August 18, 1943

Manzanar, Calif.

Dear Joe,

How are you? Sorry that I didn't write sooner but I didn't have any thing to tell you so I just sort of quit for s while;

First I will try to answer all of your questions.

Okay I wont buy a short hand book but will wait till you send the one that you were using. Now that I am going to take a commercial course they said that the 10th graders will not be able to take a business course so I guess that leaves out my two courses of typing and shorthand so I think I will keep on learning form Hiroko and try to learn the shorthand by meself. I mean learn how to write the figures all by myself. If I cant take those two courses that will make me have around four courses to study so I might have round 3 study hall s so that wouldn't be too hot so again I have to worry about school. I don't think I will enjoy this semester because I wont have any thing that's not a solid except maybe gym. What do you think about my Idea ??????????????? I might try to study all of these courses in study hall. I mean that after studying my required courses I would take out my short hand and study. Then after I finished my home work at home I could study my typing. Any way in typing I have learned how to type in all rows except the numbers and the lowest keys. Do you think that would be a good idea for the school semester? please tell me what I should do in your following letter.

Thank you very much for the picture of yourself. You look very studious. We couldn't notice the picture of that apple box until you told us. It looked like a regular book shelf.

Don't be too worried about your job and just be calm and there will be a job for you.

Gee the Jews are sure mean critters. The way they do there business must be pretty awful. At least some day those Jews will never get any business treating their customers like they did to you.

No we didn't use the money from the Boultons. Pop got the check book and wrote out a check and now we have that much less. We aren't getting any of our money from the Boultons so be calm and do not get too excited about the money.

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I got a letter from the boultons about two months ago and then I wrote back and they haven't answered yet so I hope they are all okay. I bet my letters are getting corney so they don't like to hear from me. (I hope not).

Nothing too good has been happening around the neighborhood except that hynee Iiyama has become a first class private. PFC in the army. Right now hes in camp shelby in mississippi.

One day of this week I actually got on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floor and boy that night I coulnt even get on my knees and it really did give me the sore knees.

Last week I finished a sweater that I started last year and boy Im telling you I really was glad after I had ripped it out about 4 times and that was hard work. It is a dustynrose color and it really looks nice. More less a dark pink. It's a short sleeve sweater and it has a round neck. With the yarn that was left over I now am making a pair of socks for punky.

Practically every day I have to do the wash and it getting pretty easy compared to the way I used to take a long time to do it. Then when I do wash mom does the ironing and that the best part of it.

Gee, Joe Iam getting to wonder if you are really going to send the kool aide and sugar. Everyday I wait to see if you sent the kool aide and the sugar but it doesn't come. Are you really going to send it?

Last friday we saw the show "It Aint Hay" with bud and lou. Then on saterday night and sunday night they had the thing that they call the Bon Odori. This is for the buddists. They dance and dance and try to awake the dead and boy it sure is yakamashi. When they used to practice it about drives you nuts. Next week they are going to have a picture with charlie chan and that will be pretty good and after that one we will see in old Chicago. That old picture we saw so many years ago.

Now the days are not so hot but still it is in the 9ties and that's better than the hundreds. In the evenings the sun goes down earlier than it used to and the sky get very pretty, and some time the sky turns all red and it really is a beautiful sight.

Last sunday I went to sunday school and I really couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that good old Jack Takayanagi had come to camp for a visit. He told us how they (the outsiders) act and they just cant seem to tell if you're a japanese or a chinese.

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Jack then told us the trouble that he had in albakerky mexico and that was the best of all. Well, he said that he was waiting at the station for the bus and just then a policeman came up to him and asked him if he had a registrationa and he said no so the policeman said well youll have to go to jail. And just then the buses startes to pull in and jack said hay, ive been waiting for 12 hrs. and the police said no more excuses so then jack went in the pd car. While he was riding with the two police the police met up with some other police and then jack was still in the back seat and the police men were ordered to go somewhere so there they went with jack still in the back seat. One officer in the front just happened to look back and said to the officer driving the pd car. Say we for got all about this guy so the police started to ask a lot of questions and jack answered. Then jack said when how many days am I supposed to stay in jail and policeman said oh 2 or 3 days and jack was sad. Then the police man asked what he was doing and jack said he was studing ministry at Drake in Des Moine Iowa and then the police said what faith and jack said christian and then the one police said to the other one. Say this guy aint so bad. Come on lets give him a break and so they took jack back to the station and then one police said if you cant get in on the bus we'll put you on and then jack got there just in time and then came to manzanar. He said he probably would never see us again for a long time.

Now a days Im saving clippings of the bob hopes they got me covered so as soon as I get all of the clippings I'll send them to you to read and laugh as hard as you can. So Every day Im getting each one of them.

The gorl who got miss california was a student of unihi and formerly was going to ucla. Her name is Jean bartelmeh but they cut her name to jean bartel. This girl is a singer and shes very tall. She is 5'8"' tall. and she isn't so pretty but she maybe got to be miss california from her personality and singing.

Well I guess that's all I can think of so I better close now.

So long.

Sis, Masako

Excuse all of the mistakes and so forth.

I'm getting pretty impatient about the kool aide and sugar.