Following the trail of Rizal in Germany after more than a century. Part II

Part II: Fulda-Weimar-Halle-Leipzig

On his way to Leipzig to take lessons in opthalmology, Dr. Jose Rizal visited beautiful and historical places like Fulda, Weimar, and Halle.


Fulda

Fulda is a relatively small city along the Fulda River in middle Germany. It was founded on a Benedictine monastery in 744 and is an important center of catholicism in Germany. It is well-known for its Baroque style buildings. When I first visited it in the mid 1990s during a student field trip, I was impressed by its beautiful castle. I also became aware that the Fulda tires that one can buy in the Philippines come from this city.

Fulda cathedral

Fulda castle

View of the city

Weimar

Weimar is one of the great cultural sites in Europe. It is the home of the Weimar classicism started by Goethe, Schiller and Herder. The town has been a pilgrimage site for the German intelligentsia ever since Goethe came here in the late 18th century. It was therefore not a surprise that Rizal visited the town. Weimar has also a great music tradition. Bach, Liszt and Hummel have lived and worked here. In the early part of the 19th century, the famous Bauhaus architectural movement was founded in Weimar by Walter Gropius.

I visited the city in September 2008 during our Humboldt fellows tour.

Two great men of letters who influenced world literature: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) and Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) in front of the German national theatre

Goethe's house (now the National Goethe's Museum)

Schiller's house

Bauhaus museum

Market place (central plaza)

View of the city near the Goethe and Schiller monument

Halle

Halle is a trade and science city in middle eastern Germany along the Saale River (20 km north of Leipzig). Halle has a long tradition as a trade center being a traditional source of salt, a very expensive commodity in olden times. In fact, the name Halle and Saale have their origin on the pre-Germanic word for salt.

It is also the birthplace of Georg Friedrich Haendel (1685-1759) (English: George Frederic Handel) one of the greatest composers during the Baroque period (the house where he was born is now the Handel Museum). One of his compositions Zadok the Priest is used as the anthem of the UEFA Champions League.

Halle is the home of the Leopoldina, the world’s oldest science academy and now the national science academy of Germany.

The 500 year-old University of Halle-Wittenberg (Martin Luther University) is one of the most important German universities. Christian Wolff (1679-1754), one of the three founders of modern philosophy (Leibniz, Wolff, and Kant), was among the first professors of the university.

I have lived and conducted scientific research in this city for a total of 2 years (1999, 2004, 2008-09).

The park near the New Theatre and Post Office

Market place (central plaza) with Haendel monument

House of Haendel family where the composer was born and grew up (now the Haendel Museum)

The Marian Church (16th century) where Martin Luther used to preach, and the Gothic Red Tower (15th century)

Administration buildings of the University of Halle-Wittenberg

House where the famous philosophy professor Wolff lived (now Wolff's museum)

Saale River in autumn

Leipzig

Leipzig is a major trade and cultural city in middle eastern Germany. Many world renowned thinkers and scientists (e.g. G.W. Leibniz, J.W. Goethe, W. Wundt, G. Hertz, F. Nietzsche, W. Heisenberg) have studied and or taught at its 600 year-old university, the University of Leipzig.

Leipzig is also a “Bach City” since Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1780) the greatest Baroque composer, served as the director of music of the principal churches of the city particularly the St. Thomas’s Church. Aside from Bach, other great composers like Wagner, Mendelssohn-Bertholdy and Schumann have also lived or worked in Leipzig. It is also the home of the world famous Gewandhaus Orchestra founded in 1743.

When Rizal came to Leipzig, the most famous professor at the time was probably Wilhelm Wundt, one of the founders of modern experimental psychology.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a physics graduate of the University of Leipzig.

In the last 10 years, I had the opportunity to visit this beautiful city many times.

Leipzig's central train station, one of the largest in Europe

The historical Church of St. Nicholas (left) and university buildings (right)

St. Thomas's Church where Bach was based


The organ in St. Thomas Church that Bach used

Bach's grave inside the St. Thomas Church

Statue of J. W. Goethe who studied in Leipzig

Old Town Hall


Statue of the great 19th century German-Jew composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in front of the St. Thomas Church

Following the trail of Rizal in Germany after more than a century

In August 1886, Rizal travelled to various parts of Germany starting from Heidelberg where he was studying. The places he visited were and still are favorite tourist attractions. Berlin, Heidelberg, and Cologne for example, are always crowded with tourists from all over the world.

At various times during my graduate studies and later scientific work in Germany, I had the chance to visit many places including most of those visited by Rizal. So I have personal knowledge of the places included in this photo documentation.

