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TL: Can you go back to -- in other conversations you've told me a little bit about going first to Pinedale, and what that was like, and the move then to Tule Lake; and I'm wondering if you could kind of talk about that a little bit more, some of the things that you did while you were there at Pinedale, your mother's concern about getting enough food, and some of those really basic things.

YN: Well, coming from Tacoma in May, which is cool, and the first day as we landed in Pinedale, it was just hot. And when we got to our barracks and we were told there to fill in the straw for a mattress on the bed, that's very humiliating experience. On top of that we had to take our, our utensils and a tin cup and stand in line outside the mess hall in that broiling sun; was again very humiliating. When finally went in, there was hardly anything to eat, and because of that experience my mother told me to work in the mess hall as a waitress. Then she knows that I will be fed adequately.

I worked in the mess hall for a little while. That's where I actually met my future husband. Then I applied for a musician's job afterwards, and I was accepted into the recreation department, in the music department. And I began teaching piano, and I also had a glee club. I also accompanied many, many singers on other occasions for the weekly entertainment programs. I think that's the only thing that kept my sanity, that I was able to do this. In my diary I have a whole day's affair about the Fourth of July in Pinedale, and it describes the parade we had, the decorated cars, the marching band. And at that ceremony part, it was announced officially that we would be leaving for Tule Lake, and so I had the whole day there.

One of the interesting thing was that in the evening there was a dance, and my husband and I went to the dance, and because it was so crowded, it was almost like a taxi dance. We had to line up in one door, go in and dance three dances, and then you go, turn around and get back in line again, and I had that in my diary, which is a very... well, it was an experience for me. By that time I knew that I was going steady with my future husband. And when we left Pinedale, I was selected as a monitor for our barrack and so I was giving instructions that I had to give to each of the members. And then I had to take care of that group on that day making sure they lined up, they had everything, taking them to the bus, from the bus to the train. I had to take care of them all the way up until we reached Tule Lake. And so that was another experience that at my age -- my young age, at that time nineteen -- that I thought well, "Why was I selected as a monitor with a whole group when I had an older brother that was living..."

TL: So were your brother and sister, they were older than you?

YN: No, I had a older brother and a younger sister. Another older brother was married and he was in another barrack.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.