The wartime experience is an important part of Canadian history. On a practical level, I need to remember Lemon Creek and to know the nuts and bolts of this history so I can educate future generations of all Canadians. On a more personal level, I feel the need to understand Lemon Creek because that experience indirectly has shaped me and my world view.

Throughout my mother’s childhood and into adolescence I believe it was her steadfast positive outlook on everything that kept her out of trouble and I am happy to report that she remembers those years as any other fun loving child.

So how do I feel about internment? The bitterness gives way to pride, pride that my ancestors battled tremendous hardship and came through with heroic dignity. The other feeling that emerges is gratitude.

Blueberries were so good this summer that I finally tried this blueberry buckle recipe that I clipped a long time ago. It’s a blueberry cake with a buttery cinnamon topping.

This change in venue was a real interesting one in that the Powell Street Festival was able to draw not just from faithful attendees but new ones who travelled from Commercial Drive. The park setting offered more shade from trees, more parking, a different demographic as a result of a more residential neighbourhood, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

The first time I became fully aware of the existence of the present emperor was when I was still in primary school and there was a festivity of some kind. So I checked and came upon his coming-of-age and ceremony of investiture as crown prince (rittaishi) in 1952.

The book is the history of the Kamloops Japanese Canadian Association compiled using the monthly newsletters of 1976 to 2007, starting with how we got started, our role in the Nikkei Centennial and Redress Movement and listing the highlights and activities of each of the years.

As an independent production, we are in serious need of financial support to educate people and to preserve this part of Canada’s history and the producers are now looking to the community for assistance in bringing this project to life.

Suggested topics for future workshops included a thorough discussion of the grammatical differences between English and Japanese and a seminar on what it takes to make a living as a translator or interpreter.

It is one thing to read about the living conditions in Internment camps, it’s another to see actual dwellings as they would have looked like, and to imagine two families living in it. Both girls were fascinated by the various artefacts and the attempts to make the places feel like home.