I took many of the new photos while the majority of the old photos (from the time of Rizal) are from the website of the Knights of Rizal. Some photos were downloaded from the internet and whenever possible the sources are acknowledged.

This presentation is divided into three parts: Part I for the route Heidelberg-Mannheim-Frankfurt-Rüdesheim-Bonn-Cologne. Part II for Fulda-Weimar-Halle-Leipzig. Part III for Dresden-Potsdam-Berlin.

I hope this will help Filipino students appreciate more the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal.

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Part I: Heidelberg-Mannheim-Frankfurt-Rüdesheim-Bonn-Cologne

Heidelberg is famous for at least two things: its university and its beautiful scenery. The University of Heidelberg founded in 1386, is one of the world’s oldest and most influential universities. Many world-renown social and natural scientists have studied or taught here. Heidelberg's natural beauty is considered as the symbol of German Romanticism. It is no wonder that while studying in Heidelberg, Rizal wrote a beautiful poem “To the flowers of Heidelberg”.

Here's my favorite part of that poem:

"Carry, carry, flowers of Rhine,
Love to every love of mine,
Peace to my country and her fertile loam,
Virtue to her women, courage to her men,
Salute those darling once again,
Who formed the sacred circle of our home."

"And when you reach that shore,
Each kiss I press upon you now,
Deposit on the pinions of the wind,
And those I love and honor and adore
Will feel my kisses carried to their brow."


During one of our visits to Heidelberg some years ago, Dr. Buboy Dargantes, Dr. Bert Guarte and I went to the garden of the castle which we thought could have inspired Rizal to write his poem.

The first photo below (left) shows Heidelberg around the time of Rizal.

Mannheim is a major industrial city located 20 km from Heidelberg. Carl Benz' first car was manufactured in his workshop in Mannheim and was first shown to the public in 1886 the year Rizal was in Heidelberg.

In the early 1990s, I lived for six months in this city (I stayed in a student dormitory in Käfertal) while I was studying the German language at the Goethe Institute-Mannheim University in preparation for my graduate studies in Giessen and Stuttgart. At the time, I made many weekend visits to the nearby Heidelberg.

My favorite places in Mannheim are the Wasserturm and the Luisen Park. The first photo below (left) shows the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) during the time of Rizal.

Frankfurt on the Main River (German: Frankfurt am Main) is the financial and commercial capital of Germany. It is also the usual point of entry for millions of travellers who come to central Europe each year. Frankfurt is the birthplace of J.W. von Goethe, one of the greatest men of letters that have ever lived. More than two centuries ago, Frankfurt was the coronation site for the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Photo above (left) shows a section of the city during Rizal's time

Marksburg Castle is located above the town of Braubach. It is one of the many (close to 30) medieval castles along the Rhine River and is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Gorge. The castle was built to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities. It was built about 1117 and explicitly first mentioned in 1231. In 1283 Count Eberhard of Katzenelnbogen bought it and through the 14th and 15th century the high noble Counts rebuilt the castle constantly (Wikipedia).

Rüdesheim is a charming small medieval town located at the entrance to the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. It is surrounded by vineyards and is one of the most popular places along the Rhine River. The entire region is famous for its white wines and they are available almost everywhere in Rudesheim.

Bonn is the birthplace of Beethoven. The city is located near Cologne and was an important place of residence of the electors and archbishops of Cologne. After the Second World War until 1999, it was the capital of West Germany.

The elector’s residence has housed the university since 1818.

Photos above show the market square during Rizal's time (left) and now (right)




Cologne (German: Köln) is an industrial city along the Rhine River. It has elegant churches and colourful riverside houses. The city is the origin of the Cologne or Eau de Cologne perfume. In 1709, Giovanni Maria Farina (1685-1766) an Italian perfumer, launched his new product in Cologne. He named his new perfume Cologne to honor his new hometown.

Santacruzan in Taipei

During my scientific research work at National Taiwan University in Taipei about three years ago, I had the opportunity to witness the very colorful and lively “Santacruzan” organized by the St. Christopher Church of Taipei. Santacruzan is a traditional religious beauty pagent held in many parts of the Philippines during the month of May.

I estimate that no less than 2,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan and many Taiwanese-Filipinos living in Taipei participated in the activity. It was a unique experience for me not only because the celebration was held in another country but also because the parish priest at the time, Father Romy, was a college classmate of mine. It was a nice surprise for me to meet him in Taipei many years after we graduated from college (after college, he went to Rome to study for the priesthood while I went somewhere else for graduate studies).

