Two summers ago, I embarked to explore Europe and the Philippines in an attempt to broaden my perspective and find my past. Like Crisotomo Ibarra in Noli Me Tangere, I returned from my travels changed. With José Rizal as my tutelary spirit throughout my expedition, I found not only my roots, my culture, and myself, but also the path José Rizal took in his own personal transformation.

(Video from youtube; posted by popsicle628 08.11.07)

In this essay, I will share my experience of reconstructing Rizal’s life and journey through my explorations abroad and in the Philippines, as well as what I know from my own personal research of Rizal.    

My travels across Europe originated from an early modern concept of travel as education. From the mid 1600s to the mid 1800s, there was a custom of travel and personal exploration dubbed the Grand Tour. Having the means to sustain themselves from months to years, upper-class European men would traverse their continent, concluding their classical studies and liberal education with an experiential capstone that included sojourns in cities like Paris, Florence, and Berlin. Grand Tourists went beyond their Greek and Latin training and learned other languages like French, Italian, and German; studied the masterpieces of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt; and mingled with some of the best minds of the western world. The rationale of the whole trip was, through first-hand experiences, to develop their intellectual, ethical, social, and political perspective.   

While not European, the 19th century ilustrados in the Philippines followed similarly in the Grand Tour tradition by sending their sons to Spain and Europe for their studies. José Rizal was no exception. Five years following his graduation from Ateneo Municipal de Manila and an enrollment at the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal, under the patronage of his brother, ventured to Barcelona for his medical studies. It is widely known that Rizal spent most of his adulthood in Europe traveling, studying, and writing. While listening to the description of the Grand Tour, one can imagine Rizal, akin to a European Grand Tourist, mastering the Romance and Germanic languages of Europe finding his brush stroke with compatriot Juan Luna by viewing the artwork of the Old Masters, reading the novels of Alexandre Dumas or Victor Hugo, or composing “A las flores del Heidelberg.” Like that of his fellow ilustrado émigrés, his classical background and study of philosophy at UST paved the way for liberal ideas of post-enlightenment Europe. Ultimately, Rizal’s experience with liberal ideas would prompt him to spearhead the Propagandist movement to push for Spanish reforms in the Philippines.   

My own Grand Tour began in Paris, France. As the birthplace of modern medicine in the early 19th century and a literary hub for the Lost Generation of the 1920s among other claims to fame, Paris was an essential stop on my itinerary. In terms of Rizal’s life and achievements, Paris also has a particular importance. Subsequent to receiving his licentiate in medicine from the Central University of Madrid, Rizal relocated to Paris to study under French physician, Louis de Wecker, who was at the time Europe’s most famous ophthalmologist. In five months, Rizal was able to learn French and master all of the surgeries of Dr. de Wecker including the procedure to treat his own mother for cataracts. Later in his career, it was in Paris where Rizal’s translation of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las islas Filipinas, the first history of the Philippines, was published. The first of Rizal’s essays published in La Solidaridad, “Filipinas de cien años”, or “The Philippines a century hence”, was written from Paris. Just as it provided for centuries the setting for scholars, writers, and artists, Paris, too, proved to be a place where Rizal’s writings and studies could flourish.

The next stop on my tour was the small city of Ghent, Belgium. Presently a small city compared to other European metropolises, the quaint city was a thriving hub for the cloth trade in the Middle Ages. The small city may sound like an unconventional desitnation to pick, but it should be pilgrimage site for any Rizalist. With camera in hand, I wandered away from Ghent’s three converging rivers to 66 Vlanderstraat. Now a boutique, this site was the address of F. Meyer Van Loo, the owner of the press who printed El Filibusterismo. Also, from Ghent is where Rizal wrote another one of his essays for La Solidaridad, the “Indolence of the Filipino.”   

After Ghent, I made my way to Berlin, Germany. In Berlin, Rizal made quite a name for himself as a scientist. He became a member of the prestigious Berlin Society for Anthropology,  Ethnography, and Prehistory. Its president, the great Dr. Rudolf Virchow – the father of pathology” – was instrumental in recruiting Rizal. Such an honor bestowed on Rizal is a testament to his intellect and dynamic personality. Following his death, Virchow, at the annual meeting of the Society, would speak in memory of Rizal and delivered his obituary. Yet, what is important to note about Berlin is that it is the publishing city of Rizal’s magnum opus, Noli Me Tangere.    

I visited other sites in Europe, including seeing the ruins of Rome, just as Rizal once saw. However, the greatest leg of my journey was in the inang bayan the Philippines. Within the walls of Intramuros, I came across an original copy of Noli and viewed a set of paintings depicting its chapters. Within the prison cell of José Rizal, I envisioned him writing his swan song, “Mi último adios,” on the eve of his execution. From the prison cell, the final steps of Rizal can be followed on the way to Bagumbayan Field on the Luneta, where, from a distance, Rizal’s famous last poem can be read on a bronze memorial plaque.

In Quiapo, I visited the Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, named after Dr. Ariston Bautista, friend of José Rizal, and his wife Petrona Nakpil. Katipunero Julio Nakpil and his wife Gregoria de Jesus, widow of Andres Bonifacio and vice-president of the women’s chapter of the Katipunan, also took up residence in the house where they raised six children. The house serves as a museum for Katipunan artifacts and other Revolution period objects. The most captivating set of objects are the chairs where José Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, and other patriotic Filipinos organized La Liga Filipina in Tondo, Manila.   

Next to Los Baños, where I studied for one month, is Rizal’s hometown of Calamba, Laguna. While the original edifice is gone, the reconstructed ancestral home of José Rizal stands as a tribute to his family. I unfortunately was not able to go inside the Mercado House since it was closed on the day of my visit. Still, I conjured up images of Rizal being taught to read by his mother or perfecting his Latin with his tutor while I paid homage to his house.   

As a future physician and a student of the humanties, Rizal’s travels abroad and interactions with those in various fields particularly resonate with my own life experiences and goals. Traveling, in a sense, was an education by doing – an experiential learning that merges the mind with the use of all five senses. Along the way I was able to follow in Rizal’s footsteps, learning about his life and using his wisdom to reflect on my journeys and capture the most out of new worlds. What can I say now, having benefited from travels, especially to the inang bayan, is that I have a clearer view of my eventual destination. In the words of José Rizal, “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakáráting sa paroroonan.”