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VY: Now, there were a lot of different kinds of people at this particular camp. There were city people and more rural people. Do you remember any kind of interactions between, like, the two different kinds of, groups of people? Any conflicts or bondings?

MK: No. It was a fun time because we made friends from all up and down California or wherever they came from. And one exciting thing I remember was, of the young adults that reached marriageable age, they found partners from different areas. They wouldn't have gotten together except for being in camp. And when there was a wedding, we would all -- not invited, but we would all stand outside to watch the bride and groom and it was quite an exciting time.

VY: Did that happen a lot? Were there several marriages while you were there?

MK: Yes. And there were a few births that I remember, even on our block, and our neighbor.

VY: What was that like? Do you remember, were you close with anybody that was married or gave birth to a child while they were in camp?

MK: Yes. One family was right across from our area, and so I made friends with them, because we were all high school age. And one of the sisters was married and she had a baby girl, and I dropped in on her once in a while and I was able to carry the little baby and it was fun.

VY: And did it seem like the medical care was good for the women when they were pregnant?

MK: I suppose. We heard that we had good doctors, Japanese doctors that were at the L.A. hospitals, and they seemed to have quite a reputation.

VY: Do you remember when you arrived there, were you housed among other families from the Imperial Valley?

MK: No, we were scattered about. So it wasn't necessarily El Centro people right there, because I remember meeting a lot of new friends. But this was Bakersfield, of course, where we took off to camp. And there were a few families on the same block.

VY: Let's see. So you said you made a lot of friends while you were there, did you keep in touch with any of them later, after the war?

MK: Just a very few, because we scattered all over the place, and many of them got married and started their families and I guess they were busy. Of course, many of them settled back in California while we were in Seattle. So that made it a little bit hard.

VY: Why do you think you did not return to California?

MK: Oh, we didn't own any property or home or anything like this, and we were rather stuck. And so my mother had corresponded with her aunt, her family was farming in either Puyallup or Sumner in the area. And they went to Minidoka, and after Minidoka they relocated to Hazelton, Idaho, where they were doing farm work for a company. And so they invited our family up there. So that's how we got to Hazelton.

VY: So do you think they went to Hazelton just because, instead of returning back to Puyallup right away, do you think they went to Hazelton first because there was work there? That was the main reason?

MK: Or they didn't have a place to return to in Washington at that moment.

VY: I see. So, is there anything else about Poston that you remember happening while you were there?

MK: Oh. I remember we had a boy's baseball team, and there must have been a Native American tribe located somewhere, and they were invited in competition. The Native American boys came to our camp to play baseball with our boys.

VY: So did they play on the same team?

MK: No. Our camp boys were one team versus the Native American team.

VY: I see. Did that happen more than once?

MK: I just remember that one incident.

VY: How was the game, was it a good game?

MK: You know, I don't even remember at all. I just remember the occasion. And, of course, during our high school years we had dances. Jitterbug was popular then. And, of course, I was very shy, but some of my classmates would ask me to dance. I got a lot of enjoyment out of the junior high school boys coming to me to ask me to dance, and they were very shy. And I really got a kick out of that and enjoyed it.

VY: Would you dance with them?

MK: Oh, yes. I guess they treated me like a big sister, because I had a brother that age.

VY: During the baseball game, do you remember interacting with the other teammates?

MK: Not at all. But I do remember we also had volleyball games among our blocks, and we played volleyball. That was the one sport that I remember.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2018 Densho. All Rights Reserved.