During the activity, I met several kababayans from different parts of Eastern Samar. Some of them told me that they were enjoying their jobs in Taipei but a few complained of homesickness although their jobs were not difficult. I asked them if they knew how many Estehanons were working in Taiwan but nobody knew about it.

Learning from an old book about the Philippines

Some days ago, I went to the library of Leopoldina, the world's oldest academy of science (founded in 1652) and now the national science academy of Germany, located one block away from the institute where I am presently conducting research here in Halle (see photo). I got a nice surprise when I chanced upon an old book titled "Die Philippinen" (The Philippines) written by a German geography professor Albert Kolb who conducted field works throughout the Philippines in the 1930s.

The book describes the characteristics, culture, and livelihood of the Filipino people and discussed in detail the natural resources of the country. Some of the interesting information about Samar island that I found in that classic book concerns population and forest cover.

In 1903, the island had a total population of 266,000 and a population density of 20 persons per square kilometer (km2). This increased to 379,000 in 1918 and a population density of 28 persons per km2. Before the second world war (i.e. 1939), the population further increased to 546,000 or a population density of 40 persons per km2. This means a doubling of population density in 36 years. If we compare this with the new statistics from 2005, a dramatic increase in the island's population occurred after about 70 years. The total population of Samar island in 2005 was 1, 650,022 which means a population density of 121 persons per km2.

Another interesting information in Kolb's book is about forest cover. During the 1930s when he made his travels around Samar much of the island was still covered with lush forest. Only about 7 % of the island's total land area was used for agriculture and the rest (93 %) was covered with forest.I checked various internet sources and have found data from reliable sources showing that the island still had 86% forest cover after the war (1952) which dropped dramatically to 33% in 1987. I estimate that the present forest cover of the island is between 20 to 30%.

Making copra is (never) fun!

Making copra is an important part of the lives of many farmers in Eastern Samar. The traditional method of copra-making is a long and back-breaking process. The first step is the harvesting of mature nuts. This is the most arduous and dangerous step since it requires climbing each tree or palm (old coconuts can be more than 30 meters tall!) in order to pick the mature nuts. The next step is collecting the nuts scattered throughout the coconut plantation and transporting them using sarasad (a large basket made of rattan that is carried on the back) to the site where the copra will be made. Once all the nuts have been collected, they are then dehusked (pagbunot) using a pointed shard of steel, split using a bolo, and smoke dried (pagloon) on the raised grill platform made of split bamboo (lun-an) (the lun-an is usually provided with a roof made of coconut leaves to protect the copra from the rain). As soon as the meat appears to separate from the coconut shell, the drying is stopped and the meat is scraped out (paglukba) and then dried again a second time. Then the dried coconut meat is sliced into small pieces and placed in sacks for transport to the copra buyer which is usually located several kilometres from the farm.

When I was young, my brothers and I regularly helped our father in making copra (from a small coconut farm). It was very tiresome but I always enjoyed the experience. Not only because it was a break from my usual school activities, but also because I enjoyed wandering around the coconut area and swimming in the nearby river.

A tribute to my best high school teachers

 Tulips in spring in the city park of Halle, Germany

High school life has a special place in our hearts. “High school life I remember kay ganda,” according to Sharon Cuneta’s classic song. Maybe we remember it fondly since it is the time when most of us have fallen in love or have fallen into the pit of broken hearts for the first time. High school is a critical stage in our lives because it is the period when our dreams (both possible and impossible!) of what we want to be in the future are hatched. It is that phase in our long schooling when teachers can positively or negatively impact our lives and careers.

There are good teachers in elementary and college, but we seem to remember much better those from high school. Among the many teachers I had in high school at the Eastern Samar State University (formerly ESNRAS) in Borongan, five stood out the best. They were Mr. Ismael Bocar, Mrs. Teresita B. Caharop, Ms. Cecilia Tagle, Mr. Benjamin C. Catimon, and Mr. Francisco Cabalonga. These high school teachers were outstanding not only because they showed a mastery of the subjects they were teaching but also because they were very hardworking and passionate teachers. Moreover, they showed genuine concern for their young students.

Mr. Bocar and Ms. Tagle have already left this world. Mr. Bocar was well-known and admired for his wit and happy disposition. He was a great motivator as well. He reminded us always to look at the bright side of life. I still remember the joke that he wrote on the cover of his book on scouting, which said: “Kan Mr. Bocar ako libro. Ayaw ako kawata, kay kairo niya. Iuli la ako ha iya (I'm Mr. Bocar's book. Don't steal me from him. Have pity on him. Return me to him)." Also, his favorite statement when giving advice to students was, “Pamati kamo ha akon, kay tipakadto pa la kamo, pabalik na ako (Listen to me since I have been there where you are going and I am on my way back)." Miss Tagle, on the other hand, was the serious and perfectionist type, although she would also tell us nice anecdotes to make her English class interesting.

