Excerpts about making toothbrush rings
By Sam Nishimura

I used to make airplane. I used to make rings. Monkeypod. You know, used to make all those things. And we send them out to our family during our visitations and… we have something to do to keep our mind occupied. Otherwise, we just get stale and anything can happen.

Honouliuli was much better. Just like family type internment, so wasn’t too bad. In our barracks, we had nine guys. One barracks. Little bigger than this in one room. And double bunk. We had five bunks. And so it was just like a family. Nine guys is just like one family in there. So what we used to do, lot of the fellow in our room were working in the kitchen. So naturally, they bring back some pastries. So in the evening, they got some coffees, too, so we used to drink that before lights went out at 9 o’clock.

Some of them get nervous breakdown. They won’t be able to sleep at all. But if you are occupied, doing something, you will be able to withstand the agony.

Author:  Nishimura, Sam

Item: “Making toothbrush rings”

Source: Waialua & Hale’iwa: the people tell their story: Sam Nishimura

Page #: 378

Call No./Location in RC: H B Nishimura  (T 104322)

Translation from Japanese? No

Note: This is an excerpt from an oral history interview.