<Begin Segment 10>

SY: So that kept you pretty busy, then, and you and your mother were in one unit?

EN: Yes.

SY: So you were, you had more room, basically, than most families.

EN: I don't remember.

SY: You don't remember living in the actual, where you were staying?

EN: And I remember taking a shower in the roundhouse. That was one of the horrible experiences we ever had. You know how private one is about bathing, and the roundhouse was just a bare room with, I guess, showers, and even bathing with other women was sort of a shock.

SY: And it was, why was it called the roundhouse?

EN: That's where they washed the horses, the racehorses.

SY: So the showers were already there for the horses. I see, so the floor must've been pretty awful too.

EN: I don't remember. I just remember that was one of the most horrible experiences we ever had.

SY: Did your mother, do you, you don't, do you remember going in with your mother?

EN: No, I don't remember. You know, so many of the details are lost to me.

SY: Right. Well, it was probably pretty traumatic. And how about the restroom facilities? Was it in a separate place? Do you remember?

EN: I think it was in a barracks, like a separate barrack with toilet facilities, and one side was for men and one side was for women.

SY: So was that also partitioned off, or...

EN: Well, there weren't, I don't believe there were doors on the stalls. And I think the, later they built, they had the showers in these barracks, shower buildings, but one half was for men and one half was for women, and unfortunately the men would knock out the knotholes and peek in on the women. [Laughs]

SY: Really? You remember that?

EN: Uh-huh.

SY: That was a very specific, big memory. So it was, it was uncomfortable to go any time, night or day. Did you find yourself, or was your mother, did you find yourself going at odd times?

EN: I don't remember that. I just remember that one of my boyfriends had suggested that we go take, take a shower, he on his side and me on the women's side. But I said no, I don't want to. Then that's when I learned, later, that there were knotholes that were missing. [Laughs]

SY: That brings up an interesting point, though, you were actually dating, I mean, not dating, but seeing, you were at the age where you were --

EN: Yes, that was the interesting part. There were so many young people that you met all kinds of possible dates.

SY: Right.

EN: So there were, I think there were a lot of socials.

SY: At the assembly center. Yeah.

EN: Sort of a vague blur, but I believe there were dances.

SY: Was that, was it, would you consider it noticeably different than when you were in high school, in terms of the numbers of guys available?

EN: Yes.

SY: And was it, being Japanese American guys, did that have an attraction to you?

EN: Sure, I always, always liked them.

SY: So you, so you were socially very, you had an active social life.

EN: Yeah, I always had a boyfriend. [Laughs] But I never had so many at one time as in camp. That was really unusual.

SY: Wow. That's so funny. I've always been curious about that. But then, and at some point, I mean, you didn't really know how long you were gonna be there, I assume.

EN: No, we, that was a scary part. We had no idea what was going to happen to us.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.