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 * Story** Name:Tomi Yamazaki Age: 14 Type of Japanese American: Issei

It was December 9, 1941 and I was 14 years old at the time. I woke up to the sound of my parents having a conversation in the kitchen. I wondered what my parents could be talking about this early in the morning. I got up and walked over to them. When I reached the kitchen I noticed that they were troubled.I asked them what happened and they said that Japanese-Americans would be isolated and sent to internment camps. I remember reading about the attack on Pearl Harbor two days ago. I did not know that the U.S. government would do this to the Japanese people living in America. I was shocked. My mind began to race. I had millions of questions. Where would I be sent to? What will happen to my family? How will I survive the camps? I didn't have any answers to these questions but I knew I would have to get ready to leave my comfortable home. I asked my parents when we would be sent to the internment camps and they said that a bus will come for us in 3 days. My parents also said that we should get ready and pack our belongings. I decided to get some fresh air and go outside. I sat on the stairs in front of my house and wondered what would happen to all my friends at school. I lived in a Japanese community so I was sure all my friends would be sent to the camps. I hoped I could stay in touch with my friends during the internment. I have known them my whole life and I would be depressed if I lost them. The three days passed by in a flash and before I knew it I was sitting in a bus with my family and friends heading toward the internment camp in Tule Lake. I could not believe that this camp would be my home for a few years. I hoped I could live as normal of a life as possible. I arrived at the camp on December 16. It was frigid outside and it was snowing lightly. It was a very dreary day. Everybody had a somber look on their face as they walked through the gates being checked by the military personnel. I thought to myself how could something like this be done to the Japanese Americans. At that moment I was furious at what Japan had done at Pearl Harbor. Japan had destroyed many Japanese-Americans' lives. As I walked through the entrance I saw people living in small homes looking at the newcomers. I could tell by the look on their faces that they did not enjoy living here. I wished that I could turn around and go back to my warm, cozy house. Me and my family were told by an officer which house would be ours. We got to the small,cramped house and unpacked our suitcases. I lied down on a nearby bed and thought to myself that this will be my new home and I will have to survive these conditions for a long time. Three years later, I was released from the internment camp and my family and I returned to our home in California. It was very strange when we got back home. We were in a camp for 3 years and now, all of a sudden, we returned to our normal life. I would have to get used to living normally. After the internment I was happy because I was treated like a normal person and not an enemy. I learned that I should not judge a person based on how they look and their race. The U.S. made a mistake by acting like all the Japanese were enemies even though most of them did nothing wrong. Just because we were Japanese doesn't mean we were involved with the things that the Japanese Army was doing. I really hope that the U.S. learned from their mistakes and that no one will have to go through what I had to go through.