<Begin Segment 16>

SY: And did they have, they had children in these, these other Japanese? 'Cause they were all your school, schoolmates?

NG: Right.

SY: So the schoolhouse was for how many people?

NG: Okay, so when we were at our, its peak, that one graduation, graduating class had eight, eight people.

SY: Eight?

NG: Eight.

SY: Eight people.

NG: Eight girls. They were all girls. Mine, we had three. I tell the story that I was valedictorian of my graduating class 'cause there were three of us, and --

SY: This is in what grade?

NG: This is eighth grade. Graduation was eighth grade there. So I tell the story, there were three of us and I was valedictorian because the other one was a special needs child. [Laughs]

SY: But there was, what about the third one?

NG: And, well, she was just average. So this Reverend Harada from Orange County, he told the story -- 'cause he went, similar, he was always with, there were two in his grade from somewhere. He grew up like that too. And he was always salutatorian to this one girl. [Laughs] So I shared my story with him, too.

SY: He obviously wasn't as smart as you. [Laughs] So then were you very close to the other Japanese American kids?

NG: Yeah. Right.

SY: And there was one Mexican American child who was the classmate.

NG: Right.

SY: And you were, same, close, and did you notice that there was a difference, like culturally?

NG: Yeah, I think so, because why didn't we get, we were never, why wasn't she included in New Year's and things like that?

SY: Oh, so you did have Japanese American activities where all the families got together?

NG: Right, right. Well, at that time it was, my mom did New Year's, for instance. My mom did all the cooking and stayed home while all the men traveled from house to house.

SY: Really?

NG: Yeah, and then my dad traveled from house to house.

SY: And got food?

NG: And got drunk. [Laughs] Yeah, got food. I mean, he's not, he was not good at drinking.

SY: That must've been an interesting...

NG: Yeah, so we didn't, I guess I must've gone with, maybe we went with him too. 'Cause I do remember being in a home, so maybe my dad, we did go. I do remember some New Year's where all of us went together and went to a family's.

SY: But your mom really had to cook, made a full New Year's dinner and all of that.

NG: Yeah, she did that.

SY: And did you interact with the laborers at all?

NG: I think as teenagers, you know how you kind of flirt around with these, you see somebody that's cute and everything, but nothing, no. There was no interaction.

SY: So they were younger. They were all age.

NG: Some of them, all ages, yeah. But no, but no really, there was no interaction. All the kids were, except for Esther, everybody was Japanese American in the schools.

SY: Wow. And do you know how he hired these guys to stay there? I mean, was he --

NG: The families, you mean?

SY: Yeah.

NG: It must've been word of mouth. They must -- some people knew him from before the war. I know that. And then I think they'd just hear where there's work, you know?

SY: Yeah. They weren't, he didn't recruit from camp at all? I mean, I'm assuming all of these people were in camp.

NG: Yeah, I don't know how he did.

SY: They were --

NG: But I'm sure it was people looking for work. I remember there was one, he was mixed, Japanese and Mexican, and he went by his, he didn't tell anybody he was Japanese. He couldn't find work, but when he came to the island he got a job.

SY: He wasn't, he wasn't, his parents weren't a result of being on the island. [Laughs]

NG: No.

SY: He came.

NG: Yeah.

SY: Interesting combination at that point, right? Because there was -- I mean, did your parents talk to you about the, anything about there being a difference between Mexicans and Japanese? Or were they --

NG: I was raised, "You're Japanese and make sure all your friends and your, everybody that you're, are Japanese."

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.