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AI: I wanted to ask you a little bit more about your very earliest years. Some of your -- for example, I was wondering, do you happen to remember learning English? When you first learned English?

HK: Yes. I spoke Japanese, Nihongo, until I started kindergarten. And the Japanese Association had a, a kindergarten, and it was mainly Japanese kids with a white teacher. And it was held in the association hall, and I was sent there when I was about five-and-a-half, so that I would be prepared when I started school. And I, I spoke, I didn't speak any English. One time the boss came by, and he asked for my parents, I guess, and I said, "Huh?" [Laughs] And my brother, my siblings thought that was Japanese. And they, they thought, "Oh, you spoke Japanese to this, this hakujin." [Laughs] Well, I didn't realize it myself. I thought that could have been Japanese. But kindergarten was really a rather unhappy experience, because all these kids spoke English. They were, they had older siblings, and so they, they spoke English and they were very comfortable in school and with each other, and here I was, having a hard time with the language. And so I don't think I finished the six months. I think I dropped out, or they withdrew me. One time I ran home from school.

AI: So it was a difficult experience.

HK: Yeah, I guess it was. I, I didn't... and then there were bullies who would get into my lunch and take all the good stuff. [Laughs] And I write about that in the book. But that was --

AI: And then, then the next school you went to was the grammar school where you took the bus?

HK: Yes, we took the bus, yeah.

AI: And so by that time, then, you must have been adjusting and learning English and able to communicate.

HK: Well, I didn't feel comfortable until I was in the third grade. So that I don't know I managed the first two grades. [Laughs] It was just by luck that I wasn't held back. Because many Nisei were held back. One fellow, who was, he was, he's here at the pilgrimage, but his brother, who was in our class, when he was, graduated from grammar school, eighth grade, people said he finished his tenth grade -- [laughs] -- because he was held back a couple times. So yeah, I really didn't feel comfortable until I was in the third grade, and then suddenly something, yeah. And then it was easygoing, somewhat, but the reading was always difficult. Reading and comprehension was pretty difficult. We had one teacher who kept going with us, advancing with us. And we said, "Oh, Mrs..." what was her name? Mrs. Land, I guess, was promoted, too. And so she, she was our teacher, and she was very strict, and some of the kids said that she was anti-Japanese, but I didn't think so. She was just a good teacher, and was very particular about how we spoke. And she always said we spoke pidgin English. And so, yeah, we turned out pretty, pretty good.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.