<Begin Segment 24>

SY: And how did you get from Gila River to Chicago?

NS: On the train. See, from Gila I went to train in town, there's a train that goes to Chicago. Oh, my gosh, how many days it took me. I was so tired.

SY: And how was that train ride?

NS: It was rough. It was old, junky... it's during the wartime. The train was old, junky.

SY: And you traveled all by yourself?

NS: Oh, yeah.

SY: Alone?

NS: Alone.

SY: And you got no...

NS: Well, there was hakujin guys, and there were kind of, some of them were asking, "You want a date?" or something like that, and I didn't pay attention or anything like that. I was a young girl at that time, so after all, some desperate guys come around and say, "You want a date?" I didn't pay attention, I just looked this way and didn't pay attention. They went away. [Laughs]

SY: But they didn't think it was strange --

NS: I was kind of scared, though. I thought they would do something to me. I didn't pay attention.

SY: And then when you arrived in Chicago, your brother...

NS: My brother came after me, so I was happy.

SY: So what was it like...

NS: Well, he had an apartment in south side, but it was two bedrooms. One was, he was staying with my other brother, and then on this side, the kitchen side, there was a place where they had a bed. So I used that as a bedroom. So, you know, I had to go to bed at nighttime and everybody's sleeping anyway, they go to bed early, they have work, so they had to go to bed early anyway. And then the shower room was separate anyway. So it worked out fine.

SY: So it was the three of you in this apartment?

NS: Yeah.

SY: And were there a lot of Japanese in the area?

NS: Oh, yeah. I was surprised, I met so many nice people at the apartment. Yeah. They were sad for me to leave because we got acquainted so well. We used to go out together and stuff. My girlfriends, "Oh, you're going to leave? How come you're gonna leave?" I said, "Oh, my mother wanted me to come back, so I'm gonna go back." So I met them and I still kind of write to each other, yeah.

SY: So how is it that all these other Japanese, did they all leave camp and move to Chicago?

NS: Yeah, oh, yeah. Most of 'em left, oh, yes. There was, when I left, there was a whole bus full of Japanese.

SY: And so they, all the people you met, they had been in camp?

NS: Yes. Oh, yes.

SY: They weren't people --

NS: But they get a job different places. They lived far, and then you kind of lose contact. So all my friends sort of, I got, lost contact with them.

SY: But they were there when you got there.

NS: Yeah, oh, yeah. We went together.

SY: Oh, some of them came at the same time?

NS: Yeah. For a while we used to get together and everything, but then I said, they got married, some got married and then went away. Even now, I don't know where they are.

SY: So you had actual friends from Gila that ended up in Chicago?

NS: Oh, yes.

SY: So was there a hard time finding work there?

NS: Well, at first, my girlfriend called me up, she gave me the phone number where she was staying, said, "You know what, Nancy? I got a job." I said, "Oh, how wonderful." Then the following day I went out to look for a job and I got a job, too, in this place where they make pattern, company. And they wanted a secretary, so I worked as a secretary there. It wasn't much of a pay, but I started working there, and start giving me raise, so it was nice.

SY: Did your friends or... it wasn't hard finding a job?

NS: No, there's always a job. There's some kind of job, always. If you look for a job there's always a job.

SY: And there wasn't any problem because you were Japanese?

NS: No, no. They don't care. And said, right away, they said, "You want to start tomorrow?" "Tomorrow?" I said. I wasn't ready to work tomorrow. [Laughs] But they were nice people. Chicago, they didn't have no prejudice at all. Even on the train, store, no matter where you went, they all really welcomed you.

SY: So you were well-treated, then.

NS: Yeah. I was really happy. I was surprised. You know, when you read, sometimes you read things, somebody got treated bad, you kind of get afraid to go out of town. Not one time. Not once. All the time, three years that I stayed in Chicago, not once. They were all so nice to you.

SY: So did you want to stay there?

NS: Yeah, but then my mother wanted me to come back. She didn't want me to stay too long. She'd keep writing to me to come back. She was getting lonely, too, you know.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.