My brother Jimmy and I have been "invited" to theiskanagan Valley where we would stay temporarily. The government is calling
them "relocation centers" but my brother and and I have an idea of what these "relocation centers" are really about. I think most Canadian born Japanese do, but people are afraid to talk against the government. Jimmy thinks that we'll be sent to camps similar to the ones Hitler is sending Jews too. And I believe he us right. I font think they will starve and torture us, but we will be prisoners. With all the anti-Japanese marches, Jimmy and I feared that if we didn't voluntarily go, that we would be forced to leave anyway. So we packed some things and took a train through the mountains to the Okanogan valley. Once we arrived Jimmy, myself and other Japanese Canadians were taken hostage. Jimmy and I knew what was happening. Before we knew it we got sent to concentration camps like we feared along with many others. We are making sure to stick together.
We are living in over crowded army tents. There are just men here. We do labour. Lot harder then running the restaurant back home in Vancouver. Hours are longer too. No families here so I hope families like my sister's are not in tents. I hope what they have is more decent. We are fed rations. I am neither starving nor full. Again I hope it it is better wherever they sent families. I can't imagine my poor sister dealing with two small children being fed rations.
I don't know what happens when the war is over. They took our homes, our restaurant and our bank account. It was a small home and savings but it was enough I was planning to get married. Now I don't even know where she is or how I'll provide for her when this is over. My family has been here for 3 generations. Longer then many of these white Canadians and now my dreams and life are gone in a flash. This war is about protecting people from racism and yet they are commuting it on Canadians. I would have fought beside them, but I wasn't Canadian enough to them.
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