<Begin Segment 32>

[Translated from Japanese]

TY: So then your husband passed away and you moved to Portland to live near Etsuko.

YI: Yes, I did. Just before my husband died, my child, Shinya, got married. Fortunately while my husband was alive, all the children got married. (After he died), I was alone without a job and nothing to do. So I came here. There were five grandchildren here. They were all young. Since Etsuko and her husband worked, I took care of them.

TY: You returned to parenting.

YI: Yes. I cooked and did laundry. I did all the housework. Now I have everything done for me. [Laughs]

TY: Aren't you happy that you could live near your grandchildren? You could watch them grow.

YI: The youngest was four years old.

TY: I hear they often came to spend the night.

YI: What?

TY: Your grandchildren often visited you...

YI: For about half a year, I lived in a nearby apartment alone. I came here every day and sometimes I came to help in the evenings also. So Herb offered to convert a carport into a room so that I could move in. I was very happy. They invited me to live with them.

TY: Since then, you have been living here.

YI: A visiting nurse comes to see me once in a while from a hospital. She asked me the other day how long I intend to be taken care of by my daughter. I said, "Well, if I become disabled, I will go into a nursing home. But right now I still can take care of my basic needs, and so I would like to live with them."

TY: You still cook for yourself.

YI: I can cook my own food and dress myself. I can manage those things. I am sorry for Etsuko. She has to take care of me. This old lady. Really.

TY: But I think she is happy she can live with her mother.

<End Segment 32> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.