Rizal’s first trip

abroad and
education in spain
 RIZAL’S FIRST TRAVEL ABROAD
● On May 3, 1882, Rizal
departed on board the
Spanish steamer Salvadora
bound for Singapore.
● On May 9, 1882, the
steamer docked at
Singapore. Rizal
registered at Hotel de la
Paz, and stayed there for
2 days and did some
sightseeing including the
Botanical Garden, the
busy shopping district
and saw the statue of Sir
Thomas Stanford Raffles,
the founder of Singapore.
 SINGAPORE TO COLOMBO
● From Salvadore, Rizal
transferred to another
ship, Djemnah, a French
steamer, which left
Singapore for Europe.
● On May 17, it reached
Point Galle, a seacoast town
in Southern Ceylon.
● Several days after, it
reached the capital city
of Colombo. Rizal was
enamored by the scenic
beauty of the city and
its elegant buildings.
 FIRST PASSAGE TO SUEZ CANAL
● From Colombo, the Djemnah
continued the voyage
crossing the Indian Ocean
to the Cape of Guardafui,
Africa.
● From the Cape of
Guardafui, the steamer
proceeded to Aden before
docking at the city of
Suez, the Red Sea
terminal of the Suez
Canal.
● Rizal wrote in his
journal that he found the
city of Aden to be hotter
than in Manila but was
amused to see camels.
 FROM PORT SAID TO EUROPE
● From Port Said, the Mediterranean terminal
of the Suez Canal, the Djemnah proceeded
on its way to Europe.
● On June 11, the steamer reached Naples,
where he visited Mount Vesuvius, the
Castle of St. Telmo and other historical
sights.
● On the night of June 12, the steamer
reached Marseilles. Rizal stayed for 2 and
a half days, where he visited Chateau d’if,
the famous prison where the hero of The
Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned.
University Studies
On the afternoon of June 15, Rizal left
Marseilles for Barcelona. He reached his
destination a day after.
Rizal enrolled two courses at the Universidad
Central de Madrid: Medicine and Philosophy and
Letters.
He also studied painting and sculpture and
French, German and English at the Academy of
San Carlos.
He also took lessons from a private
instructor who taught him shooting and
fencing at the Hall of Sanz and Carbonell.
He lived frugally and his only vice was the
lottery and attending theater shows in
Madrid.
Romantic Episode with Consuelo Ortiga

While in Madrid, it became a habit for him

to visit the house of Don Pablo Ortega Y
Rey, a Spanish Liberal who lived in the
Philippines during the time of Governor
General Carlos Ma. De la Torre.
He met his two daughters: Pilar and Consuelo
and fell in love with the latter.
The romance did not prosper because Rizal’s
friend Eduarde de Lete was also in love with
her.
Circulo Hispano Filipino and Freemasonry
Rizal’s meeting with fellow Filipinos and
liberal Spaniards paved the way to
joining the Circulo-Hispano Filipino. The group
was basically a social conglomeration and
it held informal programs which included
poetry reading and debates.
Many of the liberal and republican-minded
people whom Rizal met and befriended in
Madrid were masons.
Rizal was impressed by the masons outlook
in life and adopted their view that
knowledge should be achieved by the light
of reason and the universal brotherhood
of men.
Circulo Hispano Filipino and Freemasonry

Rizal joined the Freemasonry movement and

used the name Dimasalang.
Rizal moved up in the ranks of Freemasonry
and became a master mason at the Lodge
Solidaridad on November 15,1890. Two years
later while he was in Paris became a master
mason of Le Grand Orient France on February 15,
1892.
Difficult times in Spain
Although Rizal lived a frugal life in Spain,
he however allowed himself to buy as many
books as he can.
The books which influenced him the most were
Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew and Harriet
Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
While in Spain, his family encountered
financial problems when in 1883, the rice
and sugar cane harvests failed. The rent
also went up that year.
It was also that year that a pest killed
most of their turkeys.
Paciano had to sell his pony while Rizal
attended classes without eating and working
as a private tutor to rich kids.
Rizal’s Tribute to Luna and Hidalgo
On June 25, 1884, an evening banquet was
sponsored by the Filipino community to
celebrate the double victory of the Filipino
artists in the person of Juan Luna and Felix
Resurreccion Hidalgo at the National Exposition
of Fine Arts in Madrid.
In the speech, Rizal asserted that the twin
victories of Luna and Hidalgo showed that
genius is not the monopoly of any race.
The speech was well applauded even by the
liberal Spaniards in attendance as it was
said in Spanish.
Completion of Studies in Spain
The title of Licentiate in Medicine was
awarded to him in June 21, 1884 with the
rating of Aprobado or Fair.
Being a holder of a licentiate degree only
enabled Rizal to practice medicine. This
did not allow him to teach medicine which
was never really his intention.
After getting his Licentiate, he continued
to take subjects which would lead him to a
Doctorate in Medicine. He was not however
awarded the degree because of his failure to present the
thesis required for graduation and he was not able to pay
the corresponding fees.
Completion of Studies in Spain
He was able to finish his Licentiate in
Philosophy and Letters on his 24th birthday,
June 19,1885 with a grade of sobresaliente.
This new degree qualified him to serve as
professor of humanities in any Spanish
university. He however improved his training
in medicine by working as an assistant to
Dr. Louis de Weckert in Paris from October
1885 to March 1886. He also worked under the
clinics of Dr. Javier Galezowsky(Polish) and
the German doctors Otto Becker (1886),
Schulzer and Schwieger (1887).
Parisian Life
Upon completion of his studies, he embarked
on a journey to the beautiful and lively city
of Paris. He dropped by at the house of his
rich friend in Barcelona, Maximo Viola before
going to Paris. Viola introduced Rizal to
Eusebio Corominas, the editor of La
Publicidad who would introduce him to Miguel
Morayta.
While working in the clinic of Dr. Weckert,
he also became a model to Luna’s painting
Death of Cleopatra. He posed as an Egyptian priest.
After acquiring enough experience as an
assistant opthalmologist, he left Paris on
Feb. 8, 1886.