Manzanar, Calif
14-12-4

June 5, 1943

Dear Joe,

How are you? We are all in good health.

I'm ashamed that I couldn't write more but its four weeks before final examinations come up and I want to be sure that I pass and have no failures so I won't have to go to summer school. I have been awfully busy because I'm making three notebooks all at once & besides that I have been having tests practically every other day. Gee I think school is so hard and I hope that they will sort of pull the grading down a little bit because heres how they grade. 100 is A 90 is B 80 is C and 70 is D & below F. Well back home 70 was C and that's what has been pulling me down so low. What do you think of this crazy grading system? That's why I don't get hardly any B's.

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Thank you for all of the nice letters. Moma says it's a good thing you got over that crazy flu. Last week and sometime, anyway lot of people had diaria from drinking Manzanar water. The chlorine had been put in a little too much because of the snow melting too fast and running very fast. (Ira didn't get it). We sure have been eating lots of starchy foods lately. "potatoes rice macaroni bread." The way they serve foods out here there are no calories. The best meats they serve us out here are: hamburger, sausage, & that's all. The rest are hard and filled with fat. Joe, do you ever make cakes? pies? cookies? If you do tell me what it tastes like. We eat pies and that's all. The corny little cakes they make. Yike!

Say the situation of relocating is a good idea and we are thinking of it. Towru is still going to school and it seems that he's going to be out in July and then will finish by going to summer school for six weeks. Today we received your post card & Japanese letter. Mom says not to change schools because if you do it will upset you and all the studies. It's not the money that's bad so its okay. Will you please stay & continue at the same school. Its very good that you'll be able to quit your studies for the summer. Mom says its not the time that matters so this is what she really wants you to do. Stay at the same college, take all the time that's needed even though it will take 2 more years and go on as usual. How about it. Huh! Well, that's enough of that stuff.

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Do you remember that there was a road that leaded to the outside from camoflauge, well they have made that place so that we will be able to go all the time. We have passes and so everytime we have to show them. Last Sunday Amy and I were all ready to go when I had ordered the lunches the cook didn't have them made so we went & made them all by our selves. First they gave us all we needed. Bread, mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, bolgna, & pickles. Boy that was the 1st time here in Manzanar that I have ever tasted such a delicious sandwich. That's what we ate, 2 of bologna & 1 egg. Boy it sure was good. We drank the creek water and boy it was ice cold. We couldn't get across the stream so we had to take our shoes off and wade through. Gee our feet just froze and boy, we went as fast as we could to get across. It sure felt good

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to put our shoes and socks on. After we finally came to our destination we were tired & so we spent the day with a rest. Boy I can tell you. We sure did walk a long ways. It may seem impossible but we were almost to the Alabama Hills. For three days my back ached and I was tired & my feet were sore.

Gee, I better close because its lunch time. Well it'll be wasting paper so I'll try to continue after lunch. Getting too busy so I will close.

Always

Masako