<Begin Segment 19>

SY: So, and did you have to continue working once you went to school, once you started school? Were you always working?

NG: Yeah, we, during the summer we worked, all the kids.

SY: Not during the school year, though.

NG: No, we didn't. And the kids, the kids all worked together, but I think there was, we might've worked on the weekend 'cause I remember when there were kids, like warehouse work, we all went together. We all were on the same truck together, not necessarily on our island, but going to other islands too. And it was good 'cause we could, I got to keep a lot of that money, so I could buy my own clothes and stuff, but my friend and I guess they gave us work during the weekend. I'm not sure. And there was really no set work, so my, I guess my dad asked the foreman if we could pull weeds or something, so I guess they said okay that we work. And then asparagus plants are awful, and it's not, when they're off season, I mean, it's just, it's a tangle of, it's just awful, and we had to do the weeding. But it's also, it hides you, so one weekend we didn't feel like working so we're fooling around, and then the foreman saw us and told my dad that, "You know, I don't think you were, were you really working today?" So... [laughs]

SY: Did he scold you or not?

NG: My, see, my, I used to get spanked and belted by my mom. I mean, she was twenty-five years old with three kids. She didn't know what to do. My dad never, ever, all he said to me that day was, "Were you really working today?" I mean, I knew exactly what he was talking about, so we didn't do that again. [Laughs]

SY: And you got, it's interesting, so your mom and dad let you keep the money that you earned.

NG: I'm sure not all of it, but I got to keep --

SY: Some of it, so it was...

NG: I mean, to me it was a lot of money.

SY: And as a young girl, did you go, where did you go shopping?

NG: Yeah, so this was a great time. Like when she, when he would have to pick me up -- he couldn't pick me up until after work, so my meetings with... and I walked to downtown. I walked to Stockton, I did my own shopping, and that's why my, we, the Japanese, the Buddhist church was in skid row, 'cause where else could they afford it? All the Japanese, what do you call, retail places, where my dad got his haircut, all on skid row, so here you are, you're past, I'm passing people playing the accordion who's blind, or somebody with no legs with their... and drunks. I mean, it's the stench, just like downtown L.A. I mean, it was, I just grew up like that. We'd walk from shopping in Stockton, which was nice, over to the Buddhist church, and you had to pass this, this area, so I thought nothing of it, right? And I take my kids downtown once, I mean, they thought I was gonna get them killed. You know, they just know the mall. [Laughs]

SY: [Laughs] Things have changed.

NG: Yeah. No, but it was, and that was part of it. We're not, we just did not, we're not afraid 'cause that was where everything was.

SY: You mentioned the Buddhist church. Is that, so, and this minister that came to the island once a month, so was it primarily Buddhist then, everybody?

NG: Oh yeah.

SY: Everybody was Buddhist.

NG: Right.

SY: There was not a Christian minister who came to the island.

NG: No.

SY: And it was just the Japanese families that went?

NG: Yeah, and my mom was very prejudiced towards Christians. I mean, I didn't know what Christians were 'cause we were Buddhist. And she doesn't even know what it means to be Buddhist. You know, 'cause you're just born a Buddhist. [Laughs]

SY: I see. And you're, the kids were the ones who went to church, not the parents.

NG: No, right. And we only went when there was a bazaar in town, in Stockton. They would have these food bazaars.

SY: Your parents would take you.

NG: And when we had, and they would have movies. I remember Japanese movies there. And then we would, the Obon, which was, which was not a carnival, which was Obon, which was dancing.

SY: So that was kind of the recreational activity, was to go to the Buddhist church?

NG: Uh-huh. Well, we didn't really go... just for, like the bazaar, what is that, once a year? It wasn't that much. The highlight, I mean, you're just, there's nothing to do. The highlight was the county fair and the state fair. That was a big thing to go to state fair, but there was really nothing to do.

SY: And your --

NG: But my, they would take us to the movies, though, every so often.

SY: Yeah, as kids, I can't imagine, just played with each other.

NG: Yeah. As, before high school it was fun 'cause you're just on your own. There are no parents. It's amazing we all lived. I think about it -- when our house burned down we had to live somewhere, so we lived on this barge, army barge or navy barge or whatever it was, and they closed off, so that it would be habitable they closed off most of the rooms section and so we just kept two, I guess I stayed with my brothers, so two rooms, those bunk rooms, sleeping quarters for us to sleep. And then, so we had this huge kitchen that was... but it was, it's on the river, and we used to play cops and robbers, and the ledge was like this and it's on the river, but we're racing around. And in fact, they opened up the upstairs once and cleaned it out 'cause the young people had a dance there. That was kind of fun to watch.

SY: You had a --

NG: No, we were, I was young. I'm, this is for teenagers.

SY: There were enough people to gather together for a dance.

NG: Yeah.

SY: And you, do you remember what your parents did for the, when they weren't working?

NG: When they weren't working?

SY: When they weren't working, yeah. Your mom cooked, probably, huh?

NG: Yeah, they were always working. So I think they played, they were, I'm wondering they played cards then. They might've played cards, Hana. But there was no, when they would get a, I don't remember, I don't know when we got a TV. We, I just remember listening to the radio, all of us together.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.