Jose Rizal’s Life Abroad
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Rizal’s travel abroad all begun in 1882, Rizal and his brother Paciano had a secret agreement that Rizal
should go to Spain because one, he will pursue his medical course and two, he will observe the political
situation in Madrid. Only few people knew Riza’s trip to Spain, these are Paciano, Antonio Rivera,
Chenggoy, and the Family of Orang. His former teacher in Ateneo gave him a letter of recommendation
to the Jesuits house in in Barcelona in case he needed assistance.
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Barcelona: May 3, 1882
Rizal did not continue his studies in the Philippines, instead, he went to Europe towiden his learning
and to acquire knowledge about a cure for his mother’s worseningeye condition. He left Calamba on
May 1, 1882 and was able to reach Manila in tenhours. He left Manila on May 3, 1882, with his
brother Paciano and Uncle AntonioRivera’s blessing. He decided to go abroad after completing
his fourth year in themedical course. But he did not seek his parents’ permission because clearly,
they willnot approve of Rizal’s plan. Bringing with him his disappointments during his days as
astudent, he left the Philippines for Europe.
Initially, he was going to finish his medical course in Barcelona, Spain. Then again, he wanted to make
a name for himself in the field of journalism, to observe andstudy the European society and to prepare
himself from being freed from the tyrants of Spain.
To welcome Rizal, his fellow Filipinos (most of them were his former schoolmatesat Ateneo Municipal),
gave him a celebration at Plaza de Cataluna. He roamed aroundthe city and visited the historical spots.
Not forgetting his family, he made sure that hewrote them, his relatives and friends a letter. This trip
aimed to satisfy one of Rizal’smission: to make a name for himself by sharing his writings and to express
his love forhis [Link] the age of 21, the first piece he made was the essay entitled, El Amor Patrio
orLove of Country. While writing this, he used the screen name Laong Laan. It waspublished
in the Diariong Tagalog in Manila on August 20, 1882.
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Madrid : 1882
On September 1882, Rizal moved to the capital city of Spain to continue his [Link] enrolled at
the Universidad Central de Madrid on November 3, 1882 he took upPhilosophy and Letters in
Medicine. While studying in the university, he also enrolled atthe Academy of San Carlos taking up
painting and sculpture, and languages in French,German and English. He also took up shooting and
fencing at the Hall of Sanz andCarbonell. He also showed great interest in taking the examination in
Roman law. Rizalpassed the medical examination which he took from June 5 to 26 1883. He was given
thedegree of Licentiate in Medicine for this and continued his doctorate degree in [Link],
he was not able to accomplish the diploma because he failed to present the thesis required for
graduation. He was allowed to practice medicine but cannot teach medicine. Rizal was saddened by this
decision and thought that the education system inMadrid had no difference with that in Manila. He then
finished his course in Philosophyand Letters and gained the degree Licenciado en Filosofia y Letras.
During this time,Rizal was halfway done with his novel, the Noli Me Tangere.
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Paris: November 1885
Rizal arrived in Paris on November 1885. At that time, he was 24 years old and afull-pledged surgeon.
He decided to migrate to Paris to specialize in Ophthalmology, but prior to doing so, he went to visit
Maximo Viola, a friend from San Miguel, [Link] also worked as an assistant to Dr. Louis de
Weckert’s eye clinic for four months. During his stay, Rizal knew how to conduct the operation of the
eye, its ailments, andthe different techniques of eye operation. He spent his past time with his fellow
Filipinosin the city, something that contributed much to learning how to speak French [Link]
friends were Felix Hidalgo, Juan Luna and Pardo de Tavera. For the duration of hisstay with Juan Luna,
Rizal became a model and posed for two historical paintings ofLuna: The Blood Compact (as Sikatuna)
and Death of Cleopatra (as a Priest). It wasalso in Paris that he finished some part of his Noli.
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Germany: February 1886
Due to high cost of living, Rizal left Paris for Germany on February 1886. Hearrived at an old university
town in Heidelberg. He worked as an assistant of Dr. OttoBecker at the University Eye Hospital. It is
where Rizal mastered the techniques ofdiagnosing eye ailments, which he learned from Dr.
