<Begin Segment 14>

BN: When you came, did you get involved at all with... there were a lot of Okinawan village or locality organizations in Hawaii, all these clubs...

SI: Club, that time, only it was involved our Miyowason. Yes, once a year, Shinnen Enkai, we always go show our [inaudible]. But, okay, Okinawa, Miyowason and Kanegusuku Itoman, they merged that time, and come to the... that's president, my son was come from president. And at the time it was merged, and maybe two time I went. Picnic every time, there was one time always one year, one time, this picnic we used to go. But long time [inaudible]. We used go to the picnic, the Shinnen Enkai, they was happy for picnic.

BN: A lot of other children, huh?

SI: They was happy for them.

BN: And then you mentioned you had an auntie who was already here.

SI: Oh, my auntie.

BN: And you remained in touch or close to them also?

SI: That's why I never think about the homesickness, and they were so close, and pig farm.

Off camera: I think every weekend we were out.

SI: Over there.

BN: Where was their pig farm?

SI: Other side.

BN: And where did your family live? Where did you live, what part of town?

SI: At the time, I was apartment, Kokei apartment.

BN: In where?

SI: Palama, apartment. And then she was there, "Mom, we cannot live this kind of place every time. No can live over here." Okay. And then at that time, have the...

Off camera: A bunch of them, the tenants that was living at the apartment put in for lottery to different areas. So our neighborhood, there's at least five families that we know that were from the apartments, too.

SI: Oh, they close...

BN: In the neighborhood you're in now.

Off camera: Yes. There's a good handful that...

BN: All came at the same time. Interesting. Are they also Okinawan?

SI: Yes.

Off camera: Not all.

SI: Not all, but yeah, Tamayoshi, Okinawa. Only thing, what you call, Noreen different. Yeah, Noreen different.

Off camera: When you got into the money-saving tanomoshi?

SI: Tanomoshi club no more, yeah. That was so good, boy. You know Tanomoshi club? This is, when we have that, really enjoy, you know. Because when you get money, I have to keep in this purse, you no can spend 'em. Tanomoshi you can no be late, you have to be the date. So this one, the first thing, got to take off the tanomoshi first. So you don't need extra spending. [Laughs] I like doing.

BN: What would you do when it was your turn to get the money?

SI: Hmm... what happened to that money? [Laughs]

BN: I mean, did you use that, is that what you used to purchase the business?

Off camera: I think we went on a trip once.

BN: Oh, stuff like that.

Off camera: Well, we hardly traveled, but there was one occasion where she took us girls to the Expo in Okinawa.

SI: That was good.

BN: Yeah, okay. Who was in the tanomoshi? Was it people from your...

SI: Old friends.

BN: Kind of informal? When did you first go back to Okinawa to visit?

SI: That's my mother, my brother, they're living, so what year? No, before... my mother came first, so I first, I went first. You folks first. You first, and Lynn... oh, Okinawa, what year was? '75. Oh, Okinawa festival, that kind.

BN: And you had not seen your mother or your siblings at that time, for a long time? Almost twenty years.

SI: Those days was good.

Off camera: She adapted fairly well because she went to learn English at the community when she first got here. Farrington, right?

SI: Farrington evening class. Evening class. I went to evening class, my husband come home, watch them, and I'd go evening class.

BN: Did you speak any English when you came?

SI: No. I don't know how to even write. [Laugh] And our first class, the Japanese teacher, she said Japanese town is very lazy town. But she was teaching good, she teach us, no forget, but others I forget. She was so teaching good.

BN: How long did you continue to go to the classes?

SI: Oh, no, only evening class. So I starting to work, I no more time to go.

BN: But once you started having children...

SI: Yeah, started. And at the time, my go watch, so I got chance to go after starting to work.

BN: Did you speak to your children in English then?

SI: All the time in Nihongo. [Laughs]

Off camera: Sometimes we couldn't understand, we chose to not understand.

SI: That's right.

BN: Do you still remember the Okinawan language?

SI: Oh, yes.

BN: Do you actually speak it? I mean, are there still people you talk to...

SI: No. When my husband was living, we can talk, but now --

Off camera: I hear you.

SI: Who? Talk to... Auntie Hiroko, only one small sentence. [Laughs]

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.