Childhood Years in Calamba

Earliest Childhood Memories:

Jose Rizal had many beautiful memories of his childhood in his native town

Calamba. It’s scenic beauties and it’s industrious, hospitable, and friendly folks

profoundly affected his mind and character. The happiest period of Rizal’s life was spent

in this lakeshore town.

The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was in the family garden when he was

3yrs. old. Because he was a frail, sickly and undersized, he was given the tenderest care

by his parents. His father built a Nipa cottage for him to play in the daytime.

Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer. By nightfall, his mother

gathered all the children at the house to pray the Angelus.

He also remembered the aya (nurse maid) related to the Rizal children amy stories

about the fairies; tales of buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other

fabulous stories.

Of his sisters, Jose loved most the little Concha ( Concepcion), who was a year

younger than him. He played with her and from her he learned the sweetness of sisterly

love.
 Ateneo Loyola Schools welcomed a new batch of freshmen and returning students

this school year on June 16, the same day in 1875 that Jose Rizal returned to Ateneo

Municipal after the summer vacation. Contrary to popular belief, Ateneo in Rizal’s time

was a colegio, meaning a secondary or high school, and not a facultad or universidad,

referring to tertiary education or college in our usage. In the book I am working on, titled

“Rizal and me,” I ask Rizal about his school days.

Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882

Jose Rizal, having completed his Bachiller en Artes at the Ateneo Municipal, was

now eligible for higher education at a university. His mother, Doña Teodora, had second

thoughts about sending her son to school because of the previous incident involving the

execution of friars Gomez, Burgos and Zamora. However, it was Don Francisco who

decided his son should to the University of Santo Tomas, a prestigious institution run by

the Dominican order.

SECRET DEPARTURE

•Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept in utmost secrecy.

•May 1, 1882 - He left Calamba by carromata and reached Manila after 10 hrs. of travel.

•His travel passport, issued in the name of “Jose Mercado”.

•Those who saw him off were his brother Paciano, Saturnina, Lucia, Uncle Antonio and

few close friends. •Tears welled from his eyes as the Salvadora, Spanish ship, sailed

further way from Manila.

TO SINGAPORE

•“Almost all of those men”, speaking of Spanish passengers, “spoke ill of the country to

which they had gone for pecuniary reasons”. •In Singapore, he checked-in at Hotel de la

Paz.

•Rizal was impressed by its progress, clean and beautiful scenery.

FROM SINGAPORE TO COLOMBO

•From Singapore, Rizal boarder the ship Djemnah, a French ship which was sailing to

Europe. •Djemnah made stop at Point Galle, southern part of Sri Lanka.•From Point

Galle, Djemnahsailed again to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Paris to Berlin, 1885-87

Rizal went to Paris and Germany to specialize in ophthalmology. He chose this branch

because he wanted to cure his mother’s eyes. He served as assistant to the famous oculists

of Europe. He also continued his travels and observations of European life and customs

in Paris, Heidelberg, Leipzig and Berlin. In Berlin, capital of the unified Germany, he met

and befriended several top scientists, Dr. Feodor Jagor, Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, Dr. Hans

Meyer, and Dr. Rudolph Virchow. His merits as a scientist were recognized by the eminent

scientist of Europe.

IN GAY PARIS (1885-1886)

Rizal then was 24 years old and already a physician, decided to go to Paris in order to

acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology. And tell of that day when he collected you

along the way among the ruins of a feudal castle, on the banks of the Neckar, or in a forest

nook. Recount the words he said as, with great care, between the pages of a worn-out book

he pressed the flexible petals that he took. Carry, carry, O flowers, my love to my loved

ones, peace to my country and its fecund loam, faith to its men and virtue to its women,

health to the gracious beings that dwell within the sacred paternal home. When you reach

that shore, deposit the kiss I gave you on the wings of the wind above that with the wind

it may rove and I may kiss all that I worship, honor and love!
· May 11, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Berlin by train

· Dresden- one of the best cities in Germany

· Prometheus Bound-painting wherein Rizal was deeply impressed

· Teschen (now Decin, Czechoslovakia)- next stopover after leaving Dresedn

LEITMERITZ

· At 1:30pm of May 13, 1887- the train, with Rizal and Viola on board, arrived at the

railroad station of

Leitmeritz, Bohemia

-for the first time, the two great scholars—Rizal and Blumentritt—met in person

· Professor Blumentritt- a kind-hearted, old Austrian professor

· May 13 to May 16, 1887- Rizal and Viola stayed in Leitmeritz

· Burgomaster- town mayor

· Tourist’s Club of Leitmeritz-which Blumentritt was the secretary; Rizal spoke

extemporaneously in

fluent Germany to the officers and members

· Dr. Carlos Czepelak- renowned scientist of Europe

· Professor Robert Klutschak- an eminent naturalist

· May 16, 1887 at 9:45 AM- Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train

PRAGUE

· Dr. Willkomm- professor of natural history in the University of Prague

· According to Viola, “nothing of importance happened” in this city

VIENNA

· May 20, 1887- Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful city of Vienna, capital of Austria-

Hungary

· Vienna was truly the “Queen of Danube” because of its beautiful buildings, religious

images, haunting

waltzes and majestic charm

· Norfentals- one of the greatest Austrian novelists was favorably impressed by Rizal, and

years later he

spoke highly of Rizal, “whose genius he so much admired.”

· Hotel Metropole- where Rizal and Viola stayed

· In Vienna, Rizal received his lost diamond stickpin

DANUBIAN VOYAGE TO LINTZ

· May 24, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of

the Danube River

· Rizal particularly noticed that the passengers on the river boat were using paper napkins

during the

meals, which was a novelty to him. Viola, commented that the paper napkins were “more

hygienic and

economical than cloth napkins”

FROM LINTZ TO RHEINFALL

· Munich- where Rizal and Viola sojourned for a short time to savor the famous Munich

beer, reputed to be the best in Germany

· Nuremberg- one of the oldest cities of Germany

· The Cathedral of Ulm- the largest and tallest cathedral in all Germany

· From Ulm, they went to Stuttgart, Baden and then Rheinfall (Cascade of the Rhine). At

Rheinfall, they

saw the waterfall, “the most beautiful waterfall of Europe”

CROSSING THE FRONTIER TO SWITZERLAND

· June 2 to 3, 1887- stayed at Schaffhausen, Switzerland

GENEVA
· This Swiss city is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, visited by world tourists

every year

· June 19, 1887- Rizal treated Viola to a blow-out. It was his 26 th birthday

· Rizal and Viola spent fifteen delightful days in Geneva

· June 23, 1887- Viola and Rizal parted ways—Viola returned to Barcelona while Rizal

continued the tour to Italy

· Exposition of the Philippines in Madrid, Spain- Rizal was outraged by this degradation

of his fellow

countrymen the Igorots of Northern Luzon