Louis de Wecker. But beforetransferring to the university, Rizal resided in a German
boarding house where hebecame friends with a number of German law students. He became a
member of the Chess Players’ Club of Heidelberg. He was knownamong the students not because he
was good at chess but because he also joinedthem in their drinking sessions. While in Heidelberg, he
used to write letters to hissisters Maria and Trinidad in the Philippines, telling them good things about
Germany,the good traits of the German students including the women. The letter was to show hersisters
that they can imitate the virtues of German women. There, he wrote a poem entitled, A Las Flores de
Heidelberg (To the Flowers of Heidelberg) to express hishomesickness for his loved ones.
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During the summer, Rizal spent his three-month vacation at Wilhelmsfeld. Hestayed with Dr. Karl
Ulmer, a pastor of the vicarage of Wilhelmsfeld, owing to hispleasant traits, his skills in
sketching and his knowledge on different languages. Forthese reasons, Pastor Ulmer’s wife genuinely
admired Rizal. With the hospitality andfriendship that the Ulmer family showed him, Rizal enjoyed his
vacation at [Link] had the thought that, unlike the friars in the Philippines, Pastor Ulmer can
getalong well with the Catholic priest in the area.
After his vacation at Wilhelmsfeld, on July 31,1886 Rizal started hiscorrespondence with
Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, the director of Ateneo ofLeitmeritz, Austria then. Together
with his letter, Rizal sent him a book entitled Aritmeticaby Rufino Baltazar Hernandez. Blumentritt was
amazed by Rizal and their frequentcommunication started through writing and sending letters to
each other.
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On August 14, 1886, after attending the fifth centenary foundation day celebration of the
University of Heidelberg, he arrived in Leipzig. There he met [Link] Ratzel, a well-known
German historian and Dr. Hans Meyer, a famous German anthropologist who both wrote a book on
the Philippines. In Leipzig, he was able totranslate Schiller’s William Tell into Tagalog. The
book presented how the Swiss achieved their independence in a peaceful manner. For his nephews
and nieces in thePhilippines, Rizal also translated the fairy tales that Hans Christian Andersen
[Link] his two months stay in Leipzig, he worked in a publishing company as a
proofreader to sustain his allowance.
Then on October 29, 1886, Rizal arrived at Dresden. There he met Dr. Adolph Meyer, the Director of
Anthropological and Ethnological Museum of the city, where he saw the collection about the
Philippines. After three days in Dresden, he left for Berlin and rode the train.
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Rizal arrived at Berlin on November 1, 1886. He wanted to learn more aboutophthalmology,
languages and sciences. He then became a member of theAnthropological Society, the
Ethnographic Society and the Geographic Society becauseof the recommendation from Dr. Jagor
and Dr. Meyer. Rizal wanted to learn theeconomic and political conditions of Germany so he
also joined the circle of famousGerman scientists and scholars. There he aimed to complete and publish
the novel, NoliMe Tangere. In Berlin, he met Dr. Rudolf Virchow and his son Dr. Hans Virchow,
twoknown German anthropologists; Dr. W. Joest, a famous German geographer; and [Link] Ernest
Schweigger, a well known ophthalmologist. He also presented a paper entitled Tagalische
Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art) to the Ethnographic Society of Berlin.
Rizal’s life in Berlin was challenging — in the morning, he worked as an assistant in the clinic of Dr.
Schweigger; in the evening, he attended classes at the University of Berlin. He continued his physical
training and practiced his languages of German, French, and Italian at home. He also took the
time to finish his novel. At times, Rizal cannot sustain his daily needs in Berlin as his brother
Paciano failed to send hismonthly allowance because of the crop failures in Calamba. Rizal had
to pawn hisdiamond ring given to her by his sister Saturnina and sell his books to bookstores toenable
him to eat. Due to his poor nutrition, he got sick with tuberculosis. Withoutmoney during his time
in Berlin, he planned to burn the manuscript of his first novel.
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Rizal and Voila arrived at Vienna, the capital city of Austria-Hungary, on May 20,1887. They visited art
galleries, museums, public parks and recreation centers. The two doctors spent four days in the city and
stayed at Hotel Metropole. They decided to take a small boat that brought them to the famous Danube
River, where they saw the archaic villages on the river sides.
