While I'm so thankful that I was lucky enough to be in a program at NYU that provides me with these kinds of travel opportunities, some unforeseeable mishaps occurred. Scheduling problems meant we were left to our own devices and in a very touristy area of the city. In fact, our hotel was quite segregated from the entire city of Salvador, sitting on top of a large hill. It was hard to get a feel of Salvador being so removed. As for the community service aspect of the trip, I still don't quite know how I feel: we helped do minor renovations on a school in the slums of the city but there's a certain point where I wonder how much it's for our own self-fulfillment.
