Recently, I had the opportunity to travel seven hours and experience a new continent. I along with a group of 22 other people from my church's youth group traveled to La Florida, Peru by plane, bus and van. Upon arrival, my view of the world was completely changed, so here are some things I wish I had known before leaving.

1. You are blessed beyond belief.

Living in an affluent suburb of Atlanta, surrounded by (you guessed it) more suburbs, my idea of poor before my trip was nothing compared to what I saw. We live in a country with a program that suits almost everyone’s most basic needs, meaning that even the poor have running water, electricity and some means of food because the government provides it. The poor in our first world country live in a much better state than the people who live in the slums of any country that you will visit.

2. You will make a difference, no matter how small your work seems.

On my trip to Peru, I helped build a house with the Fuller Center. The Fuller Center is a nonprofit organization started by the same man who founded Habitat for Humanity . The Fuller Center uses sweat equity. This means that the homeowner needs to take part in the building of the home. Even though I only helped build two houses, I helped give two families homes that I know will use the new homes to their fullest extent. Although I was not able to change a country, I was able to help change a community. and you will be able to as well.

3. You are not different from the people you will see.

The people you will encounter on your trip are not different from you. Their hardships do not make them lesser than you. They were born into a situation completely out of their control, and it is not up to you to define who they are. They are people and should be treated as such. They are not props for your social media account. They are human beings who should be awarded their human rights that somehow the universe deprived them of. As a person privileged enough to live in a first world country, you are helping give them what they do not have. This does not make you better than them.

4. People are amazing.

In my experience, the people I met were the kindest people I have ever had the blessing to meet in the world. Upon my group’s arrival at our work site in La Florida, Peru, we were greeted with a band of children from the local school grinning from ear to ear. These are children who had never ventured far from their small town much less ever held an iPad. This is a town with no running water or electricity, but somehow, the children’s uniforms were spotless. This is something I rarely see at my school in Alpharetta, Georgia. Students in Alpharetta are perfectly content with wearing wrinkly T-shirts and athletic shorts. It was amazing how the children were able to pull off an entirely perfect outfit despite their circumstances.

5. You will ruin your shoes… and shirts.

Do not bring your nicest shirts, shoes and jeans. I’m sorry to say, but this is not the time to be practicing for a fashion show. I made the mistake of only bringing one pair of old tennis shoes for work, and they were covered in cement by the time we left. If you need some work clothes before leaving, check out your local Goodwill. There is generally a large assortment of sizes, and these are clothes that you won’t mind leaving behind after your work is done. In regards to how much clothes to pack, more is definitely better. You’ll go through a lot of clothes, and it’s good to pack more than you think you need. If you’re worried about having room to bring back souvenirs to your friends and family, you’ll leave some clothes behind, which will free up some space.

6. Don't drink the water!

This is hopefully something you always have in mind when traveling to a new area, especially when the water filtration system is not the same as the one you use at home. This mean making sure to keep your mouth closed during the shower, not washing off your toothbrush at the sink, not eating washed fruit or vegetables that do not come in a casing (this means that bananas and avocados are safe) and making sure if you buy a water bottle on the street you can hear the seal break. One trick I found for making sure not to swallow water in the shower is to put a hard candy, such as a Jolly Rancher, in your mouth so you are conscious of keeping your mouth closed.

7. You will see and feel gratitude like you never have before.

Not only will you have changed lives, you will leave changed. I know it sounds very stereotypical, but it’s true. You will realize just how small you are and all the things that you didn’t even know you took for granted. You will see a world bigger and more different than you could have ever imagined. The people you meet and memories you make will shape you and stay with you for the rest of your life. So be prepared to have a life changing experience.