Rizal stopped attending classes at UST in 1882, for he was sick and tired of the discriminatory and oppressive Dominican professors. On May 3 of that year, he thus left for Spain not only to complete his studies but also to widen his political knowledge through exposure to European governments. It is funny that his departure for Spain had gone down to history as a "secret departure", although at least ten people-including his three siblings and an uncle-collaborated in his going away, exclusive of the unnamed and unnumbered Jesuit priests and intimate friends who co-conspired in the plan.

After some months, Rizal left Barcelona for Madrid. On September 16, 1882, Rizal met and befriended Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the prettiest of the daughters of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, the Spanish liberal and former mayor of Manila who became vice-president of the Council of the Philippines in the Ministry of Colonies. Consuelo suggested in her diary entry that on the first day she met Rizal, they talked the whole night and that the young Filipino said many beautiful things about her. (We can say thus that as Rizal arrived in Madrid, "May consuelo agad siya!" For Rizal-and- Consuelo's love story, read Appendix Q: "Jose Rizal's Lovers in the Foreign Lands.")

Rizal enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad Central de Madrid on November 3, 1882. In Rizal's letter dated February 13, 1883, he informed Paciano of his meeting with some Filipinos: "The Tuesday of the Carnival we had a Filipino luncheon and dinner in the house of the Paternos, each one contributing one duro. We ate with our hands boiled rice, chicken adobo, fried fish, and roast pig" ("Letters between Rizal and Family," n.d.).

Ironically, a year after that sumptuous feasting, Rizal became penniless as his family encountered economic regression. One day in June 1884, Rizal who failed to eat breakfast still went to school and even won a gold medal in a contest. Later that day, he attended the dinner party held in honor of two award-winning Filipino painters, Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. In the occasion, he delivered a very daring liberal speech (known today as "Rizal's Brindis Speech"), which became so controversial that it even caused sickness to his worrying mother. (Indeed, being broke and hungry could really make one braver and more impulsive. As one colleague commented, "Hayop man, 'pag nagugutom, tumatapang!")

In 1885, Rizal who had finished his two courses in Madrid went to Paris, France. From November 1885 to February 1886, he worked as an assistant to the celebrated ophthalmologist Dr. Louis de Weckert.

In February 3, 1886, he left Paris for Heidelberg, Germany. He attended lectures and training at the University of Heidelberg where he was said to have completed his eye specialization. Afterward, Rizal settled for three months in the nearby village, Wilhemsfeld, at the pastoral house of a Protestant pastor, Dr. Karl Ullmer.

It was during this time that the correspondence and long-distance friendship between Jose and Ferdinand Blumentritt began. Rizal wrote a letter in German and sent it with a bilingual (Spanish and Tagalog) book Aritmiteca to Blumentritt who was interested in studying Jose's native language.

Jose traveled next to Leipzig and attended some lectures at its university. Having reached Dresden afterward, he met and befriended Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, the Director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum. Also a Filipinologist, Meyer showed Rizal some interesting things taken from tombs in the Philippines.

In November 1886, he went to Berlin and further enhanced his skills and knowledge in ophthalmology. In that famous city, not only did he learn other languages but also became member of various scientific communities and befriended many famed intellectuals at the time. On February 21, 1887, he finished his first novel, the Noli, and it came off the press a month later.

With his friend Maximo Viola who loaned him some amount to cover for the printing of the Noli, Rizal traveled to various places in Europe. Through Paciano's remittance, Jose had paid Viola and decided to further explore some places in Europe before returning to the Philippines. They went first to see Potsdam, a city southwest of Berlin (which later became the historical site of the Potsdam Conference in 1945 in which the leaders of powerful nations deliberated upon the postwar administration of Germany.)

On May 11, 1887, they left Berlin for Dresden and witnessed the regional floral exposition there. Wanting to see Blumentritt, they went to Leitmeritz, Bohemia passing through Teschen (Decin, Czechoslovakia). Professor Blumentritt warmly received them at Leitmeritz railroad station. The professor identified Jose through the pencil sketch, which he (Rizal) had previously made of himself and sent to Blumentritt. The professor acted as their tour guide, introducing them to his family and to famous European scientists, like Dr. Carlos Czepelak and Prof. Robert Klutschak.

