Densho Digital Archive - Nancy Iwami Interview (denshovh-inancy-01-0011)

<Begin Segment 11>

MA: So you said that you went to Watsonville High School.

NI: Uh-huh.

MA: And how many Nisei students were in your class when you were there, about?

NI: Well, gee, I don't know how many Niseis were there, but there were quite a number of Japanese. Surprised... in fact, my class was a large class. I felt there were... now I can't even recall, but I guess there were about twenty in our graduating class.

MA: And Watsonville High School had students from the country and from in town?

NI: Yes, all over, and this was the only high school here. Lately there's so many (...) high schools.

MA: Did most Japanese live in the country like you did, farming, sharecropping, as opposed to town?

NI: Well, I assume. Because... I can't, I never lived in town, so I can't say at this time, but there were quite a bit in the country, also in town.

MA: And how did the Nisei students fit in socially with the other students in high school?

NI: Well, as far as I know, I didn't mingle too much. We were more like, what do you call, groups.

MA: A clique?

NI: Oh, clique, yes. But I had some good friends, but we never, outside of high school, we never went to visit the home and slept over and things like the kids do nowadays. (...) That's me.

MA: And how did you and your friends maybe spend free time when you had, on the weekend? What did you do for fun, social activities?

NI: There weren't too many. We were working on the weekends. But if there was something at the church or some group had a picnic, we'd go, it was special. So I think in the old days, the church was our social place. It isn't like nowadays where they just take off on the weekends here and there. We just didn't, couldn't probably. But I think we had a good life, though.

MA: What types of things did they have at the church? What social things?

NI: Well, sometimes the ladies would have cooking, and then other times, well, we'll form a little dance group or something, learn how to dance. And then sometimes someone would come and teach us certain things, ikebana or cooking, and we all get together, whoever could come. So those were the little things or the big things going on then. Because I can't remember going out of town for anything big except maybe church conferences or conventions they called it, the YBA.

MA: The Young Buddhists Association.

NI: Young Buddhists, yes. So that, that's the only thing that I can recall going out of town. 'Cause my folks, my father (...) learned how to drive when he was older, so naturally he didn't know how to drive out of town.