<Begin Segment 3>

KL: Where did you live in Trujillo? What was Trujillo like?

MS: Well, the weather's not bad, and there mostly Latinos, you know, different, Indians and all of that. So it wasn't too bad, I don't think. And we went to the place where my father had a construction company, and the next one over was the elementary school, and we went to visit. And the next one was a German family, I wanted to go there and visit. He was a doctor and real nice, but we didn't want to bother. I should have gone, my sister Teresa said, "Let's go," I said, "No, we better not bother." But I should have gone and surprised them. I'm pretty sure they're still there.

KL: When you made your visit back, you mean?

MS: Yes. So I think I made a mistake.

KL: What was their name, the family?

MS: Oh my, I can't remember.

KL: That's okay.

MS: The only one I remember, they were a nice German family. And he was a doctor and the lady was real nice. And then across the street, on the other side was a Chinese store, and then across the street was, I think they were German also, they were nice, I think there were two sisters. Yeah, real nice.

KL: Were you friends with the Chinese store owners, too?

MS: Yes, they were Chinese. They were nice, kind of nice people around there. We had nice neighbors. And the next one, the other side was Italian, so there was kind of together, different nationalities.

KL: Did you learn any Chinese language or German?

MS: No, not at all. I should have, probably.

KL: Did you all speak Spanish?

MS: Yes, we speak Spanish. So now I only speak, and I get all mixed up, whatever comes first, Spanish or English, it's mixed up. And so my husband said, "Gee, you were a mixed up kid." [Laughs] Because he didn't understand Spanish. He was raised in this country, no, well, Japanese, Okayama, he was from Okayama-ken, that's different. They speak the old Japanese style, so I understood some of it, but mostly we speak in English. [Laughs]

KL: You and your husband speak in English?

MS: Yes, uh-huh.

KL: When you were growing up, what language did you speak at home with your family?

MS: Spanish, mostly Spanish.

KL: How did your parents learn Spanish?

MS: They were pretty good, because my father have people working for him, and they all speak Spanish and no English, and no Japanese. So he was doing pretty good, and so my mother, too.

KL: Were his workers people who were born in Peru?

MS: They were Latinos, yeah. Mexican, I mean, Latinos, and Indians, kind of mixed, so they all speak Spanish, no Japanese, no English. So that was nice.

KL: Were they pretty, was it usually the same workers or did his employees come and go?

MS: Yes, the same.

KL: So he knew them well?

MS: Yes, they were nice people, good workers, too.

KL: Did you speak with them very much?

MS: Oh, sometimes, yeah, when I have a chance. Yes, we did. But I can't remember the faces anymore. [Laughs] That was nice, the weather's nice, too. It's not too cold, it's not too hot.

KL: Are there mountains close to town?

MS: Not really. The ocean is close. And we used to go to the ocean, the beach and all that. So it was nice.

KL: Was it a special occasion to go to the ocean?

MS: We went quite often.

KL: Could you walk?

MS: No, I don't think so. I don't think so, because they're not too close. Because we went in the sea. It was a nice place, I think.

KL: Yeah, your neighborhood sounds very...

MS: Yeah, it was very nice neighbors.

KL: ...interesting, it's very diverse.

MS: All different nationalities, so you find the cultures are different. But it's nice, anyway.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2012 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.