On May 16, the two Filipinos left Leitmeritz for Prague where they saw the tomb of the famous astronomer Copernicus (who formulated a heliocentric model of the universe, which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center). They stopped at Brunn on their way to Vienna. They met the famed Austrian novelist Norfenfals in Vienna, and Rizal was interviewed by Mr. Alder, a correspondent of the newspaper Extra Blatt ("Rizal in Vienna." n.d.).

To see the sights of the Danube River, they left Vienna in a boat where they saw passengers using paper napkins. From Lintz, they had a short stay in Salzburg. Reaching Munich, they tasted the local beer advertised as Germany's finest. In Nuremberg, they saw the infamous torture machines used in the so-called Catholic Inquisition. Afterward, they went to Ulm and climbed Germany's tallest cathedral there. They also went to Stuttgart, Baden, and then Rheinfall where they saw Europe's most beautiful waterfall.

In Switzerland, they toured Schaffhausen, Basel, Bern, and Lausanne before staying in Geneva. Rizal's 15-day stay in Geneva was generally enjoyable except when he learned about the exhibition of some Igorots in Madrid, side by side some animals and plants. Not only did the primitive Igorots in bahag become objects of ridicule and laughter, one of them, a woman, also died of pneumonia.

On June 19, 1887, Rizal treated Viola for it was his (Rizal) 26th birthday. Four days after, they parted ways-Viola went back to Barcelona while Rizal proceeded to Italy.

In Italy, Rizal went to see Turin, Milan, Venice, and Florence. In Rome, he paid a visit to historical places, like the Amphitheatre and the Roman Forum. On June 29, he had seen the famous edifices, like the St. Peter's Church, in the Vatican City. Literally and figuratively speaking, Rizal did go places. (As millennials put it. "Nag-gala talaga ang lolo mo!")

Despite being warned by friends and loved ones, Jose was adamant in his decision to return to his native land. From a French port in Marseilles, he boarded on July 3, 1887 the steamer "Djemnah." It sailed to the East through the Suez Canal and reached Saigon on the 30th of the month. Rizal then took the steamer "Haiphong" and reached Manila near midnight of August 5.

After meeting some friends in Manila, he returned to Calamba on August 8. Restoring his mother's eyesight, he began to be dubbed as "German doctor" or "Doctor Uliman" (from the word "Aleman" which means German) and made a lot of money because people from different places flocked to him for a better vision.

Because of his enemies' allegation that his "Noli" contained subversive ideas, Rizal was summoned by the Governor-General Emilio Terrero. Seeing no problem in the book. Terrero nonetheless assigned to Rizal a bodyguard, Don Jose Taviel de Andrade, to protect the balikbayan from his adversaries.

In December 1887, the Calamba folks asked Rizal's assistance in collecting information as regards Dominican hacienda management. It was in compliance with the order of the government to investigate the way friar estates were run. So Rizal had objectively reported, among others, that the Dominican Order had arbitrarily increased the land rent and charged the tenants for nonexistent agricultural services. Enraged by Rizal's reports, the friars pressured the governor-general to "advise" the author of the Noli to leave the country. (In other words, "Napuno na talaga sa kanya ang mga pari.")

Rizal's (required) second travel abroad may have been upsetting, but it nonetheless provided him with another opportunity to have a new set of adventurous journeys.

On February 3, 1888, Rizal sailed to Hong Kong onboard "Zafiro" and just stayed inside the ship during its short stop at Amoy. He stayed at Victoria Hotel in Hong Kong (not in Sta. Mesa) and visited the nearby city Macao for two days along with a friend, Jose Maria Basa. Among other things, Rizal experienced in Hong Kong the noisy firecracker-laden Chinese New Year and the marathon lauriat party characterized by numerous dishes being served. (Yes, the "lauriat" combo meal in "Chowking" originated from this Chinese party.)

From Hong Kong, he reached Yokohama, Japan on February 28 and proceeded to Tokyo the next day. He lived in the Spanish legation in Tokyo upon the invitation of its secretary, Juan Perez Caballero. In March 1888, he heard a Tokyo band nicely playing a European music and was astonished to find out after the gig that some of its members were Filipinos (G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p. 130). (From this information, we can surmise that even during Rizal's time, there were Filipino entertainers in Japan ["Japayuki" or "Japayuko"]).

But if there was a person who was truly entertained at the time, it was Rizal himself who was amused by the Japanese girl who would pass by the legation every day. The 23-year old Seiko Usui whom he fondly called 'O-Sei-San' became his tour guide and sweetheart rolled into one.

