<Begin Segment 13>

AI: So you had English class in chugakko?

RM: Yes, English class, too, but the couple times a week or something like -- they don't cram down that thing. You have to take, each one, everybody so not, jack of all trades, master of none. [Laughs] That's what I say because that's no way of doin' it, you know. Just a little bit of everything else, of course, no general knowledge you know, but not in deep, so...

AI: So when you had some English class in chugakko, then you remembered your English.

RM: Yeah, then that comes in handy because, especially in pronunciation, and the teacher with the Japanese so the Japanese English. And, well, they wouldn't say anything, just listen, but everything, writing and things is the same but when reading, the Japanese pronunciation.

AI: And you could hear the difference between --

RM: Yeah, I could hear the difference, yes.

AI: Well, so then in chugakko, who were some of your friends? Were your friends other U.S.-born kids or did --

RM: Well, very few. Well, I don't know the percentage, but some of 'em already returned to the United States before finishing school, high school. So, but there're a few and they're very proficient in English part but they didn't know about the history or something like that, geography because... but to me, my grandfather taught me, see. And not only like prefecture, like Kumamoto, then they have a country name like Higo is old name for country; you know, Higo, Kumamoto, and Aki is Hiroshima and Bingo and Bitchu, Bizen is Okayama. I already know all of that but the people came from the United States, they don't know the old ones because they don't teach that.

AI: Right, so you --

RM: Of course, in course of that that they also call this, but then, but to me, every time I was with my grandfather taught me, says, well, Bizen, Bitchu, Bingo, Aki, Suo, Nagato, Bizen, Bizen, Bitchu, those are things, Hizen, Higo, you know, those, I know exactly where that is, and...

AI: So you were confident of that.

RM: Yeah, confident, Satsuma, you know, Kagoshima, and...

AI: Yes, so, let me ask you: then in the third and fourth years of chu-, I should mention that you explained to us earlier that not everyone goes to chugakko. And of the kids who do go to chugakko, not --

RM: Well, they have koto shogakko, they thought. Uh-huh.

AI: And not everyone finishes --

RM: Not, this not high school, but, well, only two years, so just extension of the grammar, elementary school.

AI: Right, and then --

RM: It's like a junior, middle school here.

AI: Yes, but not everyone completes the upper years --

RM: No.

AI: -- in Japan. It's not, upper high school equivalent years are not, were not compulsory at that time.

RM: Yeah, right, because the elementary school, then extension of that is tuition-free so they would go, but high school you have to pay and it's pretty expensive.

AI: Yes.

RM: That's why, one of the reasons.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.