them back at the
women’s bathroom. Minami and her sisters ventured into the bathroom with some
trepidation. As their eyes focused in the dim light, they saw that in the
center were twelve toilets, six toilets back to back. Along the walls were wide
troughs with cold and hot water spigots running atop. Toward the back, was the
shower area, which was merely a large tiled room with shower spigots running
along the top. But the stunned look on their faces came from the realization
that there was no privacy. There were no partitions whatsoever between the
toilets. Minami didn’t know about white people, but Japanese people were very
particular about their modesty. There were a couple of women already on the
toilets who looked up with embarrassment and quickly turned away to finish what
they were already doing. Minami looked at her sisters, who were equally stunned.
Even though they were family and had no problem sharing a bed together, sharing
a private experience such as using the toilet definitely flew in the face of
all family traditions. Their mother walked in behind them. “Oya!” she
exclaimed. The Japanese word for “oh my” slipped out before she could even ask
how her daughters were doing.
The family again sat
together in the corner of the mess hall for breakfast. The family ate silently
and picked at their breakfast, which was toast and some canned fruit that oozed
a sugary glaze. After breakfast, they headed back to their barrack and finally
found it after a couple of wrong turns. They arrived just in time, as the wind
had picked up and had started to blow sand into their faces. As they walked in,
the stubborn grains of sand, enemies that numbered in the millions, covered the
floorboards. The other families were already at work starting to cover up the
gaps in the floorboards and walls.
They gathered together in
the middle of their unit as their mother doled out responsibilities. Her first
directive was to seal up the remaining gaps. The second was to clean up their
space and start organizing their belongings. Thirdly, she wanted to find more
blankets and something to cover the windows. With the orders given, the family
went to work.
Miho went out to look for
more construction material and anything that could adhere or fasten. Yuka and
Yoshi went about cleaning up the floor and using nothing more than their hands,
managed to brush the sand through the gaps in the floorboards. Minami went with
her mother to locate additional blankets. They had roamed the entire compound
when they found a short line of people outside the supply building, which was
doling out more blankets, along with some standard military mess kits, water
pails, and a few other comforts of home. At the mess hall, they were able to
scavenge some flattened cardboard boxes and empty tin cans. They found a
half-filled bottle of glue and an unused paintbrush that was left on one side
of a barrack along with other building materials. Discreetly and quickly, they
took another roll of tarpaper and scurried off before anyone could see their
haul.
Upon their return, Miho
immediately took the glue to adhere the tarpaper to the wall. Yuka took the
brush to use as a little broom. Minami’s mother, along with Yoshi, went ahead
to organize their personal belongings. Minami went ahead to divide up the
blankets, placing one on each bed. She then started covering up the windows.
The sheets of paper from her notebook fit perfectly in the panes of glass.
Though the sun’s rays could still shine through them, at least it would prevent
any peering eyes from seeing in.
Lunch was only a brief
respite in the day. It consisted of bread, more rice, and canned sausage.
Eating was losing its appeal altogether. Work on the unit continued through the
day as the sun began to scorch the prison camp. The barracks simply baked from
the heat but the baked stench from the bathroom was unbearable. Many people had
to rush outside because they couldn’t endure the odor of
women’s bathroom. Minami and her sisters ventured into the bathroom with some
trepidation. As their eyes focused in the dim light, they saw that in the
center were twelve toilets, six toilets back to back. Along the walls were wide
troughs with cold and hot water spigots running atop. Toward the back, was the
shower area, which was merely a large tiled room with shower spigots running
along the top. But the stunned look on their faces came from the realization
that there was no privacy. There were no partitions whatsoever between the
toilets. Minami didn’t know about white people, but Japanese people were very
particular about their modesty. There were a couple of women already on the
toilets who looked up with embarrassment and quickly turned away to finish what
they were already doing. Minami looked at her sisters, who were equally stunned.
Even though they were family and had no problem sharing a bed together, sharing
a private experience such as using the toilet definitely flew in the face of
all family traditions. Their mother walked in behind them. “Oya!” she
exclaimed. The Japanese word for “oh my” slipped out before she could even ask
how her daughters were doing.
The family again sat
together in the corner of the mess hall for breakfast. The family ate silently
and picked at their breakfast, which was toast and some canned fruit that oozed
a sugary glaze. After breakfast, they headed back to their barrack and finally
found it after a couple of wrong turns. They arrived just in time, as the wind
had picked up and had started to blow sand into their faces. As they walked in,
the stubborn grains of sand, enemies that numbered in the millions, covered the
floorboards. The other families were already at work starting to cover up the
gaps in the floorboards and walls.
They gathered together in
the middle of their unit as their mother doled out responsibilities. Her first
directive was to seal up the remaining gaps. The second was to clean up their
space and start organizing their belongings. Thirdly, she wanted to find more
blankets and something to cover the windows. With the orders given, the family
went to work.
Miho went out to look for
more construction material and anything that could adhere or fasten. Yuka and
Yoshi went about cleaning up the floor and using nothing more than their hands,
managed to brush the sand through the gaps in the floorboards. Minami went with
her mother to locate additional blankets. They had roamed the entire compound
when they found a short line of people outside the supply building, which was
doling out more blankets, along with some standard military mess kits, water
pails, and a few other comforts of home. At the mess hall, they were able to
scavenge some flattened cardboard boxes and empty tin cans. They found a
half-filled bottle of glue and an unused paintbrush that was left on one side
of a barrack along with other building materials. Discreetly and quickly, they
took another roll of tarpaper and scurried off before anyone could see their
haul.
Upon their return, Miho
immediately took the glue to adhere the tarpaper to the wall. Yuka took the
brush to use as a little broom. Minami’s mother, along with Yoshi, went ahead
to organize their personal belongings. Minami went ahead to divide up the
blankets, placing one on each bed. She then started covering up the windows.
The sheets of paper from her notebook fit perfectly in the panes of glass.
Though the sun’s rays could still shine through them, at least it would prevent
any peering eyes from seeing in.
Lunch was only a brief
respite in the day. It consisted of bread, more rice, and canned sausage.
Eating was losing its appeal altogether. Work on the unit continued through the
day as the sun began to scorch the prison camp. The barracks simply baked from
the heat but the baked stench from the bathroom was unbearable. Many people had
to rush outside because they couldn’t endure the odor of
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