Japanese American Museum

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

My sister wanted to check out the new Japanese American Museum so her boys can know a little bit about their Japanese heritage. It was a very nicely organized and detailed museum depicting the Internment period for the Japanese in America.

The building is modeled after a rural Japanese farmhouse. The Museum highlights how Japanese Americans have struggled to adapt and contribute to the US for over a century. Exhibits feature early settlers, farm and community life and a range of WWII experiences including the forced removal from the Pacific Coast, incarceration in the interior of the country, military service, and post war resettlement and reintegration into society.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, war was declared with Japan. And the government decided to gather all Japanese persons (even if they were American citizens and/or if you were only part Japanese) because they were considered 'dangerous'. The Japanese were only allowed to bring enough belongings that they can carry and had to sell off or give away everything else including their home and any other assets.

They first boarded trains to temporary Assembly Centers until more permanent Camps were built away from the Pacific Coast. They would spend the next three years in these Camps. This order eliminated the constitutional protection of due process and violated the Bill of Rights for hundreds of thousands of Japanese American citizens.

I can only imagine that this was a torturous time for them.. probably not as bad as how the Nazi's treated the Jews but probably as close as it can get. Unfortunately today, racism still exists; stereotypes still are believed.  My girls have attended a multi-ethnic church and a very ethnically mixed school their whole lives. The color of their friend's skin doesn't mean anything to them. They are more conscious of one's behavior and actions than the way they look. But this is the Bay Area, a melting pot. I am sure that if we venture out of our Golden State into the Mid-West we would be treated differently.

I now understand why the Japanese-Americans were probably (I think) the most assimilated ethnic group in America. Before they left, they were told to rid of everything 'Japanese' not only physical things but everything that represented their culture: their language, accents, their foods, their hobbies, traditions etc.. Now the Japanese-Americans strive to retain their traditional cultures through preserving their lands such as Japantown (which there are only three in the nation existing: San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles).

Our docent explained to us that there was a great sense of urgency for the Japanese to comply with government orders.

Discussing the removing and relocating all of whom is of Japanese decent

There were 10 War Relocation Authority Camps and one Internment camp throughout the United States.

Everyone was 'tagged' with their name and a number. My sister found a few with her husbands' family name.

Tule Lake is located at the most north county of California. It was here that the largest and most controversial of the ten War Relocation Authority camps existed. This particular camp was the only one that was turned into a high-security segregation center ruled under martial law and occupied by the Army.

This camp interned Japanese-Americans that were deemed potential enemies of America because of their response to a loyalty questionnaire which intended to distinguish loyal American citizens from enemy alien supporters of Japan. Answering "No" or refusal to answer to either of these two questions: "Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?" and "Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor or any other foreign government, power, or organization?" were viewed as proof of disloyalty and potential troublemakers. Now many may have answered 'No' due to not clearly understanding the question or to protest their incarceration.

The most tragic and divisive issue was created when Public Law 405 was passed by Congress and signed by President Roosevelt that allowed Japanese Americans in Tule Lake to renounce their citizenship in wartime. To do so meant to be expatriated to Japan or if remained in the US, you are stripped of citizenship and became as powerless as Native American aliens.

Many who renounced their citizenship did so for various reasons: some feared that they would be forced into hostile American communities with no money, no promise or income and no place to live. Army personnel told them they could remain safe in Tule Lake until the war ended if they renounced their US citizenship. Some had intense pressure from their non-citizen immigrant parents to renounce in order to keep the family together in case the Issei (immigrant generation) were deported after the war. Some (who thought the US was losing in the war) thought they had to renounce in order to prepare for life in victorious Japan. Some renounced to avoid being drafted by the country that imprisoned them and their families. Nevertheless, when the war ended there was a mass deportation of the thousands who denounced. The majority sought restoration of their citizenship due to their misunderstanding of what they were giving up. Eventually, Congress repealed this law in 1971.

Although absolved by the government, these Japanese Americans who either answered No to the loyalty questions or renounced their citizenship were stigmatized and ostracized for their choices. Consequently they speak little about their life in the Segregation Center, a time and place filled with feelings of stigma and shame.

