Thank you, Michaela Garstin, for the article about the internment of the Japanese Canadians (“The day they were forced to leave the Woodfibre pulp mill,” published Sept. 21). I am third-generation — “sansei” in the Japanese language. My grandparents were forcibly removed from their home and they lost everything. They rarely talked about it but I do remember my grandmother telling me how she cried because she lost her brand new washing machine!
When I was a child, they didn’t like going into the livestock buildings. I always thought it was because of the smell of manure but when I got older, I learned about their history and the horrible memories that building must have revived. My parents also spent part of their childhood in internment camps and in later years, always regretted that due to lack of financial support, that they were never able to pursue post-secondary education. I was the first in my family to get a university education so I had many proud family members at my convocation.
Thank you again for telling the story of the “Canadian-Japanese”, not “Japanese-Canadian” as my Grandfather would often correct me. They overcame their hardships with quiet and humble resilience and despite their treatment, they loved and were appreciative of their life in Canada.
