LESSSON 4- RIZAL’S LIFE ABROAD

TOPIC 1- TRAVELS IN ASIA ( HONG KONG, MACAU AND JAPAN) AND

THE U.S.
 FIRST TRIP TO HONG KONG AND MACAU
• On February 3, 1888, with a heavy heart, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong. His
powerful enemies refused to give him peace and quiet. Anonymous letters with
threats on his life were sent to his parents’ house in Calamba.
• On February 8, 1888- Rizal arrived in Hong Kong and he was welcomed by
Filipino residents.
• Jose Sainz de Varranda, Terrero’s former secretary, followed Rizal in the said
British colony, and was believed to be commissioned by the Spanish authorities
to spy on the hero.
• While in Hong Kong, Rizal engaged in cultural activities. Among the experiences
while he observed were:
a) The Chinese way of celebrating their New Year, which included making noise
and exploding firecrackers to drive away evil spirits;
b) Chinese lauriat parties, where they served many different types of dishes;
c) Chinese theatres which used symbolisms and noisy music to entertain an
equally noise audience;
d) He also managed to visit different churches and cemeteries that were owned
by Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims.
• On February 18-21, 1888, Rizal also visited Macau, a Portuguese colony near
Hong Kong. He was invited to stay at the residence of Don Juan Francisco
Lecaros, who was a former Filipino delegate to the Spanish Cortes. For two days,
Rizal enjoyed being a tourist and visited different cultural places which included
churches, botanical gardens, theaters and the Macao Casino.
• February 22, 1888- Rizal left Hong Kong, his destination was Japan.

 IN JAPAN
• February 28, 1888- Rizal arrived in Yokohama, the next day he went to Tokyo
and stayed at Tokyo Hotel for six days.
• Shortly after his arrival, Juan Perez Caballero-secretary of the Spanish Legation,
visited Rizal at his hotel who latter invited him to live at the Spanish Legation.
Rizal being an intelligent man, realized that the Spanish diplomatic authorities
were instructed from Manila to keep track of his activities. Since it was
economical to stay at the legation and he believed that he had nothing to hide,
he accepted it.
 • March 7, 1888- Rizal checked out of Tokyo Hotel and lived at the Spanish
Legation
• Rizal was impressed by the scenic Japan and had keenly observed the life,
customs, and culture of the people. The things which favourably impressed Rizal
in Japan were: the beauty of the country; the cleanliness, politeness, and industry
of the Japanese people; the picturesque dress and simple charm of the Japanese
women; there were very few thieves in Japan; beggars were rarely seen in the
city, streets, unlike in Manila and other cities.
• April 13, 1888, Rizal left Japan and boarded the Belgic, bound for the United
States.

 RIZAL’S VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES (April- May 1888)

• April 28, 1888, Rizal arrived in San Francisco, California. The ship was held
under quarantine by the American health authorities, reasoning that there was a
cholera epidemic in the Far East where their ship come from. Rizal and other first
class passenger of the ship were released from quarantine and allowed to land
after seven days.
• On May 4, 1888, Rizal arrived in San Francisco and registered at the Palace
Hotel and stayed for two days. May 6, 1888, he was in Oakland, he boarded the
train for his grand transcontinental trip to the American continent. He was able
to see places such as Sacramento, Reno, (Nevada), Colorado, Nebraska,
Chicago, Albany and on May 13 he reached New York. He stayed in this city for
three days, he visited the scenic and historic places.

 RIZAL’S IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA

Good impressions
a) the material progress of the country as shown in the great cities, huge farms,
flourishing industries and busy factories;
b) the drive and energy of the American People
c) the natural beauty of the land
d) the high standard of living;
e) the opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants.

Bad impression
a) the lack of racial equality: “America is the land par excellence of freedom but
only for the whites”
• May 16, 1888- Rizal left New York for Liverpool, England.
 TOPIC 2- REFORMIST WORKS IN EUROPE (1889-1981)

 IN LONDON
• May 25, 1888 to mid-March 1889- Rizal decided to stay in London because he
could improve his English, study and do an annotation of Antonio Morga’s
Sucecos de las Islas Filipinas and perceived it was a place for him to carry on
the reforms he wanted for the Philippines.