My sister's in-laws were interned in these Camps. They were children at that time but they still vividly remember those experiences, ones that they do not like to talk about.

This is an exact replica of a Tule Lake Relocation/Segregation Center barracks room.

Japantown has become a museum in of itself with many reminders of who and where the Japanese came from...

.. and what they endured by the hands of the US government. 

In JTown, The BEST mochi you will ever eat will come from here!

Santa Clara Mission

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

Santa Clara Mission is a part of Santa Clara University, the oldest college in California and is the only college in the state to be the successor of a Spanish Mission.

Founded in 1777 by Father Junipero Serra, this was the 8th mission out of the 21 CA Missions. This was the first mission built in honor of a woman, Clare of Assisi, the founder of the order of the Poor Clares.

Okay.. after four different mission visits, they pretty much look the same. The difference about this one was that it is now a prestigious university. And the place where one of my cousins and his wife married over 15 years ago. I vaguely remembered coordinating this wedding (my memory fades as I age). But my husband gently reminded me of a few details and it came back. This mission is on a beautiful flower-filled campus and it looks like a wonderful college to attend. (Note: I noticed that I did not see a prominent cemetery. I guess it would freak some students out if there was one on campus huh?)

Front of the Mission

Sanctuary

All of them fit into this little adobe window.

The 5 Musketeers: ages 7, 8, 10, 10 &13

One of the biggest tree trunks I have ever seen!

We picnic lunched on the lawn. It was a beautiful day! They had delicious food served at the Grill too.

Mission San Jose

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

California Missions were the places that J. and Emily wanted to visit this summer. Since completing fourth grade, they both got the 'Mission bug' and wanted to check out more of them. (If you didn't know, California Missions is a key unit in fourth grade curriculum).

So we went to the closest Mission to our house. Right down the street from our school is Mission San Jose. We always wondered why we didn't just have a field trip to this Mission rather than going all the way down to the Carmel or San Juan Bautista Missions. Well after visiting it, I now know why.

Mission San Jose was founded by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen. This is the 14th of the 21 Spanish Missions in California. It was founded to secure Spain's claim to this land and to teach the native people Christianity and the Spanish way of life. It is also home to St. Joseph Catholic Church.

This mission was a self-sustaining village occupied by local natives, the Ohlone Indians. Thousands of cattle roamed the mission ranges and acres of wheat and other crops were planted and harvested under the direction of the padres.

This Mission was quite small and did not have a lot of artifacts and restored rooms of what a mission could have looked like. But it was still quite interesting knowing what was on this land a long time ago.

The front of the Mission

1868 Earthquake destroyed the adobe church and many nearby buildings.

All the doorways are so narrow and low; the people must have been really little back then.

Sanctuary

Old cemeteries fascinate me. I even took a class about them in college. There is so much history there. The kids looked for the oldest tombstone. I think this one was it. She was only 26 years old. How sad. :(

My Sister

I have to comment on these four kiddos below. My sister has three sons, her younger two are shown below. They are the same age as the girls. So that meant that my sister and I were pregnant at the same time.. twice. It was quite an experience for me.. a very supportive experience which drew my sister and I closer.
 

You see, I am the older sister by three years to my sister. I am tall. She is short. She is skinny and .. I well.. am not. She loves to cook...and I do not. I love to travel... and she does not. We are both very different. I always saw her as my younger sister and in turn she always saw me as her older sister. So in older sister fashion, I ordered her around and always told her what to do. I don't think I ever saw her as my equal because she was so much younger than me. I never asked her for advice nor really confided to her regarding personal matters. But she did marry first (by one year) and had children first. That changed our relationship.

When I became pregnant for the first time, she was on her second round. She was the experienced one now and our roles reversed where I was asking her for advise about pregnancy and parenting. I saw her as a great source of information and comfort whenever I started to freak out on every little new experience I had. I am thankful I have a sister that I can go to at anytime (except no calls after 10pm.. she's asleep) just to ask a question, to complain to or to share a funny story.