But because he loved his mission more than O-Sei-San, Rizal boarded the "Belgic" on April 13, 1888. In the vessel, he had befriended Tetcho Suehiro, a Japanese novelist and human rights fighter who was also forced by his government to leave his country. The ship arrived in San Francisco on April 28. For a week, the ship's passengers were, however, quarantined, allegedly because of the cholera outbreak in the Far East. In reality, some politicians were just questioning the arrival of the Chinese coolies in the ship who would displace white laborers in railroad-construction projects.

On May 6, Rizal went to Oakland. Onboard a train, he took his evening meal in Sacramento and woke up in Reno, Nevada. He had visited also the states of Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, and finally reached New York on May 13. On Bedloe Island, he had seen the Statue of Liberty symbolizing freedom and democracy. Ironically, Rizal observed that there was racial inequality in the land and thus concluded that real freedom was only for the whites. (Although if Rizal were alive today, he would be surprised to know that the Americans had already allowed a black guy to become their president for two terms.)

Onboard the ship "City of Rome," Rizal sailed for Liverpool on May 16, 1888 and arrived there on May 24. A day after, he reached London and stayed briefly at Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor's house. He then boarded at the Beckett residence where he was lovingly served by Gertrude, the daughter of his landlord. (For Rizal-and-Gertrude's love story. read Appendix Q: "Jose Rizal's Lovers in the Foreign Lands.")

In June 1888, Rizal made friends with Dr. Reinhold Rost and his family. Expert in Malayan language, Rost had in his house a good Filipiniana library. Our national hero was described by Rost as "a pearl of a man" ("una perla de hombre").

In London, Rizal manually copied and annotated Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a rare book available in the British Museum. He also became the honorary president of the patriotic society Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad Association) and wrote articles for the La Solidaridad. In his 10-month stay in London, he had short visits in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. In Spain, he met Marcelo H. del Pilar for the first time. (For detailed discussions on Rizal's collaborations, friendship, rivalry, and "quarrels with Del Pilar, read Appendix L: "Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar.")

Del Pilar was one of the renowned members of the Propaganda Movement along with Graciano Lopez Jaena, (publisher of La Solidaridad), Mariano Ponce, and Rizal (For Rizal's collaboration and relation with Jaena and Ponce, read Appendix 0: "Rizal's Relations with other Filipino Patriots and Heroes.")

Propaganda was a patriotic socio-political organization founded in 1872 by Filipinos who had settled in Europe. Its members were mainly the Filipino liberals exiled in 1872 and the Filipino students studying in Europe's universities at the time. Also considered a cultural and literary organization, the Propaganda had a principal publication, the La Solidaridad. (More discussions on the Propaganda Movement are available in Appendix K: The Propaganda Movement, La Liga Filipina. and Katipunan.)

The Propaganda primarily aimed to bring to Spain's attention the real needs of its colony. the Philippines. Among many other things, the Propagandists specifically advocated (a) the recognition of the Philippines as a province of Spain and its (Philippines) representation in the Spanish parliament (Cortes Generales); (b) the secularization of the Philippine parishes and clergy; (c) the equality between the Spanish and the Filipino, especially in entering government service; (d) the establishment of government- funded schools not run by the friars; (e) the abolition of the "polo" (forced labor) and "vandala" (forced sale of local products to the government); and (f) the recognition of human rights and freedom, especially the freedoms of speech and association.

Seemingly advocating racial or cultural integration, the Propaganda Movement is thus branded as assimilationist. In anthropology and sociology, assimilation is the process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society. The process of assimilating involves taking on the traits of the dominant culture (eg.. colonizer) to such a degree that the assimilating group (e.g.. the colonized people) becomes socially indistinguishable from the other members of the society. Contextually, the "assimilationist" stand in Rizal's time refers mainly to the advocacy to have the Philippines be treated as one of Spain's provinces.

Rizal and Del Pilar are said to have later abandoned the "assimilationist" stand (although this is questioned by many historians, especially those who claim that either Rizal or Del Pilar was even anti-revolutionary. In some sure ways, nonetheless, both Rizal and Del Pilar inspired the establishment and mission of Andres Bonifacio's revolutionary society, the Katipunan).

Leaving London for good, he went to Paris in March 1889. He shortly lived in the house of a friend, Valentin Ventura, before transferring to a little room where he had as roommates two Filipinos, one of whom was Jose Albert, a student from Manila. In Paris, Rizal frequented the Bibliotheque Nationale, working on his annotation of the Sucesos. He spent his spare hours in the houses of friends like Juan Luna and his wife Paz Pardo de Tavera. Rizal witnessed the Universal Exposition of Paris, having as its greatest attraction the Eiffel Tower.