The last time I saw and had a talk with Ms. Tagle and Mr. Bocar was during our high school graduation ceremonies. Ms. Tagle congratulated me for graduating as Class Valedictorian and said she was happy that my valedictory speech went well. (She was the one who coached me on how to deliver it convincingly). Mr. Bocar, who was my first-year adviser, congratulated my parents and said to me, “Upaya na la botoy, paniguro gud. Sigurado ako, magigin successful ka (Do your best and work hard. I am sure you will be successful). Go follow your dreams. Good luck.”

So I worked hard and followed my dreams. I don’t know if what I have achieved can already be called success. But whatever it’s called, Mr. Bocar would have surely smiled and said: “nasiring pa daw ako" (as what I have said). I believe it is never too late to thank these five outstanding teachers for helping me to become the person and professional I am today.

How pesticides affect the environment and our health

Pesticides are chemicals that farmers use to kill insects, weeds and other pests in their farms (and homes too!). In developing countries like ours, the improper use of pesticides by farmers is causing human illnesses.

The connection between pesticide use and human health can be the result of two mechanisms: one, pesticides pollute the environment and the polluted environment (soil and groundwater) causes health problems; second, the pesticides cause poisoning due to direct exposure to these toxic chemicals. The first mechanism is indirect, slow (but sure!) and not easily observable that is why we usually are not aware of it or we just ignore it. The second mechanism is direct. It can be slow or dramatic but affects mostly the farmers who are applying or handling the chemicals and their family members who are working in the farm.

Many farmers are directly exposed to pesticide poisoning due to lack of proper safety gadgets or due to wrong methods of application. Pesticides enter the human body through skin contact, ingestion, and inhalation. Acute symptoms of pesticide poisoning include dizziness, vomiting, cramps, and coma. Chronic symptoms (meaning, symptoms that continue for a long time) include liver and kidney damage, sterility, change in blood count, formation of tumors, allergies, and skin alterations. Unexplained health problems of people in rural areas maybe due to pesticide poisoning.

This is not of course to say that pesticides are not important. In many cases they are necessary to have a good crop harvest. But the farmers need to be properly guided on the proper way of applying these chemicals to avoid poisoning and to make sure that the crops they grow (which we consume!) and the water we drink are free from the toxic pesticides. (Acknowledgement: Photo above was taken & modified from www.roamingtimes.com/environment/pesticides.asp).

How safe are herbal and alternative medicinal products?

There is scientific evidence that many over-the-counter health foods, neutraceuticals, and alternative medicinal products may not be safe. This was revealed in a paper written by Dr. K. Chan of Hongkong Baptist University and published in the prestigious scientific journal Chemosphere (Elsevier, Amsterdam).

The paper concluded that “the increase in popularity of such products has brought concerns and fears over the professionalism of practitioners and the quality, efficacy, and safety of their treatment methods and products from herbal and natural sources. These products maybe contaminated with excessive or banned pesticides, microbial contaminants, heavy metals, chemical toxins or adulterated with orthodox drugs."

"The excessive pesticides, microbial contaminants and heavy metals maybe related to the source of these herbal materials if they are grown under contaminated environment or during the collection of these plant materials. Chemical toxins may come from unfavorable or wrong storage conditions or chemical treatment due to storage. The presence of orthodox drugs maybe related to unprofessional practice of manufacturers."

Just a little explanation for the above. Plants growing in polluted soils may absorb the pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides and other harmful substances and store them in their tissues. The pesticides may also come from excessive pesticide application to control pests during the production of the herbal plants.

The article is just a reminder to all of us, myself included. It may not be true to the products that you and I have been using. But it may turn out that the fresh herbal plants that we can get from our backyard maybe more effective and safer than the beautifully packed but expensive ones produced somewhere else. (Photo shows part of the medicinal plant garden of a 12th century castle along Rhein River in Germany.)

Reference: Chan K. 2003. Some aspects of toxic contaminants in herbal medicines. Chemosphere 52: 1361-1371

Those were the days my friend!

"Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end" so goes the opening line of one of the most enduring old songs. For many of us who experienced as young children the late 60s and early 70s, it was a difficult time but enjoyable and memorable anyhow.

