"I
am witnessing living history," was what I thought to myself while listening
to Franciso Rizal Lopez II (right photo)
passionately recite a poem by his great-uncle, Jose Rizal. We were really
privileged to hear him and his elder sister, Eugenia L. Villaruz, speak
about their Grandfather, Paciano Rizal. As they are both advanced in
years, they had many fascinating anecdotes about growing up in Los
Baņos. In contrast, we were guided through the Paciano's house by
a smiling, teenage member of the family. The whole family were
extremely welcoming and I would like to thank them for their kind
hospitality.
The day was actually a juxtaposition of history as first we visited the Rizal Shrine in Calamba just as President Arroyo's motorcade was passing through. It was moving to see all the children lining the streets with their flags. At the Museum, we saw a great video about Rizal. Inside the museum, there was even more information written up in English about Calamba the town and Rizal's background. The friendly staff answered all of our questions.
This was followed by a delicious lunch at the Dalampasigan Restaurant. It was lovely and cool as the restaurant is built on the water with the floor being made of timber slats, which allows ventilation. A great view of the lake made it a very pleasant meal. It was then on to meet the Lopez family before heading back in the bus to Manila.
And lastly, did you know that the Bay (or Bae, as it is sometimes called) of 'Laguna de Bay' is actually a town on the edge of the Laguna (Spanish for lake) and not a bay in the English sense of the word? I know I didn't. Thanks to Sony for this tidbit of knowledge and for giving us the opportunity to learn more about her country by organising the tour.
--Jodi Smith
