Densho Digital Archive - George Uchida - Leo Uchida Interview (denshovh-ugeorge

<Begin Segment 19>

RP: Did you, did you hear about a group in camp called the Yogores?

GU: Yeah.

RP: What did you, what did you hear about them or did you have any contact with them?

LU: All I know is they're from San Pedro, and then, you know, they were mostly fishermen. So they were considered pretty rugged. And so you would say, they kind of ruled the camp. Because if you imagine, there was a pretty big group there from San Pedro.

GU: Yeah, there were several groups like that. They were from San Pedro, they were from San Fernando, they were from East L.A.

LU: But I think San Pedro was the most...

GU: Yeah, they were the most well-known. I think the only contact I had with them was the basketball game.

RP: You had a game with them?

GU: Yeah. But I don't remember any details, getting in any trouble with them. I think we just didn't play hard enough against them. [Laughs] Didn't want to cause any problems.

RP: Most of the, most of the groups that came to Manzanar were from the southern California, Los Angeles area, and you were a group from outside that area, from Florin, Sacramento?

LU: I think there was some groups from the Lodi area or Stockton area, too, small groups.

RP: Right, French Camp?

LU: Yeah French Camp.

GU: French Camp, yeah.

RP: And there was a group from Washington, Bainbridge.

LU: Yeah, Bainbridge.

RP: Did you ever get the sense, did you feel like you were kind of an outsider group? 'Cause you grew up in another area of California?

LU: No, because I think, as far as from Florin area, the whole Block 30 was from Florin.

RP: So you kind of congregated there?

LU: Yeah. And then the next block was, part of it from California, they were in the next block, too.

RP: Florin, too?

LU: Yeah.

RP: So would you say that you pretty much stuck to your own block in terms of friends and relationships?

LU: Yeah. But once you started school, then you started making other friends, too. I remember when we first started to go to school, going into a barrack and sit on the floor. [Laughs] Then little by little, they started getting chairs and some desks.

RP: And did you, did you feel like they made an effort to give you an education there? What did it compare to what you previously knew before you went to camp?

LU: Well, compared to regular school, it was different. It wasn't quite that much. But I think most of the teachers were pretty... what do you say? They wanted to teach you. But I remember one teacher, she taught English. And I guess, I guess she was considered kind of pretty. And I don't know what she was doing the night before. You know, this is an English class, so most of the time, she would read to you. And every so often, she would stop and yawn. But I think as a whole, most of the teachers, I think they were pretty good teachers.

GU: I don't think I can recall anything particular. I'm still in the younger grades, and school was school. [Laughs] And so there wasn't anything at that level that I remember in particular.