Maltese abroad: 'I am a better person than when I first left'

Massimo Farrugia is a former Times of Malta reporter who now lives in Brussels works as a policy advisor to the European Parliament's delegations for the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

I followed my passions when choosing what to study. I picked theatre initially as a secondary field in my undergraduate but ended up enjoying it more than my other area, English, so I chose it as my major.

I never wanted to be an actor. That wasn’t what drew me to theatre. I was attracted by the interdisciplinary nature of the course offered by what is today the University of Malta's School of Performing Arts. It touched upon history, politics, anthropology, sociology, architecture, art, science and philosophy. The undergraduate experience gave me the mental flexibility I needed.

My diploma in Arabic followed my work at the Times. I had always had an intellectual interest in the language. As a reporter, it opened up a window to the Middle East and North Africa. Today, I work in the European Parliament's civil service covering Palestine and the Mashreq countries, so it comes in handy.

I like what I do, and I like to think it's relevant. I work in the External Policy Directorate-General of the...