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After passing by the Danube River, they ended their trip at Linz. Rizal and Viola left Austria, went
back to Germany and arrived at Munich on May 27,1887. They continued to Nuremberg,
where they saw the torture machines used during the Inquisition against the enemies of the
Catholic Church. After Munich they proceeded to Ulm, known to have the largest and tallest cathedral in
Germany. After fifteen days in the city, Rizal and Viola parted ways on June 23, 1887. Rizal continued his
trip to Italy, while Viola returned to Barcelona. After a week of travel in Rome, Rizal prepared for his
return in the Philippines.
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OVERVIEWWWWWW
After His three months in France, Rizal returned to Madrid and thought about publishing a book that
exposed the colonial relationship of Spain and the Philippines
March 1887, with the publication of Noli Me Tangere in Germany.
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In August, he was admitted to British Museum, where he copied Antonio de Morga’s massive Study of
the Philippines, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which Rizal later Annotated for publication “as a gift to
Filipinos”
In March 1891, Rizal Finished writing his second Novel, El Filibusterismo in France. He Planned to Publish
the book in Belgium, but was financially hard up
September 1890, El Filibusterismo was published in Ghent using donations from Rizal’s Friends
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Rizal lived five years of his life abroad and away from his loved ones. He leftRome and rode the train
going to Marseilles, France on July 3,1887. He then boardedthe Djemnah, the vessel that ferried him to
Saigon, and from Saigon, he transferred tothe steamer Haiphong in Vietnam and reached Manila on
August 5,1887. He stayed inManila for three days and tried to visit and call Isabelo de los
Reyes twice butunfortunately, he was unable to reach him.
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JOSE RIZAL RETUREND TO CALAMBA
He left Rome and rode the train going to Marseilles, France on July 3,1887. He then boarded the
Djemnah, the vessel that ferried him to Saigon, and from Saigon, he transferred to the steamer
Haiphong in Vietnam and reached Manila on August 5,1887. He stayed inManila for three days and
tried to visit and call Isabelo de los Reyes twice butunfortunately, he was unable to reach
him.
Upon Rizal’s arrival in Calamba on August 8, 1887, there were rumors spreadingthat Rizal was a
German spy, a mason and many more. Because of these, Rizalreceived death threats each
day and his family was worried about the possibleconsequences of such. So Paciano
accompanied him whenever he goes out— even hisfather, Don Francisco, had hesitations on allowing
Rizal to go out of their [Link], Rizal kept himself busy while in Calamba. He
established amedical clinic and his first patient was his mother. He cured the sick and soon he
wasknown to be an eye specialist and surgeon. Rizal successfully removed the cataracts onhis mother’s
eyes. In the town, Rizal was called Doctor Uliman, because he wasmistaken for a German.
On August 30, 1887, Rizal left Calamba and went to Manila forhe was invited to see Governor-General
Emilio Terrero as regards his Noli.
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TRIP TO HONG KONG
Rizal arrived in Hong Kong on
February 8,1888. His fellow
Filipinos namely Jose
Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio
and Manuel Yriarte, who were
all exiled in 1872, met
Rizal. In Hong Kong, he was
able to study the Chinese
language, Chinese drama and
theater, Chinese cultures and
Chinese values. Rizal even
became friends with some
Spaniards that were based in
Hong Kong.
He met Barranda, Terrero’s
secretary, together with other
Spaniards and went to
visit Macao, a Portuguese
colony near Hong Kong. Rizal
and his friends visited the
botanical garden, theatre,
casino, cathedral and churches,
pagodas and bazaars. They
lived in the house of Juan
Lecaroz and on February 20,
1888, he went back to Hong
Kong. Two days after, he left
for Japan on Board the SS
Oceania on February 22, 1888
TRIP TO HONG KONG
Rizal arrived in Hong Kong on February 8,1888. His fellow Filipinos namely JoseMaria Basa, Balbino
Mauricio and Manuel Yriarte, who were all exiled in 1872, metRizal. In Hong Kong, he was able to
study the Chinese language, Chinese drama andtheater, Chinese cultures and Chinese values. Rizal
even became friends with someSpaniards that were based in Hong [Link] met Barranda, Terrero’s
secretary, together with other Spaniards and went tovisit Macao, a Portuguese colony near Hong Kong.
Rizal and his friends visited thebotanical garden, theatre, casino, cathedral and churches, pagodas and
bazaars. Theylived in the house of Juan Lecaroz and on February 20, 1888, he went back to HongKong.
