English, theatre and writing to students in Faizabad, India
* teaching English, theatre, yoga and martial arts to young students in Bodhgaya, India
* teaching English to students in Siem Reap, Cambodia (grade school)
* teaching English Language Arts, stories, theatre and dance to students in Hoi An, Vietnam (5-13 year old)
* teaching English and theatre to students in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
* teaching English in Battambang, Cambodia

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES
We both love hiking, snorkeling and drawing.

Dennis composes music and plays baritone ukulele. He enjoys puzzles and games, and drawing. Tai chi, shaolin and basketball.

Kimberly enjoys photography. She practices Ashtanga Yoga, loves to dance and misses the skateboard she left in USA.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  cats
- Special dietary requirements
  Prefer a vegan/vegetarian diet of primarily fresh produce, beans and nuts. We are more than happy to prepare our own meals.

Feedback

29 Jan 2023

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Volunteer English teachers ...)

We spent two months volunteering at the new campus of the school in Phnom Penh, and had a fantastic experience that went above our expectations. We loved the students (preschool to 11 year-olds), and found the teachers and administrators to be friendly, helpful and appreciative. In addition to teaching English, we were able to spend some time… read more

(Excellent )

12 Dec 2022

Left by host (Help with a library and ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

Thank you Kimberly and Dennis for all you did for the kids in our community.
We did went for dinner and chatted to share the culture. You are being missed by the kids and people here. Best wish for your journey around the world.

(Excellent )

22 Nov 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Help with a library and ...)

We thoroughly enjoyed working with a small group of students, who ranged in age from 5 to 13. They were all so bright and creative and energetic. And we were really impressed by how they handled learning and communicating in a second language (English). Since the Winter holidays were around the corner and they were preparing for a district event,… read more

(Excellent )

6 Oct 2022

Left by host (Experience Colombian culture ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

Kimberly and Dennis are such an enthusiastic, energetic couple, and know when to be fun and when to get serious. This is a great asset as a teacher, and our students loved working with them.

Hope you're enjoying your travels!

(Excellent )

8 Mar 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Experience Colombian culture ...)

We'll always have fond memories of our time at this school. The students were bright and creative, and a joy to teach. The hosts and teachers were very welcoming and a pleasure to work with. We also loved the town, which was colorful and had a genuine sense of community. We even had a chance to join in some folk dancing! Being provided with… read more

(Excellent )

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29 Jan 2023

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Volunteer English teachers ...)

(Excellent )

12 Dec 2022

Left by host (Help with a library and ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

(Excellent )

22 Nov 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Help with a library and ...)

(Excellent )

6 Oct 2022

Left by host (Experience Colombian culture ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

(Excellent )

8 Mar 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Experience Colombian culture ...)

(Excellent )

4 Sep 2022

Left by host (Come and help our teachers by ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

I consider myself very lucky to have hosted Kimberly and Dennis,the most wonderful,friendly,helpful,cheerful and committed volunteers I have had.They are always there to help and give more than we ask them.Our students and teachers loved them soooo much and enjoyed talking to them about everything.Honestly I felt that I lost a precious addition to… read more

(Excellent )

16 Jun 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Come and help our teachers by ...)

We spent some time at each of the 4 campuses of the school, and enjoyed exploring each of the communities nearby. The schedule was well organized, and not demanding, leaving plenty of free time. We enjoyed working with the students, teachers and staff in every location. And we met several other volunteers from all over the world, some of whom we… read more

(Excellent )

6 Aug 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Volunteers welcome to engage ...)

This is a large school divided into 4 campuses, but it's so well organized that it doesn't feel chaotic. They provide an abundance of activities and varied learning opportunities for the students. On our first day we were given an overview tour of the campuses and were impressed with implementation of the Montessori method and the buildings that… read more are designed to serve as a learning environment. The schools are all eco-friendly, promoting recycling and caring for the environment, banning plastics, and has just installed an array of solar panels. On the first day we also met with administration to discuss their needs and how we could all best work together. Having an outline of expectations and open communication helped us prepare and be at our best.

Right off the bat, we noticed that the students are well-behaved and respectful; greeting us "Good morning ma'am" / "Good morning sir" every time we passed by or entered a classroom. We attribute this to the staff who are all evidently invested in their education. Everyone made us feel really welcome and appreciated -- students, teachers, administrators, security and everyone else.

We taught English through theatre activities to grades 1-5 and creative writing in English to grades 6-12. We were given free rein in planning our lessons while doing our best to incorporate suggestions from the teachers, who were there to guide us. We were pleased to see that the school offers so many opportunities for the arts, cultural enrichment and self-expression -- which is apparent in the students' confidence. We were very impressed with two skits we saw performed by fifth and eleventh grade students at the remote campus during English Week.

During our half-hour commute to the remote campus (two days a week), we passed through a colorful district that gave us a fascinating glimpse of local life. One evening, school officials took us to a festival at the river to honor the full moon. Oh yes, and much to our delight there were monkeys running around everywhere! They provided us with much amusement and many photo opportunities.

