<Begin Segment 20>

RP: How did you... what do you remember about your trip to Manzanar?

AS: Well, that was the first trip when we first went there. They said... but in camp everybody, they cooperated. One thing you could say, the Japanese people, they cooperate. Right, first the parents... well, the kids thought, "Oh, great." Every lunch time they'd run around the different, the mess hall, and the parents said, "No, we have to eat in a family group," so then they set a rule, you have to eat with the family, which was really nice, and every... they had their family, they had the kids, little kids. Otherwise they were like tramps, running around all over. And then funny when they did set up -- see, they didn't have school. We're in, in California. And so they finally set up school, and the... but my sister set up a school. She was a teacher, and this Christian fellow that, he brought supplies and stuff, and my sister... so I was helping her. And then they said, "Why don't you have, start a nursery school?" so I start a nursery school in one of the little barracks.

RP: Oh, that was in Block 17?

AS: Yeah, in Block 17. It was nice. I mean, just like half a day, but at least -- I could play the piano, so they had a piano there -- so at least teach the kids. And my husband, he did all kinds of work, but he was forever going out to do sugar beet. They need, see, they need labor, and most of Block 18 were farmers, so it was nothing to them 'cause my husband said, "Boy, they never... backbreaking, the sugar beet." And they go and top, and well, it helped out. And they'd come out. He said at least getting out, you know. And, and the farmers, those farmers... so they'd have to figure out each gonna get. Had it all figured out, and the farmer says he has to take it to certain person that gonna figure it out. And he said, "Gosh, it's a smart bunch of people. They had everybody's wages all figured out." He didn't know some were lawyers and something like that, but they were amazed and when they went to Idaho the people in Idaho were really nice to them. It's just California. I don't know what, what -- but even at that, they weren't that hard on us. They weren't that prejudiced. Isn't it funny? At least, because Japanese people are that way. It's like, why fight it? Might as well take the best solution. And it come out okay, so that's why the people, working and all that, see how they really welcomed people back. We didn't have any problem. In fact, most of Venice people, they used to be farmers, so now they became gardeners because that was... and so that's how -- now we don't even have Japanese gardeners 'cause they're all, all dead now. It's hard to get a gardener.

RP: You were on Block 18?

AS: Uh-huh, 18-5-1. We were the first one from the ladies' bathroom, so I made, make sure everybody's gone and then we go and take our shower. [Laughs] But everything was kept so clean. The blocks, too. It's all dirt; you know how Manzanar, I think when they take these desert scenes, when the wind blows you couldn't see. The dust was that bad. We have to wear things and, or get, run inside. But the people, I'll tell you, everything was kept clean. That's what they stressed, everybody in each block. And then they had to, then they, farmers used to... so they raised the vegetables, and so we had our own vegetables. In fact, they used to have a fair and invite the people from out of the camp to come and see. They were amazed because they were farmers.

RP: Did you attend that?

AS: Huh?

RP: Did you attend the fair?

AS: Oh, yeah. Well, right there they wouldn't want to let the people outside because they were complaining that the people in camp, they're taking how many showers a day and they're wasting all that water. Well, how could you not? It's just dust. And you know, when it's dusty, even inside the barrack, gosh, it was all dirt. You had to sweep it. And so they said we're, they're wasting too much water. [Laughs] But the people, see, they didn't know. Independence, I think Independence said... and that was a close town out there, but otherwise the people in... they weren't too friendly to the soldiers. Isn't that something?

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.