Rizal formed the Kidlat Club, a temporary social club, which brought together Filipinos witnessing the exposition. He also organized the Indios Bravos, an association which envisioned Filipinos being recognized for their admirable skills in many fields. Rizal, likewise formed the mysterious Redencion de los Malayos (Redemption of the Malays), which aimed to propagate useful knowledge. In Paris, Rizal also finished and published his annotation of the Sucesos.

After celebrating the Yuletide season in Paris in 1889, Rizal shortly visited London for the last time. With Jose Albert, Rizal left Paris for Brussels on January 28, 1890. The two stayed in a boarding house administered by the Jacoby sisters (Suzanne and Marie) where Rizal met and had a transitory affair with (another) Suzanne (also called Petite), the niece of his landladies. (For Rizal-and-Suzanne's love story. read Appendix Q: "Jose Rizal's Lovers in the Foreign Lands.")

In Belgium, Rizal busied himself with writing the Fili and contributing for La Solidaridad using the pen names Dimas Alang and Laong Laan. When he heard the news that the Calamba agrarian trouble was getting worse, Rizal decided to go home. But Paciano told him through a letter that they lost the court case against the Dominicans in the Philippines, and they intended to bring the case to Madrid. This prompted Jose to go to Madrid instead to look for a lawyer and influential people who would defend there the Calamba tenants.

Rizal traveled to Madrid in August 1890. Along with his lawyer, Marcelo H. del Pilar, he tried to seek justice for his family but could not find any influential Spaniard who could help them.

In 1890, Rizal also met in Madrid the Filipino student Edilberto Evangelista. Perhaps sensing his potential, Rizal counseled Evangelista to take engineering in Belgium. Upon Rizal's advice, Evangelista thus matriculated at the University of Ghent, one of the world's leading engineering schools then. Rizal's suggestion proved fruitful as Evangelista later finished civil engineering and architecture with highest honors. Some European companies offered him rewarding positions, but he turned them down for wanting to serve his country instead ("Edilberto Evangelista," 2013). (More interesting information about Evangelista's life and his relation with Rizal are available in Appendix O: "Rizal's Relations with Other Filipino Patriots and Heroes.")

Rizal encountered many adversities and tribulations in Madrid. He heard that his family was forced to leave their land in Calamba, and some family members were even deported to far places. One day, Rizal challenged his friend Antonio Luna to a duel when he (Luna), being unsuccessful in seeking Nellie Boustead's love, gave negative comments on the lady. Rizal also dared to a duel Wenceslao Retana of the anti-Filipino newspaper La Epoca who wrote that Rizal's family was not paying its land rent. Both duels were fortunately aborted-Luna became Rizal's good friend again while Retana even became Rizal's eventual first non-Filipino biographer. (For Rizal's friendship and rivalry with Antonio Luna, read Appendix O: "Rizal's Relations with Other Filipino Patriots and Heroes.")

In Madrid, Rizal also heard the news of Leonor Rivera's marriage to the Englishman Henry Kipping who was the choice of Leonor's mother. As if "misfortunes" were not enough, there also emerged the Del Pilar-Rizal rivalry for leadership in the "Asociacion Hispano Filipino." The supposedly healthy election for a leader ("Responsible") produced unpleasant split among the Filipinos in Madrid (the Rizalistas vs. the Pilaristas). Rizal thus decided to leave Madrid, lest his presence results in more serious factions among Filipinos in Madrid.

Rizal proceeded to take a more-than-a-month vacation in Biarritz, a tourist town in southwestern France noted for its mild climate and sand beaches. Arriving there in February 1891, Rizal was welcomed as a family guest in the house of the Bousteds, especially by Nellie with whom he later had a serious, but failed, romantic relationship. (For Rizal-and-Nellie's love story, read Appendix Q: "Jose Rizal's Lovers in the Foreign Lands.")

In Biarritz, he continued to work on his El Fili and completed its manuscript on March 29, the eve of his departure for Paris. Valentin Ventura hosted his short stay in Paris, and the Jacobies, especially Petite Suzanne, cordially welcomed his arrival in Brussels in April 1891. In Brussels, Rizal revised and prepared for printing his second novel until the end of May. By June 1891, he was already looking for a printing firm to print the El Filibusterismo.