 ANNOTATING MORGA’S BOOK

• May 1888-March 1889- He spent ten months (10) in the reading room of the
British Museum deeply immersed in his historical studies in London. This was
the greatest achievement of Rizal in London, the annotating of Morga’s book,
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine Islands), which
was published in Mexico, 1609.

 RIZAL AND THE LA SOLIDARIDAD

• December 31, 1888- inauguration of Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad
Association), a patriotic society. They crusade for reforms in the Philippine
Government. By unanimous vote of all members, Rizal was chosen honorary
president. This was a recognition of his leadership among all Filipino patriots in
Europe.
• February 15, 1889- Graciano Lopez Jaena founded the patriotic newspaper
called La Solidaridad in Barcelona. A fortnightly periodical which served as the
organ of the Propaganda Movement.
• Its aims were as follows:
a. to work peacefully for
political and social reforms;
b. to portray the deplorable
conditions of the Philippines
so that Spain may remedy
them;
c. to oppose the evil forces of
reaction and medievalism;
d. to advocate liberal ideas
and progress;
e. to champion the legitimate
aspirations of the Filipino
people to life, democracy and
happiness.
 • During his stay in London, Rizal also made used of his time in writing essays
and articles for La Solidaridad. He also wrote La Vision del Fray Rodriguez
(The Vision of Fray Rodriguez)-pamphlet which published in Barcelona under
his nom-de-plume Dimas Alang in order to defense his novel.

• In London, Rizal received both good news and bad news from news. The
good news that Rev. Vicente Garcia was defending his Noli from the attacks
of the friars. On the other hand, the bad news were that the Filipino
signatories of the “ Petition of 1888” and the tenants of the Calamba agrarian
trouble were facing persecution; that his brothers-in-law Manuel T. HIdalgo
and Mariano Herbosa, were exiled to Bohol and was denied Christian burial,
respectively; and his friend, Laureno Viadoa, a UST medical student, was
imprisoned for possessing some copies of his Noli.

 IN PARIS
• It was mid-March 1899, Rizal decided to move to Paris. He noticed that Parisian
life was different from the life he experienced in London. It was a city bursting
with merriment, exciting events, and unending social gathering. The cost of
living was also very high.
• Rizal never lost his focus although life in Paris was gay, he continued to spend
long hours at the National library in Paris. There, he went on reviewing and
rewriting his historical annotations on De Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas. It was published on January 1890. He also wrote a satirical booklet
entitled Por Telefono, in answer to Fr. Salvation Fort, a Spanish friar who hurled
attacks on the Noli Me Tangere and caused its banning.
• He continued his study on various languages especially the French language,
which he was able to perfect during his 10 months stay at the French capital
city.
• He organized a social club called Kidlat Club , a social club which brought
together young Filipinos residing in Paris. Soon, the members of the said club
founded a new Filipino society - the Indios Bravos, an organization which
envisioned Filipinos being recognized by Spain for being excellent in various
fields of knowledge.
• In between his more serious activities, Rizal also had leisurely activities like
socializing with friends in their homes. Among those he frequently visited were
the homes of the Pardo de Taveras, the Venturas, the Lunas, the Bousteads
and others.
• Although Rizal lived a frugal life, he prepared a sumptuous Christmas dinner
for some of his friends. Shortly after New Year, he visited London for the last
time
 IN BRUSSELS
• January 28, 1890, left Paris for Brussels. He left the extravagant and gay social
life in Paris and stayed in a boarding house owned by the Jacoby sisters in
Brussels.
• From 1889- 1890, Rizal continued contributing for La Solidaridad under the
pseudonyms Dimas Alang and Laong Laan. Among the 10 articles he had
contributed below were some of the most famous and important articles:
a) The Philippines Within a Century-article written by Rizal which he expressed
his views on the Spanish colonization in the Philippines.
b) The Indolence of the Filipinos- It is an able defence of the alleged indolence
of the Filipinos.
c) the Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala (The New Orthography
of the Tagalog Language) In this article, he laid down the rules of the new
Tagalog orthography
• From Calamba, Rizal received letters telling that the agrarian trouble in the
province was getting worse, and as such, he decided to go home. But instead
of going home, a letter from Paciano told him that they already lost the case
against the Dominicans and they were in need of a lawyer who would defend
their family and the families in Calamba from Madrid.
• Rizal wrote a letter to Ponce, he announced that he was leaving Brussels and
decided to go to Madrid because this case must be presented to the Supreme
Court and he needs to pay close attention to the developments of the case.

