My 30-year-old dream of coming to Africa has come true.

It is nearly a month since I left Bangor. I flew to Nairobi, Kenya, then traveled by car to a small village called Mangu. Here I am staying with Pastor and Mama Mwangi in the Joseph Waweru Home School, along with Bev Stone, president and director of Expanding Opportunities – a Maine-based nonprofit organization – and eight preteen and teenage boys.

Africans are happy, friendly and always willing to give a helping hand, especially with car trouble – just lift the hood and many men will come to the rescue, give advice, talk or just look.

African women are very hardworking. They multitask, carrying water or timber along with their babies on their backs, work in the shamba – garden – wash clothes, cook and sell food by the roadside. They have a long day walking long distances to gather water, firewood or to go to the market.

It is hot here, humid in some areas, dry and dusty in others. The western part of Kenya has a varied topography – rolling hills, deep ravines, green pastures, tea farms and junglelike forests.

Visitors here have an opportunity to buy just about anything from the locals – any kind of gadget, artwork, fruits, vegetables and even live chickens.

People here want to succeed, but it is difficult for them – poverty is so huge. Those who are employed work for almost nothing – less than $2 or $3 per day for manual labor.

Health is also an issue because of HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis. Many hospitals and clinics barely have equipment and medications to take care of people. It is not uncommon for the public hospital to be forced to place two and sometimes three people per bed.

I wake up every morning and smile because I am so happy to be here.

Nancy Carney is a service journey participant with Expanding Opportunities. She lives in Hampden and works at Eastern Maine Medical Center. Barbara Witherly of Hermon, co-owner of Witherly’s Greenhouse and Garden Center, was the first Service Journey participant in Kenya for 2005. For more information about the organization, visit www.exop.org, or write Expanding Opportunities, 84 Payson Road, Brooks, ME 04921.