<Begin Segment 27>

TI: So are there any other memories about Jerome that you want to share? Are there any happy moments that you can think of? Something that, a fond memory of Jerome?

RN: No.

KN: Remember, you were the Starlights? What was that...

RN: Yeah, advisor.

KN: But what was this group of girls you advised? What was that?

RN: Star something.

KN: Starlights. What did the Starlights do?

RN: I was the advisor for the girls.

KN: And what would you advise them on? What did you guys do, activities? Do you remember what you advised them of? Elma and the rest of the...

RN: Well, I was just the advisor. I didn't do much.

KN: What would they do, though?

RN: They were all club members. They didn't do anything wrong.

KN: But would they organize dances, or what?

RN: Yeah.

TI: Now, when you have a child in camp, did you have a lot of babysitters, or, sort of, people who wanted to help babysit or anything like that?

RN: No.

TI: So it was pretty much on your shoulders to take care of it. So I'm wondering, how can you even be an advisor, have the time to be an advisor when you're caring for a young child?

KN: Didn't some of the obachans look after Janie, too?

RN: Uh-huh, yeah.

TI: Yeah, I would think they would love to have that distraction. I was wondering.

KN: In fact, that's how my sister learned Japanese, from the other obachans and stuff, talking to them.

TI: Yeah, that makes sense.

RN: 'Cause my mom's mother and father went to Rohwer. My dad's mother and father went to Jerome, so they split up the family.

TI: And why was that? Do you know why they split them?

RN: Yeah, I don't know.

TI: Interesting.

KN: Did that make you feel sad, Ma, that both families, Nakagawas and Fujimuras got split to two different camps.

RN: Yeah.

KN: So you couldn't see them.

TI: Because that, wasn't that unusual? Because I thought most people went to Jerome. So only, so some also went to Rohwer, also? Okay, interesting. So any other memories or thoughts about Jerome?

RN: Uh-uh.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 2010 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.