*Note: First part of this entry is missing, with no date; but it is dated provisionally to August 16, 1901, a week prior to the day passengers of the U.S.A.T. Thomas were allowed to disembark.
…up the muddy Pasig between saiboats and lighters on one side and crowded casco villages on the other. From every casco black Filipino heads were stuck out to see the new school marms. After much trouble we landed and the struggle for carromatas began. When we had succeeded in getting ourselves and our baggage into a carromata and the two fat Misses Ross into a quilez without lifting the pony off his feet we started for the Escuela Municipal in the walled city. We wound in and out little narrow streets, between houses covered with moss and hanging plants, with plants growing from the cracks of the red tiled roofs. There are no sidewalks and it is the custom of the Filipino cuchero to dash around corners with his eyes shut, so we considered ourselves fortunate not to leave any accidents. The entrance to the walled city is through two gates with a drawbridge between so that there is always a line of mule teams waiting to get through. After much belaboring of the pony our cuchero drew us up in front of the school, and we disembarked feeling that we were in for it now. Our rooms had about thirteen Filipino beds. They are strips of bamboo laid crosswise on four bamboo legs and four strips of wood in the air to hold up the moasquito bar. The bed was a thin comfortable sheets and a round pillow stuffed with cotton until it feels like a rock.
Afer dinner lunch at a very good American restaurant and a short walk in the we were told to take a siesta. Mr. Squier allowed us to use the easy chairs in his office and we spread around in all sorts of attitudes. In the midst of our discussion on schools four men walked in, one of whom proved to be a division superintendent on whom we should make an impression. I suppose we bored him to death being proper. Later two other men came in but we had Division superintendent so firmly planted our minds that we could not be easy with any of them. We were all glad when night came but our joy did not last long. The process of watching the fattest Miss Ross undress was a joy but when it came to seeing her parade around the room in a shirt of ballet length I collapsed. Her foundations are so much too small for the rest of her that she was a sight for the gods. Peggy and Miss Fee and I did “three little maids from school are we” for the edification of the rest. In the midst of our song and dance Miss Crocker’s mosquito bar fell down on her, so we had to stop until it was mended. The men in the quarters next us must have blessed us when we got to sleep. About two o’clock I heard a crash and a giggle then a murmur went around the room , and Miss Fee crawled out from the debris of her bed.