RentMen:
What would you like your readers to know about you that is unique and even a bit personal?
SantiagoRossello:
My heritage seems to confuse many people. When someone sees me, they cannot pinpoint exactly what's my ethnicity or my heritage. Many guess Middle Eastern or Northern African. I get Brazilian very often, Egyptian, Lebanese or Palestinian... But I was born in Lloret de Mar, Catalunya. My mother is Cuban-Sardinian, and my dad is Catalan. I didn't get to live in Spain for long before my family moved to Argentina, where I lived from age 3 months until I was 13 and moved to the United States. I have tried to learn Catalan, since most of my father's side of the family are fluent and still liven Catalunya.
RentMen:
Tell us about the best experience you have had in life.
SantiagoRossello:
My most memorable experience was the time that I became stranded in Budapest, Hungary. This is a crazy story, but the summary of this is that I was vacationing in Hungary alone, as I sometimes like to do, and decided to visit Budapest after a week in Vienna with friends. When I arrived to Budapest, I stayed in a Hotel not too far from the Hungarian parliament, and the bridge that crosses into the more historic part of the city.
One of the mornings I was there, I took my camera, my backpack and left to explore the city by foot, as I often like to do. I visited the parliament building, a few gorgeous churches, the Buda castle, and the church of St Matthew near the fisherman's bastion. It was a great day, but as the night began to fall, I was ready to head back to my hotel... except my phone was dead, and I did not remember the name of my hotel... just had a vague idea of where it was. Long story short, I roamed all over Budapest at night looking for my hotel. It was a great experience to get lost and find my way in an unknown city, being unable to speak the language (not many people speak English in Budapest).
RentMen:
What distinguishes you from all the other people you know?
SantiagoRossello:
I’ve been told by many that I have a very energetic, expressive, and approachable face. They tell me that it’s very easy to talk with me because I submerge myself in the topic and I try to fully understand the conversation by asking questions, making comments, and even giving my own take on things. It really helps that I’m very knowledgeable on many things, too!
I have also been told that I have a very pretty and inviting smile, and the more excited I get, the more I smile and wave my arms. Apparently using excessive hand gestures is not common for Americans, but I grew up using my hands as props to illustrate a point lol. Expect plenty of that!
RentMen:
What is your specialty?
SantiagoRossello:
I have several areas where I absolutely excel and shine like a supernova.
I shine brightest in areas of political science, political philosophy, history, and literature.
In political science, my passion lies in comparative government and politics. I have Cuban heritage, so the study of democratic transition as well as electoral politics in post-authoritarian states is a big interest of mine. I love to study the former Soviet Union, and Latin America. I also am cursing my Masters in International Security, so I take a lot of interest in matters of insurgency and state fragility. I am a student of the British school of realism, and a big Machiavelli guy. History, politics, and philosophy are intertwined in ways that are very subtle yet important to the understanding of these disciplines.
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