Why Rizal Went There

After five years in Europe, Rizal returned against the advice of his family and friends. He had four main reasons:

• To operate on his mother’s eyes (she was going blind from cataracts).

• To serve his people who had been long oppressed.

• To find out the impact of his novel, Noli Me Tangere, on the Filipinos and Spaniards.

• To inquire why his sweetheart, Leonor Rivera, had stopped writing to him. 

Important Events

• "Doctor Uliman": This became his nickname. Because he arrived from Germany (Aleman), people called him Doctor Uliman. He earned roughly P900 in a few months (a fortune at the time) treating patients from all over Luzon.

• Meeting Governor General Terrero: Rumors spread that Rizal was a German spy or a mason. The Governor General summoned him to Malacañang to explain the "subversive" ideas in Noli Me Tangere. Terrero found no fault in it but assigned Rizal a bodyguard (Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade) for safety.

• Agrarian Trouble in Calamba: Rizal led the townspeople in drafting a report exposing the unfair land rents and taxes imposed by the Dominican friars who owned the Calamba estate. This angered the friars deeply and eventually led to his family's eviction later on.

• Heartbreak: He was strictly forbidden by Leonor Rivera's parents from seeing her. He was in Calamba, and she was in Dagupan; he never saw her during this trip. 

What Rizal Did in Calamba

• Opened a Medical Clinic: He successfully treated his mother (though he could not perform the full surgery yet as the cataract was not "ripe") and many others.

• Opened a Gymnasium: To discourage his townmates from gambling and cockfighting, he introduced European sports like fencing, shooting, and gymnastics.

• Explored Nature: He climbed Mt. Makiling with his bodyguard, Lt. Andrade, and they enjoyed the scenery and nature together.

• Translated Works: He translated the German poems of Von Wildernath into Tagalog.