Even though we couldn't share clothes or even baby clothes, she shared something that I could not give to my girls: her breast milk. She would nurse her baby and after nursing she'll have to pump because she made so much milk. I call her milk 'the condensed kind'.. creamy and thick. I, on the other hand, made 'non-fat' milk.. watery and without substance and not filling. I had to supplement and instead of giving them formula, I gave them their auntie's milk instead. Luckily she had tons of bags in the freezer filled with her milk. And it was healthy stuff too because she always watched what she ate: no junk food, no soda, etc..

One time at a family dinner,  Hannah was about three weeks old, and I had just finished nursing her but she was still crying hysterically. My sister asked me what was wrong with her and I told her she's probably still hungry but I'm all out. So my sister proceeded to nurse Hannah herself since her son did not want to finish nursing. Hannah drank up E-Ee's milk and fell right asleep afterwards. Now I understand how my sister got her boys to sleep through the night so early. It was her milk!!

Baby Hannah and her Auntie

So those four kids below all had my sister's milk to sustain them when they were infants. They are not only tied by blood but by milk also. They are alike in many ways: the older two are quiet and reserved, love reading and LEGOs and are pretty easy going personality-wise; the younger two are more outspoken, not shy to share their opinions or questions, love to eat rice and seaweed and rice with soy sauce. I don't want to leave out my oldest nephew, Daniel, who even though was very rough with his brothers since their birth, has been very loving and gentle with his girl cousins.

Hannah on her human pillow, Daniel

I am so blessed to have three wonderful nephews. I don't have to have sons, nephews are just as good! My sister doesn't have any daughters but she has mine to care for whenever we need babysitting. She feels she doesn't have the patience to deal with the drama and emotions that come with girls .. and I definitely can't handle the loud, rough and tumble of boys so it's the best of both worlds.

My sister and I

Chabot Space & Science Center

One of our first summer 'field trips' with my sister and her boys was to the Chabot Space and Science Center.  I took my 3rd grade class last year as a field trip since one of our big units was Space but we didn't have enough time to explore the whole place plus squeeze in an IMAX or Planetarium movie. So I decided that during the summer, we would go back to see what we missed.

This is a great place to explore and get some 'hands-on' fun. The admission price includes an IMAX or Planetarium movie. (The perfect place for a quick shut-eye if you're tired).You can learn about the universe; the moon; the stars; and traveling in space. There were a lot of exhibits simulating various conditions in space and weather.

http://www.chabotspace.org/visit-chabot.htm

This exhibit was simulating the atmosphere of a gas planet which might be described as a Sea of Clouds. Some of the clouds are made of liquid water droplets. You use your hands in the 'clouds' to create turbulence and storm-like motions.

There was a camera that took the kids' picture while they were jumping to simulate a gravity-less experience in a space module. They were supposed to email me the pictures but I never got them. Instead I got more promo emails about the Center.

Cool space capsules to sit and play in; Here is J swimming in space as his brother navigates the space capsule.

Hannah is simulating a dust devil: a vortex that is formed in the air, independent of clouds or storms. A tornado is a strong vortex that forms out of clouds and stormy conditions. Luckily, we don't get many around here.

This spot was pretty cool. It simulated what a huge telescope does (reflect light) but it reflected sound instead. If you said something aloud while standing right on that spot, you can hear yourself echoing.

I have to comment on these four kiddos above. My sister has three sons, her younger two are shown above. They are the same age as the girls. So that meant that my sister and I were pregnant at the same time.. twice. It was quite an experience for me.

(As I continued writing this I realized it got to be very long.. so I continued it on another post. Look for it!)

Underwater

My husband is a photography nut. He always has his camera with him taking pictures of anything that looks creatively appealing.. buildings, animals, fauna, or people. He even takes pictures of himself driving..if you can image that. (Just check out his flicker account). He also reads photography magazines, listens to photography podcasts and keeps up with the latest cameras and their accessories. He even has some photography 'buddies' at church and most of the time, they talk about their cameras.

