In this case, it was not the fact that Vivian was Eskimo that caused her problems. No one cared that she was Eskimo in college and treated her just like they would anyone else in the school. The main problem caused by her racial experience was that her cultural background she grew up with was so different from everyone else that she didn’t even know how to react when they were trying to be nice to her. She did not want to speak out about something that she was uncomfortable with, like eating spicy tacos, because she did not want to appear rude. In order for a person from one race to learn about a different race, there must be communication between the two sides about their experiences. Vivian made the mistake of not talking enough when she was uncomfortable and not explaining her view of the world to other people beyond small stories about hunting and such when they asked. Instead of just eating the tacos, she could have said “I’m use to fishing and hunting where I am from, so I do not want to eat spicy foods.” This would have taught the person something about Eskimo’s and the situation would have been a lot more comfortable for both of them. She did not try to teach others about her history and have them adapt to the way that she saw the world. The only time where Vivian appeared to do the right thing to clear up a racial difference between her and someone else was when she was young. She told a family friend he was stupid for throwing a fish in the fire (page 11). Explaining her culture early on in college would have resulted in a better experience for her and changed the way her race affected her in the beginning of her school career. College would have been less jarring for her if she had try to adapt through teaching others her culture than by trying to assimilate fully and become like the other kids.

Because Vivian did not know how to react to this new environment, she was having difficulty settling into the campus life. There were many things that she was not able to comprehend due to her lack of experience in this new setting. She was unfamiliar with everything in her new home, from the way the teacher taught the class, to the fact that there were squirrels running around in funny looking trees. This experience was too alien for her and no one was able to help her because she was too alien to them. Even the counselor was unable to help her and had to send her back to the dean’s office because she didn’t know what to do with Vivian. To her, this new world appeared to be forcing her to assimilate to the same mindset as everyone else because she couldn’t seem to adapt to college life while maintaining her old mindset.

Vivian was able to overcome this issue by meeting with other Native American students who understood her problems, in the NAD (page 10). That group of people with the same culture that she had made Vivian feel comfortable and enabled her to finally talk about her problem. This was the biggest thing she did at college that enabled her to start adapting to the culture instead of trying to take it all in at once and being overwhelmed. With the help of the group, she learned that she should not try and assimilate completely to the local culture and help to preserve her uniqueness like the other members. Adapting your views while maintaining your own unique outlook on the world was the best option for Vivian to understand this new environment. Once she discovered that path, she was able to excel in school.