Rafael de Bustamante Tello
In 1986, Spain had just joined what was then the European Economic Community. For Rafael de Bustamante Tello, this was a unique opportunity. Three years later, in 1989, he decided to pack his bags and head to Brussels to study for a master's degree in European Law.
After finishing his studies, he returned temporarily to Murcia to complete his military service at the artillery barracks on Cartagena Street. But fate soon took him back to Belgium: he obtained a scholarship from the Institute for Development to work in the Brussels office, where he worked for ten years, eventually becoming its director.
In 2002 he began a new stage as a European civil servant, which has led him to live and work in places as diverse as Brussels, New York, Jakarta, Manila and, more recently, Hanoi.
“The best thing about my life abroad is constantly learning: new countries, new languages, representing, promoting and defending the values of the European Union,” says Rafael.
Although he was born in Burgos, he grew up and studied in Murcia, a region to which he still feels deeply connected. “Murcia is obviously missed: my family, the climate, and the food. But it’s also present in the most unexpected places,” he recalls.
In Jakarta, for example, he met a fellow Murcian with whom he immediately connected thanks to those references that only locals understand. He also loves promoting Murcian products wherever he goes: “The roe and almonds traveled with me to Manila, and on a recent trip to Taiwan I discovered that roe is something we have in common with that island.”
Rafael confesses that he would love to return to Murcia to teach and share his experience as a European diplomat. His message to the young people of Murcia is clear:
“We have to take the leap and leave the comfort zone of living in Murcia. The world is full of opportunities.”