There were no multicabs and fashionable motorcycles but there were some tricycles and many baloto and kangga. There were no video players, component systems, and cable TVs but sinehan, radio-phono, radio programs (especially drama and singing contest), komiks, and folkloric stories were there to entertain us. There were no cell phones, gameboys and internet games but we had ligas, lastiko, kawil, shatong, sungka, and kasing to play with. There were no disco clubs and videoke houses but there were well-lighted sarayaw and romantic and exciting harana journeys. There were no ice creams, pizzas, and hamburgers but ice drop, menoron, salukara, and bakintol were available.

The sea and the mountains were all ours to explore and enjoy. We were free and not afraid of anything except of course of asuwang, agta, and libon (covered trucks for transporting goods which were rumored to kidnap children). Hard and primitive it may have been but this period was conducive to building strong character and creativity in us children. It is no wonder that many of the most successful Estehanons were product of this period. (Acknowledgement: The photo of Borongan was modified from the one posted in google.com by batch2006.com)

Global warming and local environmental problems

Global warming, the increase in the average global temperature is a real problem now and we are starting to experience its bad effects like the more frequent occurrence of strong typhoons, the warming of sea water resulting in decreased fish catch by fishermen, and the increased amount of rainfall resulting in catastrophic floods and landslides.

But apart from this global environmental problem, there are also local environmental problems in certain places in Eastern Samar that need urgent action. These include deforestation, land degradation, and soil and water pollution. Except for deforestation, these local problems have seldom grabbed the headlines and the endorsement of politicians and popular personalities, but they are already threatening our lives. In a sense, they are already killing us softly.

The fact that much of the original or primary forest in Eastern Samar is now gone clearly indicates that we failed in protecting this vital natural resource. No need to cry over spilt milk says the popular expression. What we need to do is to see to it that the forest that remains is protected and the degraded uplands, the product of deforestation and kaingin in previous decades, are rehabilitated especially in critical watersheds across the province. A degraded land has reduced capacity to absorb rain so that much of the water during rainy days flows on the land surface resulting in floods and lowering of the water table (meaning, drying up of wells!). Degraded lands are also infertile and unproductive.

Soil and water pollution is largely caused by improper disposal of municipal solid wastes, the unregulated use of pesticides and fertilizers by farmers, and mining. Most towns in the province do not have proper dumpsites. The unregulated use of pesticides and fertilizers by farmers also leads to soil and water pollution. You can easily notice this from the unusual vigorous growth of algae around rice fields, ponds, rivers and bays suggesting excess amount of nutrients from fertilizers and other sources. Mining is also a major cause of soil and water pollution. The negative environmental effects of the Bagacay Mine which operated from 1954 to 1992 are still there. Recent major efforts to rehabilitate the site have not been successful.

One last thing: when you drink a glass of water, how do you know that it is not yet contaminated with harmful chemicals?

What a proper and safe dumpsite looks like

Some people have asked me about the characteristics of a good dumpsite, a piece of land where garbage is dumped. In fact, a few cities in Leyte have sought our assistance.

A good dumpsite should be located at least a few kilometers away from the community chiefly for health reasons. It should be far from water bodies like lakes, rivers, and the sea to avoid contaminating these vital life-support systems. The land should not be steeply sloping to prevent landslide and erosion of the wastes to lower areas. The best soil type is clayey (never sandy!) since it is capable of holding the toxic chemicals and thus preventing them from moving with the percolating water to the groundwater (the underground water reservoir from which wells extract their water).

Mangrove areas (kanipaan, kamiyapihan, lala-o) are the home and breeding place (or habitat) for many fishes and marine organisms hence, they should never be used as dumpsite. How about the Borongan City dumpsite? Well, it fails most of the requirements I mentioned above so it is not a proper site and could have serious ecological and health consequences in the long term.

Limestone rock for the road or for soil improvement?

During my Eastern Samar visit a year ago, I observed the mining of limestone deposits at several sites along the national "highway" for road rehabilitation purposes. In one place near Maydolong, I noticed the high quality of the limestone rock being mined. So I took a sample and brought it to my laboratory for analysis.

The analysis results confirmed my earlier observation: the limestone is composed of 99 percent calcium carbonate (with little contaminants) and can be a good liming material for the unproductive acidic soils in Samar. In fact using it as soil amendment would be a much better option than as road amendment. Calcium carbonate is soluble in water and thus is not stable and not very suitable as road material. Its solubility increases tremendously when the water is slightly acidic like when there are organic materials or "dirt" in it (as in a road of course!).