Jose Rizal decided to leave the Philippines and studied in Madrid for a personal reason
as well as an altruistic reason. He wanted to become an eye specialist in order to cure her
mother from an eye ailment, and also wanted to study the cultures, laws and governments of
European countries in order to help Filipinos. He wanted to observe and study European society,
their culture, traditions, political system to prepare himself for the task of liberating the
Filipinos from Spanish tyranny. Such atmosphere of freedom lured Jose Rizal to travel to Spain
not only to study but also to carry out his secret mission that he long been conceived with the
approval of his brother Paciano. He could no longer endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination,
and hostility in the University of Santo Tomas. Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to
avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and the friars. Even his own parents did not know
because his mother would not allow him to do so. Rizal in his European journeys exemplifies
the importance of striking a balance between patriotism and the idea of a universal brotherhood.
Faced with the splendour of Europe and the varying attitudes of the people he met, Rizal felt
neither insecure nor resentful, even if he had plenty of reasons to feel that way. Instead, he took
a more enlightened path, learning as much as could, opening himself to new experiences,
communicating his ideas in reasoned tones, and building friendships along the way. On his way
to Madrid, Rizal was enamoured by Barcelona and took note of the air of liberalism in the city,
far from what the Philippines was experiencing at the hand of Spanish colonizers. His first
impression of Barcelona was unfavourable. He thought of it as an ugly, dirty and its residents
are inhospitable. Later, he changed his impression and liked the city. He found it as a great city,
with an atmosphere of freedom and liberalism. He also found its people were open-hearted,
hospitable, and courageous. He was fascinated to hear multi-racial inhabitants speaking a wide
variety of languages. Rizal also observed the business activity in Europe. When Rizal visited
Paris, he closely observed the French way of life and spending many hours at the museums.
He became close with prominent Spanish liberal and republican Spaniards. He was impressed
by the way the Spanish masons openly and freely criticized the government policies and the
friars.