<Begin Segment 22>

LH: Now, so you decided to go to Manzanar with your family. What was your typical day like at Manzanar, from the time you get up in the morning...

FH: Just taking care of the kids, nothing much. My husband helped me a lot. He did all the washing. So made it nice.

LH: Now, when you were -- there must have been a lot of wash, with all the kids.

FH: Oh yeah. Lot of wash. Nice weather, it dries right away. Nice and hot.

AI: Speaking of the laundry, can you remember what the laundry room looked like?

FH: Oh yeah, there were lot of laundry trays on both end.

AI: No washing machines.

FH: No washing machine. No.

AI: Were Neal and Natalie both still in diapers?

FH: Oh yes.

AI: Both of 'em still in diapers.

FH: They issued a bucket, and soap and everything. The heavy bucket, the bucket alone was heavy. Wish we had plastic, those days. [Laughs]

LH: So if you had to have your kids wash hands, there was no running water in your own barracks?

FH: No, no. No water.

AI: No water, no toilet.

FH: You had to go to the latrine, yeah.

LH: Well I imagine that's a lot of trips to the latrine in one day.

FH: Well, you know ham, five-pound ham can? My husband made a little toilet seat for the kids. Used the ham can for the...

AI: To keep in your room?

FH: Yeah, then we had it in room.

AI: Is that what you used to, for toilet training for Neal?

FH: Uh-huh, yeah, for the kids.

AI: So you taught Neal how to do toilet training in the ham can.

FH: Yeah, we had to go to the latrine to empty it out.

LH: It's quite inventive.

FH: We had to make all the chairs, if you want chair, go get a box, empty box. There was only cot in the room, nothing else.

LH: Where did the materials come from to make these things? Where did you get, where did you find materials for those?

FH: Oh, there were... lumberyard. Some work at the, we must've had a place to get the, lumber, I don't know.

LH: Your family was trying to make do and make the best of the situation.

FH: Uh-huh.

LH: I see.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.