In September 1942 we were taken to Topaz. I remember how hot it was; old people would walk to the washroom with washcloths on their heads because of the heat. But I got used to it. I sometimes got caught in a dust storm, which arose suddenly; I would head for the nearest latrine, but it was hard to open the door because the wind was pushing against it.
I remember how hard it was to walk in the mud. We wore boots, ordered from one of the mail-order companies. But because everybody ordered clothes from a mail-order catalogue, everybody had the same clothes! In the winter, my mother ordered yarn from Spiegel’s and knitted socks, sweaters, and beanies to keep everyone warm.
In the mess hall, everyone sat wherever there was room, so families seldom sat together. I remember squeezing in next to older people, not all of whom welcomed the company of kids/teens. There was an older woman we kids called “Goldilocks” because she would pull away whenever a kid sat next to her. Of the food, I remember “pork and beans” and rice at every meal.
People had to stand in line for everything: meals, showers… Some people started showering in the mid-afternoon to try to avoid the crowd. Some young women or teenagers would shower in the afternoon for privacy. Some families had a “chamba” (portable toilet) in the apartment so they wouldn’t have to walk outside in the middle of the night; someone once reported a coyote in the latrine.