<Begin Segment 21>

AI: So when you first got back, the school administrators sent you to the junior high school for part of a year. And what was your experience there? Was that difficult for you to get adjusted to the junior high school?

RM: Yes, kids were mostly younger. Of course, they have a different grade, too, but I think it was a higher grade of junior high, I think. But since I learned the mathematics and algebra and things like that I knew, so I didn't have to study these. Mostly concentrated the required subjects such as U.S. History and, of course, English is required and the history, too, and so...

AI: Was it difficult --

RM: But the high school required, too, then start all over again in history and things like that. But what happened was, see, should've started from a freshman but I have to finish whole history, so I started with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, see, in between -- [laughs] -- so you have to graduate two classes, see? So I have to attend the two classes. But then I, of course, you have to be qualified mathematics but they give me always "A" because mathematics I knew, already knew before get to school, so...

AI: What about your English classes and your history class, when you first got back?

RM: Well, the hard part was book reports, you gotta read and make what the story was. So that's why reading, some words, hard words never learn in Japanese school. So I have to look up in the dictionary and see what it means, don't even pronounce it. [Laughs] Course, lotta Kibeis, I think, had a hard time with the English part, especially pronunciation because even though I learn English but the Japanese teacher, so pronunciation and...

AI: Right.

RM: It was the Japanese way. So now, they hire most of 'em Americans, you know, as English teachers.

AI: Well, now, so going back to that part of the year in junior high school, who were the other kids in your class that, at that time?

RM: Well, same way. They came from Japan, came back from Japan.

AI: Oh, other kids returning.

RM: Other kids, too, so, at the time, the few. When I went, start school, not many Japanese. But the meantime, lot of Japanese, kids grown up and so quite a few Japanese kids.

AI: That's interesting, so --

RM: Interesting, yeah. When I, of course, like my family, I was the eldest, but then not too many. But then as the year go by, lot of young kids were from different family and new family, too. So that's why some schools, especially in Los Angeles, quite a few Japanese in the classes. But, whereas in Long Beach, residential, Caucasian area, and so only had a few Afro-American, you know, colored. So very rare, you know, surprised. But right now, majority is, I understand, I just passed by there and people told me that my high school is half of 'em Afro-American, see. But...

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.