Rizal’s Life Abroad Transcript
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lCI0wHGbhw
Jose Protacio Rizal is the most troubled Filipino hero in history. His journey is an important facet
of his education and sophistication, through which he learned the culture and politics of other
countries. After graduating from the University of the Philippines, Rizal went on a journey to
Spain without his parents' permission to continue his medical studies and complete a completely
secret mission to observe Spain's actions, habits, language, customs, and laws.
Armed with a limited budget of 356 pesos, courtesy of his brother, Paciano, Rizal embarked on
Barcelona, Spain, via the Spanish steamer, Salvadora. During this long trip with several
stopovers along the way, he visited several countries, the first of which was Singapore. He
stayed at the Hotel de la Paz and spent two days in this country, where he visited the botanical
garden, Buddhist temples, and Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles statue. He then boarded the ship,
the Djemnah, to get to . Aboard the ship, he improved his knowledge of the French language.
In Sri Lanka, he went to Colombo, the capital of Ceylon. Rizal admired Colombo because of its
beautiful places. The ship proceeded to North Africa, stopping in Egypt before heading to Italy.
Italy marked his first time stepping into Europe. Here, he went to Naples, then Marseille, where
he was impressed with the people and the beautiful scenery. He visited the famous place,
Château d'If, where Dantès was imprisoned in his favorite novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo."
Boarding the express train, he arrived in Barcelona, Spain, where he met some Filipinos. He also
wrote his first nationalistic essay abroad entitled "Amor Patrio," which was later published in
Diariong Tagalog.
In France, he visited the capital, where he was fascinated by its architectural wonders. He went
to the Leannec Hospital to observe and became an apprentice of Dr. Louis de. Wecker to
specialize in ophthalmology. He also joined Freemasonry and was impressed with the freedom
they enjoyed in openly criticizing the government.
In Germany, he saw the fountain of Heidelberg. He was so enamored with a nearby flowerbed
that he wrote a beautiful poem about them entitled "A las flores del Heidelberg" or "To the
Flowers of Heidelberg." On April 26, 1886, he left Heidelberg for Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, to
honor an invitation extended to him by Reverend Karl Ullmer. He was invited to visit the
vicarage and studied German country life and practices, speaking good German with the Ullmer
family with whom he lived. By August 15, he left Wilhelmsfeld for Leipzig, Germany, to offer
his knowledge in Tagalog to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt for the latter's study of the
language. In October 1886, Rizal worked as an apprentice of Dr. Otto Becker and was able to
visit picturesque spots in the historical cities, including Heidelberg, Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin.
There, he met Dr. Adolf Meyer and was impressed for the first time with the spirituality of the
Catholic Holy Mass.
In the Czech Republic, he went to Prague and met Dr. Welcome from the University of Prague,
who toured him to the city's historic spots, including the tomb of Copernicus in the National
History Museum. In Austria, Rizal was impressed by its literature and music. He met a famous
European novelist, Norberto Faustino, who toured him to the churches, art galleries, and other
places visited by tourists. Faustino was accompanied by his good friend, Maximo Viola. They
visited Rhine Falls, which is said to be the largest plain waterfalls in Europe. Rizal was
particularly fascinated with Geneva, where the people speak French, German, and Italian. They
also celebrated Rizal's 26th birthday in Geneva.
By June 23, Rizal had to return to Barcelona and continued his journey. In Italy, Rizal went to
Turin, Milan, Venice, and Florence. He then arrived in Rome and walked around the city. After a
week of sightseeing in Rome, he returned to the Philippines.
He started returning to the Philippines after a five-year trip to Europe. He also wanted to operate
on his mother and see the effect given by his novel on the Filipinos and the Spaniards. Rizal left
the Philippines for the second time because he was haunted by powerful enemies such as friars.
In Hong Kong, he stayed at Victoria Hotel and practiced being an ophthalmologist. He studied
Chinese culture and was fascinated by the colorful Chinese New Year. He then visited the nearby
city of Macau for two days. Along with a friend, Jose Maria, from Hong Kong, he reached
Yokohama and proceeded to Tokyo, Japan. He lived in the Spanish legation in Tokyo, upon the
invitation of its secretary, Juan Perez Caballero. During his stay in this country, he noticed its
beauty and the strict discipline of the people. He also met the 23-year-old Seiko Usui, who
became his lover.
The ship arrived in San Francisco for a week, where they were quarantined allegedly because of
the cholera outbreak in the Far East. Here, he observed the different treatment of white
Americans towards the Chinese and Negroes.
In London, Rizal manually copied and annotated Antonio Morga's "Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas," a rare book available in the British Museum. He also became the honorary president
of the patriotic society association, La Solidaridad, and wrote articles for La Solidaridad.
In Paris, Rizal visited for just a week for some historical use at the National Library. He wrote
"Por Telefono," a satire against Padre Leoncio Font, who was the initiator of the ban on "Noli Me
Tangere" in the Philippines. This is also where he finished writing the "El Filibusterismo" and
witnessed the Universal Exposition of the Eiffel Tower.
In Spain, Rizal went to Barcelona and Madrid to communicate with Filipinos about the
propaganda for the Philippine reform. Cristiano Lopez Hena founded the newspaper "La
Solidaridad" with Marcelo H. del Pilar as its editor.
Rizal left for Brussels, Belgium, because living in Paris was expensive. He kept himself busy
publishing "El Filibusterismo" and sending articles to La Solidaridad.
Rizal returned to Manila and founded La Liga Filipina in July 1892. He was then deported to
Dapitan for allegedly sending anti-church pamphlets. The trial of Rizal began on December 26,
1896, and on the same day, the court decided to execute him by shooting. On December 30,
1896, Rizal was executed i\n Bagumbayan.
