If you have reached this point it is possible that you have some interest in knowing a little more about who I am, beyond my college degrees and job positions held throughout my life. At the end of the day, everyone is much more than what can be drawn solely on the basis of their academic training and/or work experience. However, in order to discover it there is no other way but to undress (metaphorically, it is understood) a little. Therefore, if you have time and you feel like it, you can see a video-cv I made a few years ago (see here), and/or you can continue reading the following paragraphs where I will try to open a little to tell who I am.
As I indicated on the home page, my name is Rubén F. Bustillo and I have recently moved to Vitoria-Gasteiz, a small city in the north of Spain, where I was also born. However I consider myself from Zaragoza, although it would not be because of birth but by adoption (at the end of the day, as popular wisdom says, “you are not from where you born, but from where you grew up”). I have studied two careers (one in Zaragoza and one in London), a Master and a PhD (both in Madrid), and I also have specific training in various fields and subjects. The details of my academic and complementary training are in the corresponding section (or rather almost all the details, because I have also done other courses in various subjects, wine tasting, photoshop or others, which for reasons of space I have not mentioned). It should be noted that the studies carried out over the years are not so much the result of an acute titlitis, but rather because I love studying and learning. Currently this hobby is almost entirely focused on learning R-studio and data analysis, a new world that I have discovered while preparing my doctoral thesis (and that has made me take the decision to postpone studying History for when I retire).
Besides studying I also work. In fact I have been working practically since I turned 16 or 17 years old and, in addition, during all this time I have played many different roles. My first employment was during a summer period working as a seller, store by store, of products of various kinds (“all for 1000 pesetas” was our motto). Later, while studying Labour Relations, I worked in factories (doing office work on good days, unloading trucks on bad days, and unloading them without hand pallet truck on very bad days), as a waiter at public holidays in Zaragoza and surrounding towns or at the Meliá hotel in Zaragoza during weekends working at weddings and baptisms. In addition, I would travel to Edinburgh during summer vacations to work, partly to learn / practice my English, partly because of the experience, and largely to escape the summer heat of Zaragoza. After finishing Labour Relations (I finished it with an Erasmus scholarship in Norwich), I decided to move to London, a city that had always attracted me enormously, where I was working, with some other parenthesis, until I decided to return to Spain in 2011.
In London, as many young people used to do (and they certainly still do), I started working in what someone one day called “subsistence jobs” (in my case as kitchen porter in several restaurants), and later I worked as a waiter in restaurants, offices, hotels and for several event companies. In one of those parentheses that I mentioned in the previous paragraph I left London for about six months to work on cruises in the Caribbean Sea, job that is possibly the hardest, physically and mentally, I have ever done and that the hardest I will possibly do in my whole life. However, this job allowed me to see the world, to meet people, and to save a bit so, on my return, I started studying Management at the University of London (although I studied part-time in the afternoon so I could do it while working during the day). During this time I got a job as a supervisor for an events company that operated in Arundel House, a beautiful building located in Temple Place, just in front of the Thames in the heart of London, where over time (clearly it helped being close to finish my studies), I was promoted to General Manager, being responsible of the operations that the company carried out in that building. The description of my functions can be consulted in the corresponding section, but I take this opportunity to remember the views from my office, which were impressive (I think I will never work in a site with views like these). Without a doubt, being able to enjoy this panorama every day from work was a luxury.
In 2011, due to personal reasons, I made the decision to leave London and return to Spain. It was definitely a difficult one. However, before returning I decided to take a trip around Asia for 9 months. I started it in Indonesia and, after traveling little by little through several countries, I ended up in Nepal. Although I had travelled quite a lot before, this was definitely the trip of my life and it turned out to be an experience of inestimable value, not only because of the places visited but also for the enormous learning and enrichment that a trip of these characteristics implies. Also, right at this time I was studying an online photography course, art that has always fascinated me, so the trip helped me, also, to practice and improve my technique (some of the photographs I was taking along of the trip can be seen on the home page or on my social networks).