Rizal went to Ghent in July 1891 because the cost of printing in the place was cheaper. He lived in a low-cost boarding house where he had a roommate Jose Alejandro, an engineering student in the University of Ghent. Tightening their belts, they rented a room exclusive of breakfast. They bought a box of biscuit, counted the contents, and computed for their daily ration for a month. In just 15 days, Alejandro had eaten up all his shares whereas Rizal frugally limited himself to his daily allocation.

The publisher F. Meyer-Van Loo Press, No. 66 Viaanderen Street agreed to print the El Fili on an installment basis. Despite pawning all his jewels and living tightfistedly, Rizal ran out of funds, and the printing had to be suspended on August 6. But through Valentin Ventura's "salvific" act, the "El Filibusterismo" came off the press on September 18, 1891. Two weeks after, he visited Paris for the last time to bid goodbye to his friends and compatriots.

In October 1891, Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong onboard the ship "Melbourne" on which he began writing his third (but unfinished) novel. He arrived in Hong Kong on November 20 and resided at No. 5 D' Aguilar Street, No. 2 Rednaxela Terrace. (In case you did not notice, "Rednaxela" is 'Alexander' spelled reversely).

Having escaped the friars' persecution, Don Francisco, Paciano, and Silvestre Ubaldo (Jose's brother-in-law) also arrived in Hong Kong. Shortly after, afterward Doña Teodora and children Lucia, Josefa, and Trinidad also arrived, and the Rizal family had a sort of family reunion in the Yuletide season of 1891.

In Hong Kong, Jose opened a medical clinic. A Portuguese friend, Dr. Lorenzo P. Marques, helped him to get many patrons of various nationalities. His successful operation on his mother's left eye allowed her to read again.

In March 1892, he went to Sandakan (East Malaysia) aboard "Menon" to negotiate with British authorities concerning the founding of a Filipino colony in North Borneo (now called Sabah). On March 21, Rizal asked Governor-General Eulogio Despujol through a letter to allow the landless Filipinos, especially the deported Calamba tenants, to establish themselves in North Borneo. Rizal was back in Hong Kong in April 1892.

Wanting to confer with Despujol concerning his North Borneo colonization project, Rizal left Hong Kong on June 21, 1892 along with his sister Lucia. Without his knowledge, the Spanish consul in Hong Kong sent a cablegram to Despujol stating figuratively that "the rat is in the trap" ("The Tale of Jose Rizal," 2013, para. 13). A secret case against Rizal was thus filed in Manila for an anti-religious and anti-patriotic public campaign.

Rizal and his sister arrived in Manila at noon on June 26, 1892. At 7 p.m., he was able to confer in Malacañan with Despujol who agreed to pardon his father and told him to return on June 29. He then visited his sisters and friends in Manila.

On June 27, he took a train and visited his friends in Central Luzon. He had a stopover at the Bautista mansion in Malolos, Bulacan and spent the night in the house of Evaristo Puno in Tarlac, Tarlac, about 30 kilometers away from the residence of Leonor Rivera-Kipping in Camiling. He also went to San Fernando and Bacolor. Pampanga and returned to Manila on June 28, at 5 pm. On June 29, 30, and July 3, he had other interviews with Despujol. Rizal's colonization project was rejected, but his request to lift the exile of his sisters was granted.

On the evening of July 3. Rizal spearheaded the meeting in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila attended by at least 20 Filipinos, including Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini. Rizal explained the aims of the civic association La Liga Filipina. Officers were then elected, having Ambrosio Salvador as the president, thereby officially establishing the league. (More discussions on La Liga Filipina are available in Appendix K: "The Propaganda Movement, La Liga Filipina, and Katipunan.")

Just three days after the meeting though, Rizal was arrested during his interview with the governor-general. Despujol showed him anti-friar leaflets Pobres Frailes (Poor Friars) allegedly discovered in his sister Lucia's pillow cases. Imprisoned in Fort Santiago for almost ten days, Rizal was brought at 12:30 a.m. of July 14 to the steamer "Cebu." Passing through Mindoro and Panay, the vessel docked at Dapitan in Zamboanga del Norte on the evening of July 17.

Dapitan was a truly scenic place with fine beaches, for sure a soothing place for a balikbayan like Rizal. But Jose was not there as a tourist or a vacationer, for he was a political exile. The ship captain Delgras handed him over to the local Spanish commandant, Ricardo Carnicero- and that event signaled the start of Rizal's life as a deportee in Dapitan.