There is a lot of ethnic diversity in the world and a lot of conflict that comes with it and its disagreements, and “A Private Experience” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has good examples of these misunderstandings. The setting of this place the back of an abandoned store in Kano, Nigeria, likely in the 1980’s or 1990’s, as many riots were happening in the area at the time, and it is also when Adichie grew up. People are panicking outside, not knowing what to do, as Igbo Christians and Hausa Muslims are slaughtering each other on the streets and in the markets. Ironically, one from each side are trapped together, Chika and an unnamed woman, inside of the building, hiding from the rioters. Chika is an Igbo Christian girl who studies medicine at the University of Lagos, and, as such, believes she is smarter and better than her companion. She is insecure, as she would panic during medical procedures and sit at the back of the class, yet she can still think so little of someone without context. After gaining some, however, she yearns to be a friend of the woman, so she lies about having five siblings to better relate to the woman, and then asks for her scarf as a sign of friendship, and to make sure she isn’t disliked as that could trigger her insecurity. The woman she’s trapped with, on the other hand, tries to be helpful off the start, although she is nervous and possibly unsure, as she whispers out words to start. She is annoyed slightly by Chika’s arrogance in assumptions but can connect and become more confident when Chika lies and starts talking about moisturizing her nipples, which may have been bothering her for some time. Their relationship shows the theme of the story, which is that no matter religion, ethnicity, etc. we are all that same species, and we can work together. When they first meet one another, neither person is happy with who they’re stuck with, but as they get to know each other a little more, they realize they are both one in the same. This connects to the plot, as it is that two sides of an ethnically inclined riot, Hausa Muslim, and Igbo Christians, is happening outside in the market area and one person of either religion must camp out the night together with each other. They each come from varying economic classes as well as seen with Chuka going to university and having a Burberry purse and the woman having a string and bead necklace, or so Chika believes. The author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, may have used personal experiences to help create both characters, as Chika seems to be suffering from having a single story of what Hausa Muslims are, poor, uneducated people, this is untrue, though. Adichie had a roommate in university who though the same thing of herself, thinking her just a poor girl from Nigeria, not knowing English or any technology at all. The scarf the woman gave to Chika becomes more powerful because of this, as it shows a connection between both sides of the conflict, and a sense of trust between the two parties, when you look past the disagreement in religion. It also connects to the theme, which preaches something similar, and symbolizes another similarity between the two, as both want the scarf, but the woman decides to make a compromise, something she probably wouldn’t do unless it was for a friend, or for her own benefit, which is not the case. We learn all this information from a third person limited omniscient point of view, which we know as we can read some of Chika’s though, but not anyone else’s. She thinks back to her time studying medicine, and how this alone would make her more intelligent than the woman. Chika, or anyone for that matter, is not referred to as “I” or “You” in the story, and we aren’t being narrated the story by anyone else. Through this story, we can get a more inside investigate what experiences may occur for these people hiding in a riot, but more importantly, ethnic cultures could be able to live in harmony if they put aside differences in how they view the world and be inclusive towards outside perspectives.