 MISFORTUNES IN MADRID (1890-1891)

• August, 1890, Rizal arrived in Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid. Rizal immediately
sought help of the Filipino colony, The Asociacion Hispano-Filipina, and the
liberal Spanish newspaper in securing justice for the oppressed Calamba
tenants. Nothing came out of this, several newspapers were sympathetic to the
plight of the Calamba tenants but this did not translate to any form of action. By
this time, Francisco Rizal and other tenants were already forcibly evicted from
Calamba by Governor General Valeriano Weyler. Their houses were burned
and more people were exiled regardless of their gender.
• August 1890, Rizal attended a social reunion of the Filipinos in Madrid. After
drinking so many glasses the guests became more talkative. One of them,
Antonio Luna became drunk. Rizal challenged Antonio Luna, it was about the
latter’s frustration with his unsuccessful “love affair” with Nellie Boustead, and
so gave negative remarks on the lady which Rizal did not tolerated. The
Filipinos tried to pacify them, pointing out that such a duel would damage their
cause in Spain. Fortunately, Luna, realized his mistakes he apologized and
Rizal immediately accepted his apology and became good friends again.
• Rizal challenged Wenceslao Retana in a duel. Retana had insulted Rizal and
his family by writing in La Epoca, an anti-Filipino newspaper, that the Rizal
 family in Calamba was ejected from their lands because they did not pay their
rents. Rizal was, by nature neither hot-tempered but when the honor of his
people, family, women or friends was besmirched, he never hesitated to fight
even if he were risking his own life. Retana at once published a retraction and
an apology, he knew that Rizal was superior in both pistol and sword.
• December 1890, Rizal received a letter from Leonor Rivera announcing her
coming marriage to Henry Kipping, an Englishman (the choice of her
mother).This was a big blow for him and his heart broke.
• Another marked event in Madrid was the Marcelo H. del Pilar-Jose Rizal rivalry
for leadership in the Asociacion Hispano Filipino. A fraction emerged from the
Filipinos in Madrid, the Rizalistas and Pilaristas. The group decided that the
leader must be elected by two-thirds vote. Rizal won the election, he was
offered the appointment but he did not want to see the Filipinos in Madrid
divided so he thought it best to leave the city.
• Rizal took a vacation in the resort city of Biarritz on the fabulous French Riviera.
He was a guest of the rich Boustead family at its winter residence—Villa Eliada.
The one month vacation in this city worked wonders for Rizal. This is where he
was able to finish his second novel El Filibusterismo.
• March 30, 1891, Rizal bade farewell to the hospitable and friendly Bousteads
and proceeded to Paris by Train. He stayed at the home of his friend Valentin
Ventura.

 RETIREMENT FROM THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

• April 1891, Rizal was back to Brussels where he became busy revising and
polishing the manuscript of El Filibusterismo.
• Rizal retired from the Propaganda Movement. He notified the Propaganda
authorities in Manila to cancel his monthly allowance and devote the money to
some better cause, such as the education of a young Filipino student in Europe.
He desired to publish his second novel, to practice his medical profession, and
later when he became financially independent, he expected to make a more
vigorous campaign for his country’s redemption.
• Simultaneously with his retirement from the Propaganda Movement, Rizal
ceased writing articles for La Solidaridad. Many of his friends in Spain urged him
to continue writing because his articles always attracted considerable attention
in European countries.
• M.H. Del Pilar himself realized the need for Rizal’s collaboration in both the
Propaganda Movement and in the La Solidaridad newspaper because the
enthusiasm for the reform crusade was declining. He wrote to Rizal begging for
forgiveness for any resentment and requesting him to resume writing for the La
Solidaridad.
 • Rizal replied to Del Pilar’s letter, he wrote denying any resentment and
explaining why he stopped writing. Below are reasons why Rizal stopped writing
for La Solidaridad:
a) Rizal need to work on his book ;
b) He wanted other Filipinos to work also;
c) Rizal considered it very important to the party that there be unity in the work;
d) Marcelo H. Del Pilar is already at the top and Rizal also have his own ideas it
is better to leave del Pilar alone to direct the policy.