Two days after, he left for Japan on Board the SS Oceania on February 22, 1888.
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TRIP TO JAPAN AND
SHORT ROMANCE WITH O-
SEI-SAN
Rizal arrived in Yokohama,
Japan and stayed at Tokyo
Hotel on February 28,
1888f or a few days. He was
then invited by Juan Perez
Caballero to live at the Spanish
Legation for a month. On
March 7,1887, he left the
hotel and lived at the Spanish
legation. During his stay in
Japan, he studied the Japanese
language or Nippongo,
Japanese culture, theatres,
martial arts and visited
Japanese provinces. Rizal
appreciated the cleanliness,
politeness, and industry of the
Japanese.
Rizal then met O-Sei-San and
their romance began when he
lived at the Spanish
legation. They became friends
and later on developed to
become lovers. O-Sei-San or
Seiko Usui and Rizal fell in
love for each other. Because of
this, Rizal thought of staying
in Japan for good. Nonetheless,
Rizal had duties to fulfill for his
country. So he decided
to leave Japan and said his
goodbyes to O-Sei-San
TRIP TO JAPAN AND SHORT ROMANCE WITH O-SEI-SAN
Rizal arrived in Yokohama, Japan and stayed at Tokyo Hotel for a few days. He was then invited by Juan
Perez Caballero to live at the SpanishLegation for a month. On March 7,1887, he left the hotel and
lived at the Spanishlegation. During his stay in Japan, he studied the Japanese language or
Nippongo,Japanese culture, theatres, martial arts and visited Japanese provinces.
Rizalappreciated the cleanliness, politeness, and industry of the Japanese. Rizal then met O-Sei-San and
their romance began when he lived at the Spanishlegation. They became friends and later on developed
to become lovers. O-Sei-San orSeiko Usui and Rizal fell in love for each other. Because of this, Rizal
thought of stayingin Japan for good. Nonetheless, Rizal had duties to fulfill for his country. So he
decidedto leave Japan and said his goodbyes to O-Sei-San.
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TRIP TO UNITED STAES OF AMERICA
Jose Rizal in San Francisco on 4-6 May 1888. The visit is deemed to be Rizal's only trip to the United
States.
Aboard a steamer on April 28,1888, the entire boat was quarantined when itstopped in San
Francisco because accordingly, the ship came from a country where cholera was epidemic. Rizal knew
that this was not the fact — he found out that the shipwas halted for the Chinese and Japanese laborers
who accepted cheap labor, replacingthe American [Link] May 4, 1888, after a week of the
quarantine, some passengers were allowedto disembark, except for the Japanese and Chinese
passengers who were quarantinedfor a longer period. Rizal went to different cities in America like Reno,
Utah, Colorado,Nebraska, Chicago, Albany, and New York City. He was very much impressed with allthe
cities for its natural beauty, the hardworking Americans, the material progress and the high standard of
living, and the opportunities offered for poor immigrants for a [Link] negative impressions
include the lack of racial equality and the presence ofracial prejudice against other nations. The
Americans value valued.
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TRIP IN LONDON
After Rizal’s trip to the United States of America, he left New York City on May16, 1888 and arrived in
Liverpool, England on May 24 of the same year. He stayed for aday at Adelphi Hotel and left for
London the following day. He was welcomed by [Link] Ma. Regidor on May 25, 1888 and stayed
as a guest in their home. Dr. Regidorwas an exile of 1872 and a practicing lawyer in London.
Rizal had reasons why he chose to live in London. First, he wanted to enhancehis knowledge on the
English language; he sought to have further study on AntonioMorga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas; to do
research on the Philippine history; and tocontinue to write for La Solidaridad in defense of his
people against the Spanish tyranny.
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IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
On January 28,1890, Rizal left Paris for Brussels, Belgium. He was accompanied by Jose Alberto when
he moved to Brussels. When Jose Alberto left the country, an engineering student, Jose Alejandro
stayed with Rizal at the boarding house owned by Suzanne and Marie Jacoby. Aside from the cost of
living in Paris, which was too much,Rizal cannot focus on writing his second novel El Filibusterismo
because of the sociallife in Paris that interfered with his writings. While doing the chapters of the novel,
hecontinued to write articles for La Solidaridad