The room where we stayed on one of the campuses was extremely comfortable -- perhaps the best living quarters we've had yet while volunteering. It included its own bathroom and kitchen facilities, and the kitchen even came stocked with a few staples. The school supplied all of our needs, including food and drinking water. Each campus at which we volunteered provided us with lunch (We love Indian food!) as well as chai and snacks. And our delicious dinners were homemade by a teacher who also lives on campus. A vegetarian or vegan staying here will not go hungry. If we needed anything else, we simply filled out a request form and it would be delivered to our apartment. There was also a swimming pool that we were able to use, which was very welcome on a hot day.

We were a short walk or tuk-tuk ride from markets and any other service we might need. There were plenty of tuk-tuks accessible on the street that would take you just about anywhere in town for about 100 rupees-- $1.25 U.S.

We loved being here, and wish we could have stayed longer.

(Excellent )

6 Aug 2022

Left by host (Volunteers welcome to engage ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

Mr. Dennis and Ms. Kimberly visited us from 10th July to 6th August, 2022. It was a real pleasure to host them. They were found to be humble, accommodating and simply lovely human beings.
Following work was taken up by them in our institutions. They were quite praiseworthy and highly productive:

The School -Ms. Kimberly, an expert in physical… read more comedy under dramatics and building language skills shared different activities in language to strengthen the understanding of verbs and prepositions of place in language and the optimum use of stage in dramatics.
Classroom Activities: All her activities were designed in such a way that reached out to each and every student with visual, linguistic, kinesthetic and interpersonal intelligence. She made usage of concepts with an element of humour.
Dramatics: Children got an exposure of different stage locations as she oriented them with the same. She worked upon the body language and facial expressions while they prepared the dramatization of a story with the autonomy to choose their character and script their dialogue.
In a nutshell, she has given superb ideas to all of us to empower our teaching-learning process in a better way.

The Academy -It was a pleasure to have Dennis Sir in the Academy. He took up very interesting writing activities to make the writing content more colorful and descriptive by using a variety of vocabulary, phrases and imagination.
Even he worked with the dramatic group in the Work Experience Classes and did interesting activities working on the facial expressions and body language.
The children were very excited to have his period in the class. He is a very calm, composed and simple person. Everyone found it very easy to connect with him.

Yash Vidya Mandir – Classes of Mr. Dennis were fun and engaging. Students were involved without any fear. Inspite of students being from rural background and Hindi speaking belt, Dennis was able to get the best out of them in English language and they became responsive in a very short while. The students were able to perform the activities reasonably well and looked forward to the sessions eagerly. Students learning strengthened with interesting and engaging activities.

Ms. Kimberly took amazing activities. She focused on expressions due to which students learnt to express themselves without saying a single word They were given training on verbal part to make them comprehend the language better. She also took voice modulation activities such as poem recitation, tongue twisters, stories, sign language and dramatics, It's boosted their learning appreciably and made them stage friendly.
It was a pleasure to have this wonderful couple with us. We wish them happy, peaceful and a beautiful life ahead. They would be a great asset to any host looking for workawayers with this profile. Highly recommended!!

(Excellent )

13 Jul 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Come and assist with English ...)

This was a charming little school with an energetic student body, representing a range of ages, needs and abilities. They all had their talents, and with the small class size, we were able to get well acquainted with each student. We found ourselves involved in teaching a wide variety of subjects from phonics to math, science and Hindi. On a few… read more

(Excellent )

13 Jul 2022

Left by host (Come and assist with English ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

Kimberly and Dennis the happy couple came to our School at the right time! Our School just woke up after two long years of lockdown. When we were gearing up for our new academic year, their arrival gave us more strength and freshness. Because it was just then the academic year started, so our classes were also not disturbed. We could incorporate… read more

(Excellent )

4 May 2022

Left by host (Alternative education project ...) for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

Kimberly and Dennis contributed with their experience, knowledge and, last but not least, good vibes and attitute. They were really flexible, respectful, adapted to the children's needs and they completely understood and knew what we are trying to reach (a natural learning process without pressure). The children loved spending time with them,… read more

(Excellent )

5 Apr 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Alternative education project ...)

We had an amazing experience at this school, and wish we could have stayed longer. The kids, the teachers, and the llamas were all wonderful. We really applaud Ruth, David et al for their vision and how they are making it a reality. This is a unique environment for students to learn, explore and grow, guided by their own interests rather than… read more

(Excellent )

10 Feb 2022

Left by host for Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis)

Selecciona el idioma de llegada A inglés (GB)
They are an extraordinary couple, with the energy of two children with a lot of chocolate, they are so kind and cheerful that you feel their absence here, it was a different experience indeed, their activities with the students were always very passionate because of their long career in acting and… read more

(Excellent )

7 Feb 2022

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Help with conversational ...)

We had such a great time here. The students were fascinating individuals whom we genuinely loved talking with, They were motivated learners, some of them very young, and we were able to have lengthy discussions at times even with those at beginning level. The teachers and staff were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed getting acquainted with Carla… read more

(Excellent )

8 Dec 2021

Left by Workawayer (Kimberly & Dennis) for host (Live like a local while ...)

This was our first Workaway experience and we couldn't have asked for a better introduction to life as a Workawayer. We had an amazing time at this hostel. It was comfortable and clean, and right away we felt welcomed with open arms. Our only regret was not being able to stay longer. We enjoyed meeting and talking to the guests and staff, and… read more

(Excellent )

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