 THE PRINTING OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• July 5, 1891- Rizal left Brussels for Ghent, a famous university city in Belgium
because the cost of printing in Ghent was cheaper than in Brussels. F. Meyer-
Van Loo Press-a printing shop that give Rizal the lowest quotation for the
publication of his novel.
• August 6, 1891-the printing of his book had to be suspended because Rizal
could no longer give the necessary funds to the printer. Valentin Ventura- the
savior of the Fili, when he learned of Rizal’s predicament he sent him the
necessary funds.
• September 18, 1891- El Filibusterismo came off the press. Rizal gratefully
donated the original manuscript and an autographed printed copy to Valentin
Ventura

TOPIC 3- BACK IN HONGKONG

• On October 18, 1891, after the Fili’ was published, Rizal left Europe. Aboard
the S.S Melbourne, he sailed to Hongkong where he lived for seven months.
His reasons for venturing to Hongkong were the following:
a) To leave his rivalry with del PIlar
b) To facilitate a Propaganda Movement in Hongkong; and
c) To be proximate to his family in the Philippines
• On November 20, 1891, Rizal arrived in Hongkong and was cordially welcomed
by the Filipino residents in the city, particularly, his friend Jose Ma. Basa.
• December 1, 1891- Rizal wrote his parents asking their permission to return
home. Rizal had a continued correspondence with his family in Calamba and
had been aware of the unsettled agrarian problem. On the same date, his
brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, sent him a letter relating the sad news of the
“deportation of twenty-five persons from Calamba, including father, Neneng,
Sisa, Lucia, Paciano and the rest of us.”
 FAMILY REUNION IN HONG KONG
• The Christmas of 1891 in Hong Kong was one of the happiest Yuletide
celebrations in Rizal’s life, he had a happy family reunion.
• While in Hongkong, Rizal practiced his medical career. With the help of his
friend, Dr Lorenzo P. Marquez, they built a large clientele and opened a medical
clinic where he was recognized as an excellent eye surgeon. He was equally
supported and aided both morally and financially by his family and friends with
his chosen career.
• Another marked event during Rizal’s stay in Hongkong was his plan to move
the landless Filipino to Borneo and transform the said wilderness into a “New
Calamba” through the so-called Borneo Colonization Project.
• In April 1802, he visited Borneo and negotiated with the British authorities who
are willing to provide 100,000 acres of land for the Filipinos. Many Filipino
patriots found this project amusing, thus, promoted the said project. However,
there were a number who objected it, one of which was Rizal’s brother-in-law,
Hidalgo.
• Twice did Rizal wrote a letter addressed to Governor General Eulogio Despujol
informing his Borneo colonization project, with whom he received no response.
Instead, Despujol commanded the Spanish consul-general in Hongkong to
notify Rizal that such project was very unpatriotic, and by immigrating Filipinos
to Borneo, the Philippines will surely be lacking of laborers.
• Despite the many oppositions from friends and relatives, he decided to return
to Manila on the following reasons:
a) To discuss with Governor General Despujol his Borneo colonization project;
b) To form the La Liga Filipina in the Philippines; and
c) To prove that Eduardo de Lete’s allegations on him and his family in
Calamba were wrong.
• Before his departure, he wrote three more letters- the first addressed to his
parents and friends; the second one, to Filipinos; and the last Governor General
Eulogio Despujol.
• Instead of having the protection he desired, Rizal and his sister, Lucia fell into
the Spanish trap - a case was secretly filed against Rizal, and Despujol ordered
his secretary, Luis de la Torre, to verify whether the patriot had neutralized
himself as German citizen or not. And so, the siblings sailed across the China
