“…we played games…and had a great time being away from our parents for the first time.”
Kaz Oyamada Iwahashi and I are the same age and played together as kids. Fortunately, we ended up in the same Block 20 at Topaz, so we were able to continue our friendship.
Two other girls our age, Sets Asano Ogami and Grace Mori Saito Tom, were also in Block 20, so the four of us were constant buddies. We were in the Topaz Girl Reserves. Tosh Koba, a social worker with the San Francisco YMCA, was our Girl Reserve leader.
I remember our Girl Reserves’ one-week camping trip to Antelope Springs (about 40 miles west of Topaz). My pup tent partner was Sumi Ozawa Sugihara, who attended the Buddhist Church in Topaz. Yosh Isono, one of the Sunday School teachers, would pick us up each Sunday morning as we walked together to attend the church service.
The most exciting event that week was a small brush fire by the pond area. Everyone formed a bucket brigade to douse the fire. Kaz remembers it was a very hot day.
It rained one night and we got wet, but it didn’t bother us—we were young!
Kaz and I both recalled that we played games, waded, swam, ate outdoors and had a great time being away from our parents for the first time.
Growing up together, enduring the crises and adventures of the War years together, and then coming back to Berkeley to finish high school made our friendship strong. It continues to this day.
About the contributor: Yaeko Kami Yedlosky was born and raised in Berkeley. Her family was in Tanforan and later, Topaz. She graduated junior high in Topaz in 1945. The family returned to Berkeley after the War, and their home served as a hostel for returning internees. After graduating Berkeley High and Armstrong Business College, Yae worked for a research station as a secretary and later, administrator. She currently resides in Oakland, CA.
Copyright Yae Kami Yedlosky, 2016. All rights reserved.