Dr. José Rizal's Exhibit, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, CA: Student Notes

Specimen of students' notes upon viewing the Rizal 150th Birthday Anniversary Exhibit.

On Friday July 8, 2011, twenty-one (21) students from a local middle school came to the Oakland Asian Cultural Center for a field trip. Dr. Penelope V. Flores gave the group a tour of the exhibit. Mona Shah Co-director of OACC welcomed the group brought in by Ms. Pauline Fonacier, the school counselor. James Espinas, Rizal Exhibit Curator video-taped and documented the tour. (See his video in forthcoming blogs).

First, Penelope Flores asked them to look closely at the books that Dr Jose Rizal read while he was studying in Spain and abroad. What did they notice?

The answers were varied,  Ten noted that he wrote the book Sucesos de las Islas Fiipinas.  Rizal copied and made page annotations of Antonio Morga's History of the Philippines.  He did this at the British Museum in 1888-1889.  The annotated volume was published in 1891.

Three students noted that Rizal read Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Others noted that Rizal read travel books.  They noted that Rizal also read the biographies of US presidents.
Then I asked them to write down things of interest.:Below are what they wrote:

>Study, Happiness.
>He traveled a lot.
>Cool Joe.
>It doesn't mater what people call you,  but what you answer to.
>Happiness, struggle.
>I like the shirt, its design...Rizal was shot and kill(ed) at age 35.
>Rizal took a ferry from San Francisco to Oakland on Sunday, May 6, 1888 at 8:30 pm.
>Study should be a thing of love and joy.
>Cool Joe,  medical at thirty-fve. Spain killed him.
>Intellegent (sic), smart.
>Noble. He was truthful, loyal and humble..
>Wonderful. He had a good life.
.>Childhood.
>El Filibusterismo.
>Philippines, good food.

Overheard:
>He must be rich. He traveled around the world.

Lastly, the students retraced (imaginary pacing in the assembly room) of José Rizal's travels from San Francisco, Angel Island, to Oakland and his train ride across the US to New York where he boarded a ship to London.

Many students were impressed by the Visual Rizal Travel map.  Some even reproduced the map on their notebooks.