One area photographers may not have ventured into is taking pictures 'underwater'. My husband bought a waterproof camera just to do just that. So whenever we go to anyone's house for a pool party.. that camera goes with him.

It is an interesting view from underwater.. one that I've never experienced because 1) I can't swim so to have me hold my breath underwater is a definite no-no. and 2) I can't see without my glasses so everything is blurry anyway.

I've been told that it's not that easy to stay still underwater much less stay in one position as if one was out of the water. All in all, it's a neat viewpoint as a non-swimmer to see what goes on under the water.

The happy five-some all relaxed and posed!

What a change when they go underwater!

But it does look very relaxing doesn't it?

I must say you can't do that pose out of the water.

I wonder how deep he had to get to get this picture. He must have strong lung muscles to hold his breath for that long.

This is what happens when you're in the water 4+ hours.

Now what do you do if you weren't in the water? Pick lemons!

Thank you Michelle for picking all those lemons for us! I didn't know that you had to get that high to do it though. Heights are another thing I do not do.. but that's for another time.

A Very Special Wedding

Yes, another wedding but I did not coordinate nor plan it. I just made the fluffy punch. :)

This was a very special wedding for a very special person in my life: my dear friend Jan waited 51 years to marry the man of her dreams. She met him when she was 12 and he was 16. They became an 'item' for one year but separated when Jan's family moved across town. Both married other people and had families.

Fast forward 51 years. Jan decided to use Facebook to reconnect with old friends. She reconnected to Tony, who was divorced, and they renewed their friendship and eventually decided that there should be no more lost time spent between them.

For the 10+ years that I have known and loved Jan, I so desired her to be loved and cared for since she loves and gives so much to others. It gives me so much joy to see how happy Jan is today.

So never say never when you want true love! God will provide in His time.

This is a picture of them when they were together the first time around.

The little girl in between them is Jan's great-granddaughter who was the flowergirl.

Jan was so beautiful; this was her going away dress handmade by a dear friend of hers

Lessons

Summer started awhile ago with many days of heat (finally fixed our AC so that it fully works), a crazy one-day rainstorm a few weeks ago, some sun again and now .. overcast chilly days?!? What's happening?  It's either really hot or really cold! What a crazy summer it has been!

The girls finished their first and second sessions of swimming where Emily has graduated from taking lessons (after the 1st session). She was in the Advanced level and just needed to learn the butterfly stroke and the kick turn technique.

Emily 'jumping' off the diving board!

I've been told she has a nice form when she dives (like here) and she has a smooth splash-free freestyle stroke. See Hannah on the far right learning to dive at knee level first.

 Hannah has been promoted to Intermediate Level 4 where she will learn to perfect her strokes (that'll be next summer). I am so impressed with her quick advancement. She advanced two levels in one summer! (It took Emily two sessions to pass one level each summer.) During the 2nd session, I was surprised that she wanted to do something alone without her sister but she really is coming along in her independence. I guess her therapy sessions are working.

Hannah's free-style..when she comes up for air she always spits out water.. and her teacher commented that she is always smiling even underwater..

Hannah 'walking' off the diving board

Hannah also started piano lessons from our former CCS worship leader/music teacher, Mrs. Aimee. She is wonderful, very patient and has a great rapport with children. She is also extremely talented and a I love love love to hear her sing. She also gives flute and voice lessons and is always looking for new students. So if you're interested give me a ring.

 

Both girls are putting lessons to practice by going to the aqua park once a week. We got season passes so they can go swimming more frequently. It's been fun for them because I've been taking some of Emily's classmates to join in the fun. It's been nice break for their friends since both of their parents work full time and they would just be in summer school.

If you ever get to go to the aqua park in my neighborhood, check out one of the dining tables designed  by my wonderful gardener, Michelle! She did a beautiful job!

Other than swimming we've been taking day trips with my sister and her boys which is always fun and exciting. Sometimes my husband is able to join us which is a plus. Details of those excursions will be on separate posts.