<Begin Segment 27>

RP: Tell us about Block 18. Was it mostly Venice people in the block?

AS: Yeah, Block 18 was mostly Venice people, and so they were, a lot of their sons were in the service and all that, but isn't it funny, though? And then a lot of them just went from, volunteered from camp. Can you imagine that? Isn't that... but that's how they are.

RP: Do you remember movies or specific events that took place in your block? Parties or things for...

AS: We, we used to -- well, my sister worked at the hospital, so the hospital group would have a dance or something that we'd go to, and then they'd have programs outside. John's mother was a, quite a ballerina, and... yeah, actually the first time I saw her dance she was really good. And they had programs. It was really nice. They'd have things for the after... can you imagine being in ten, what do you call that, one mile square place, ten thousand people? You'd think you go crazy. You know, we sit there, "Jeez, that'd be nice if we could have a, go to ice cream parlor or something," but can you imagine, in one mile square that many people? You wonder, it's a wonder more people didn't go crazy. Isn't that something, though? We tried to... yet we were in camp and you would... it was funny. The Red Cross came in and they wanted us to donate, so we get in line. I saw one picture of camp, what do you call, I was in line, too, giving my five dollars out of my sixteen dollar, donation to the Red Cross. It's really something. I saw a picture. I think that was me in line, too, with her. But that's how Japanese people are. You know, help the other. But you really go, I'll tell you, it's a wonder more people didn't go [points to head].

RP: Was there a special place in camp that you liked to go?

AS: Yeah, we go, used to go down by the river. They let us go and we'd have picnic there. They let us go up to there so we'd go there. That was about the only place we, that was where we could go to, I think, our... I don't know but we went there, on the side of the river. There was a little stream there.

RP: A little creek that went by.

AS: Yeah, it was just outside there. But otherwise there's no... it's a wonder more people didn't go berserk.

RP: How did the, the scenery affect you? The mountains and...

AS: Oh, that was really, it was beautiful at Manzanar. Mount Whitney there, it was really, it was... but the really tragic thing I'll never forget, this one fellow, was one of the pilot, I mean pilot, I guess he was practicing something and his plane went, and it was, see, we're 18 Block over right there and he was coming down. I'll never forget that, we saw the plane come down, hit. And the guy, I think he was alive, but I think he finally died, though. The plane, we were right there. That's the only thing I, we remember the tragic thing. It was some pilot, right there. But otherwise we, I don't know how we survived that. I was in there a long time, but my sisters, they all went out early. Dan was always going out. I don't think he could stand being in there, doing nothing. Well, my father used to go, cut a lot of canes. He used to make his canes and stuff like... my mother was sewing and stuff. But when you have an active life outside... can you imagine being in there twenty-four hours? 'Cause I just stayed in there all that time. I was in there, must have been about two and a half years, 'cause...

RP: Now, you were raising your kid, but did you take up a hobby or a craft?

AS: Well, I used to crochet a little but, but beside that, nursery school I took until I got pregnant. But I was in there... makes you wonder. With no TV, no nothin'. Read, I guess. We read. But I don't know how people didn't more go berserk.

RP: Did you have radios at all?

AS: We're not supposed to have radios. You talk about a no-no thing. [Laughs] I don't know, maybe some had a shortwave. I don't know. We didn't. Yeah, I know. Boy. But it's a wonder, you wonder how people could, these other camps, too, like you see refugees' camps, I mean those... and you know how they live. See, we lived kind of nice. I mean, clean, at least clean. I mean, aside from the dust. You just wonder, they're in there how many years? Five, ten years. You wonder how... we were fairly, at least... we were in California, too, and the other camps, too, I imagine they were... well, Japanese people, you know how they cooperate, and they, and the Christian people had their church and the Buddhist people had their church. At least they had their churches, something to go by.

RP: Did you continue going to church in Manzanar?

AS: Huh?

RP: Did you continue going to church in the camp?

AS: No, I don't think I went to church, but they had, my mom did. See, that's one thing, old people, they all went to church every Sunday. They had... it was nice. At least they could get together. The Christian Church had their church there. That was nice. They got to keep something unless I think they would've gone berserk. Isn't that something?

RP: What about, what do you remember... any stories about gambling in camp or drinking?

AS: They played poker. There was not much to drink, I don't know. We used to play, get together and play poker in the, in our barracks. And I would, got my mother interested, too. We'd tell, "Oh, Mom, we're tellin' your minister you're playing poker." [Laughs] But she joined up. But it's a wonder, can't you imagine in camp more people didn't go that way. They took up knitting or they took up painting. They had, they could learn things. Sewing. Yeah, I did go to a sewing class a little while. But they had things for people to go into, otherwise what could you do?

RP: There were a number of adult education classes, too, taught there.

AS: Yeah, that's... otherwise what would these ladies do? A lot of them worked and stuff in the camp, helped in the mess halls and stuff, but they had classes. I remember I took a... what do you call them, sewing, took a little while and learned sewing there, but otherwise it was pretty nice.

RP: Mary was the first to leave the camp, right?

AS: Yeah, she's the first to leave. She's always been single, still single.

RP: And she went to Chicago.

AS: Uh-huh, well she was gonna work at Mercy Hospital and then she took classes at the university (...).

RP: Oh, she did?

AS: Yeah, they went to work out there, a lot of the younger people, they went to work there. They all got jobs places, went out. So anyway, this is my life.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.