In December 2011 I was back in Spain (I have always managed to get to be at home for Christmas with my family, even when I was living thousands of miles away), proving that the work situation in the country left a lot to be desired. I started working in a hotel in Zaragoza, started some of the courses that I indicated in the corresponding section, and finally I decided to go to Madrid to pursue postgraduate studies in International Economics and Development. The program of this Master coincided in large part with my concerns and motivations, and, in fact, it turned out to be very stimulating, intellectually speaking of course. The Master is largely focused on continuing with a PhD program, which in the end I decided to study, although I personally would have preferred to do it a few years later, once I were working on a specific topic on which to be able to investigate with some initial knowledge. The years that I dedicated to complete the doctorate, which undoubtedly have been hard in many ways (although it consoles me to think that it is a relatively generalized sensation as it is understood when reading this article, this, or this other), have also been a period of great learning and personal and intellectual development. The fact is that, despite the periods of demotivation, I have already finished my PhD (one of the aspects that characterizes me is that I do not like to leave things half-hearted) and, I believe, I am still sane.
The fact is that, like everyone, I have the bad habit of eating on a daily basis, in fact several times per day, and my landlord has the habit to charge for rent. So during this period, except for the two years that the Master lasted (and which required absolute dedication) I had to keep working, first in Zaragoza, then in Madrid and now in Vitoria-Gasteiz. I have worked as a private teacher of English and Economics, organizing events, and doing other works of diverse nature. In short, in Spain I have returned again “to the mud”, missing sometimes the views I had from my office in Arundel House (which does not mean that the work was free of stress and worries, because at the end of the day no job is), but also with hope for the future. In the present, having recently finished my PhD, I dedicate my time to work (of course), to deepen my knowledge of R and data analysis, trying to finish some articles to be published in a magazine, and looking for an organization where my profile fits and where I could develop my professional career in the years to come. This is, after all, the main reason that has driven me to create this curriculum-website.
Before I finish this section, I read recently that to break the barrier of mistrust that exists between two people who have never seen each other, it is convenient to tell some personal details of one’s life. Therefore I have decided to present some curiosities about me, which I hope will allow you to know a little more about the person who is behind these lines:
As many, I also had my “heavy metal” period, with long hair and earrings in my ears during my adolescence. I still have a taste for music, although now I listen more to classic rock than heavy metal, but over the years I have replaced the music saved on my phone with audios of ivoox. In fact I’m hooked on several podcasts, mainly from ancient and contemporary history and biographies.
I have lived in many houses (2 in Zaragoza, 3 in Edinburgh, 1 in Norwich, 7 in London, 2 in Madrid, 1 in Vitoria, plus 3 months in Lima, another 3 in Bayonne, 6 in a cruise ship and some others), sharing the flat, in many cases, with people of different origins, background and customs. Living with diverse housemates teaches you to tolerate other people’s quirks and control your own ones. However, it also offers great opportunities for personal enrichment, allows you to meet great people and to make friends for life. (I have to say that for several years I have been living alone with my partner and, although it is certainly less exciting, I do not complain at all about the tranquility that I enjoy now).
Cycling around is one of the things I miss the most about London (here is a picture of my bike). In Vitoria-Gasteiz you can walk almost anywhere as the town is pretty small, what is, generally, very appreciated. However there is little enjoyment of wandering around on two wheels as there is not many new places to discover.
Although the experiences of the trip that I made in 2011 are innumerable, in that trip I fulfilled two great (physical) challenges that I had proposed before leaving:
Completing independently the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, reaching the pass Thorung La (5416 meters). Although previously it had made several hiking/trekking routes in Spain, the United Kingdom and even in India, this route was especially hard due to the high altitude reached.
Crossing Vietnam from Ho Chi Min city (Saigon) to Hanoi by bicycle (about 1800 km). Apart from hardening the calf muscles, this trip allowed me to discover the lesser-known Vietnam and interact with the local people (although based on gestures in many cases).
I love reading, preferably essay and historical novel, but I also use to buy (¿hoard?) many books, although I do not have enough time to read all of them. I especially like to get lost and search through second-hand bookstores in search of an interesting book.
I love animals, and I grew up surrounded by dogs, cats, turtles and hamsters. My dream (future goal) is to settle down in a place where one day I could buy a house with a small garden, and where to have several dogs running around.
If you have reached the end, without cheating, it could be for one of these reasons: You were really interested in knowing a little more about me, or you were bored (perhaps procrastinating?), or the story has hooked you. In any case I hope it has allowed you to get a better idea of who I am. If you want to contact me, do not hesitate to do it through the corresponding tab. I will be happy to answer you.
All the best
R.