Title:
Letter from Paul H. [Kusuda] to [Afton] Nance, 1942 Nov 7
Creator:
Kusuda, Paul H., 1922-
Subject:
"Nance, Afton Dill "
Japanese Americans-- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
Description:
Typed letter from Paul H. [Kusuda] to [Afton] Nance, 1942 Nov 7.
32—3—3 War Relocation Center
Manzanar, California November
7, 1942 Dear Mrs. Nance— You will have to excuse by sporadic writing and stuff, but if you saw me running around (not
doing too much, but consuming a lot of time), you would understand the various reasons, I think. Anyway, please excuse me.
As you know, I am working during the day—for forty-four hours per week. In order to keep me occupied further, I am taking
a high school (or should it be an high school?) shorthand I class—beginning work, of course. As the class is filled with
high school students (as it should be), I feel that I should at the very least try to keep up with the rest of the class.
I am not going to tell you whether I am succeeding or whether I am falling behind the class, but I am telling you-----it’s
always a lot of doggone work! I never realized that shorthand would take up so much time and energy. I really have to study
in order to grasp the subject. I can read and write just a little right now, but I am not proficient---far from it---yet.
As soon as I can take dictation at a moderate rate of speed, I shall go shouting around and let everyone know that I have
a special accomplishment. Each Tuesday and Thursday evening between 7:00p.m. and 9:30 p.m., if anyone observes the A Cappella
class which has been running for a couple or more weeks, a fellow by the name of Paul H. will be send adding to the confusion—which
is only a little more melodious than noise. At present, there are only two male voices—Shizuo Hori (remember him, of course)
and myself. It’s a lot of fun, but now that the nights are dreadfully cold, we practically freeze. In the classroom, the
cold weather is tolerable because there is one Coleman Oil stove (which isn’t too warm), but on the way home, it’s awfully
cold. After all, when I finish walking about three-quarters of a mile (all alone, too), I am in a frame of mind similar to
that of the frozen goods dispensed at soda-fountains. Soda-fountains? What are they? I haven’t seen one since May 16th.
Anyway, by the time I hit the old house-hold, I am ready for an invigorating hot bath. Bath? What’s that? I haven’t seen
a bath-tub since May 16th, but of course, that’s beside the point. After a hot shower (in which invariably the hot water
runs out and the cold water—running ice—runs in), I jump into bed (still the old canvas cot with the straw tick) and my day
is o’er. Surprisingly enough, I am getting used to the straw “mattress” idea. I would prefer an iron single bed, but now,
I’ve given up all hope about receiving one of them in exchange for the canvas one which I have now. I don’t have enough “pull”,
“drag”, “suction”, “strings” or what have you—to do so. However, it is much better than sleeping on the floor. In the evenings,
the floor is COLD!! Well, that takes care of Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In order to take care of Monday evenings,
I have decided to take a course in Psychology IA conducted by Dr. Carter, Superintendent of Education. It is to be part of
the University of California program of extension courses. At Manzanar, the extension courses to be offered will be semi-instructional
in nature. So far, the fees for the course has not been set at any price. Perhaps, part of the fees will be paid by the
students taking the courses and part of the fees might be paid by other people. The education department is now working on
that angle and hopes that costs may be kept at an absolute minimum. Books will be bought at regular prices, of course, not
buying in lost may tend to bring down the prices. I am not taking the course for credit since I have taken the course paralleling
it at the Los Angeles City College. I am just—as they say—auditing the course. I am only responsible for attendance. I
need not take notes, participate in discussions, or take tests. At the end of the semester, I shall not receive grade nor
credit. In other words, for me, it will be, generally speaking, a brush-up study work. Work is the correct term. Since
the class meets only once per week, work will be piled on. The first meeting saw 78 students turning out. I am pretty sure
that this number will fall off considerably soon. On other nights, I usually attend meetings and stuff or else I study
my shorthand. Really, the day is too short for me! Saturday afternoons and the whole of Sundays are too easily occupied
to give me too much time to myself. But enough of that. Oddly enough, most of the people whom I have asked regarding
my field of study seem to feel that I am better cut out for the social work fireld rather than that of engineering. I think
that I shall look into that field and no doubt, I shall wind up finding myself helping others. It sounds like interest work.
Who knows? I MAY have the opportunity to help people. It means studying entirely different subjects and learning various
things, but I guess that such a move is for the better. Thanks a lot for coming through the way you did. Your opinions
are always worth listening to. I hope that you don’t mind it too much when I turn to you to help me solve some of my problems.
No doubt, when I bump my nose into other obstacles, I shall come flying to you for another little chat of my personal affairs.
Sincerely yours, Paul H. P.S. By the
way, I have decided to join the Book of the Month Club. My first purchase will be Victory through Air Power and Song of Bernadette.
My first free book will be Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Do you think that I am crazy for spending my sixteen dollars a month
in such a way?
Publisher:
Japanese American National Museum
Date:
1942 November 7
Type:
text
Format:
1 item ( 2 p. letter) ; sheet 27 x 21 cm.
Identifier:
JANM_007
2001.175.33a
Language:
eng
Relation:
Coverage:
Manzanar (Calif.)
Rights:
Copyrighted
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki
National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (hnrc@janm.org).
Japanese American National Museum
Letter from Paul H. [Kusuda] to [Afton] Nance, 1942 Nov 7