Sea without prior knowledge of what awaits then in the Philippines.
TOPIC 4- RIZAL’S GREAT LOVES
1) Second Love: Leonor Valenzuela (1878)
Leonor “Orang” Valenzuela, Rizal’s second
object of affection, is literally the girl-next-door. They
met when Rizal was a sophomore medical student at
the University of Santo Tomas, during which time he
also lived at Doña Concha Leyva’s boarding house in
Intramuros, Manila. Orang, who was then 14 years old,
was his neighbour. During the courtship, Rizal was
said to have sent Leonor private and secret love
letters, which he wrote using invisible ink made with
water and salt—he was adept in chemistry, too. To read the letters, Orang had to heat
the letter over a candle or a lamp.
2) Third Love: Leonor Rivera, Age 15, (1878-1890)
Jose Rizal was never the preferred choice of
Leonor Rivera’s mother, who confiscated all the
correspondences between Leonor and Rizal till it
frittered down to zero. Rizal was 18 going on 21 and
was devoted to Leonor. But he was just then opening
his eyes to Europe’s Enlightenment, where the women
were pleasing and the men were gallant. Rizal really
was in love with Leonor Rivera. He even invented a
coded alphabet so that they could write sweet nothings
to each other.
3) Fourth Love: Consuelo Ortiga Y Reyes, (1884)
In Madrid, Rizal courted Consuelo Ortiga, age
18, the daughter of Señor Pablo Ortiga y Rey, who was
once mayor of Manila and who owned the apartment
where the Circulo Hispano Filipino met regularly. Rizal,
age 23, was then acquiring and developing his
charming ways with women. He treated them with
special consideration and with gallant courteousness.
 4) Fifth Love: O Sei-San, Age 22, The Samurai’s Daughter (1888)
Rizal had fallen in love not only with the view of
Japan but more to its women, particularly with the 23-
year old Seiko Usui. Rizal affectionately called her O-
Sei-San. Rizal was attracted by her regal loveliness and
charm. Rizal saw in her the qualities of his ideal
womanhood—beauty, charm, modesty and intelligence.
Rizal was almost tempted to settle in Japan with O-Sei-
San. Although, she was very dear to him, his love for his
country and fellow Filipinos was greater. Sacrificing his
personal happiness, Rizal had to carry on his libertarian
mission in Europe, leaving behind the lovely O-Sei-San.
5) Sixth Love: Gertrude Beckett, Age 19, (1886)
In May 1888 Rizal visited London for a short
time, boarding the house of the Beckett family: Mr. &
Mrs. Beckett, their two sons, and their four daughters.
The eldest daughter was named Gertrude.She was a
buxom young lady with blue eyes and brown hair.
She fell in love with Rizal and gave him all of her
attention during the family picnics and gatherings.
When Rizal stayed indoors during rainy days painting
and sculpting, she helped him mix his colors and
prepare his clay.

6) Seventh Love: Suzanne Jacoby (1890)

On January 28, 1890, Rizal left for Brussels,
Belgium. He stayed for a considerable time, paying for
room and board. His landladies had a pretty niece
named Petite Suzanne Jacoby. She was taken by
Rizal's charm and gallantry, and provided him good
company. Rizal could have flirted with the lady,
considering that his beloved Leonor was far away and
he was a lonely man in a strange and foreign land, but
he realized he could not deceive her. Suzanne fell in
love with Rizal, and wept when he left for Madrid in July
1890.
7) Eight Love: Nellie Boustead (1891)
In 1891, Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz in order
to find reprieve from his troubles in Madrid. He was a
guest of the Boustead family in their winter residence,
Villa Eliada. Mr. and Mrs. Boustead had two beautiful
daughters, Adelina and Nellie. After having lamented
his frustrated romance with Leonor Rivera on account
of the lady's engagement to another man, Rizal came
to develop considerable affection for Nellie, the prettier
and younger daughter of Mr. Eduardo Boustead. He
found her to be intelligent, morally upright, and full of
life.