Travel, Medicine And Life In Malta – A Conversation with Simone.
Article by Kathleen Spiteri Hogan for ZigZag Magazine.
Free, relaxed, and self-proclaimed ever-changing, Simone Bottai navigates life with a sense of adventure and optimism. From growing up in a small town in Italy, to studying medicine at the University of Malta, he’s lived a life full of twists and turns, embracing new experiences with a constant curiosity.
From the age of 11, Simone started working up until he graduated. He attended university,studying physics for a year and a half, until he was offered a job working on wind turbines. Eventually, he got tired of his small town and decided to join a friend on a three-month trip, visiting countries like Spain, France, and Morocco. It wasn’t long after he returned to Italy that he resolved to try living abroad.
Living in London was certainly different. From the quiet seclusion of small-town life to the bustling atmosphere of a large city—it had to be exciting. He spoke English, worked at a Chinese restaurant, then moved on to working at a pub, enjoying all that it had to offer. But not every change was a welcome one. As you can imagine, loving the outdoors, the sun, and the sea, made it difficult to stay in a rainy city like London, so he booked a ten-day trip back to Italy.
Unfortunately, he was met by more rain, which prompted him to fly to Malta. There, having finally found what he’d been searching for, he quit his job in London and made the move. He soon felt at home, quickly making friends and getting a job in construction. Since moving in 2014, he now has a career giving tours, as he plans to stay and complete his studies to become a doctor.
After the pandemic, Simone decided he needed to do something more, when all of a sudden, he started receiving books on his desk about neurology and psychiatry. He has two people to mention for the motivation they gave him to go to university again. One of them having offered words of encouragement; and the other not seeing it as a good idea at all—the same person who left him those books thinking they would discourage him.
This only made him want to prove himself more, as he realised medicine has always been a constant in his life, from the way he used to play when he was young, to the books he used to read with his mum. Always having a curious mind and a love of science, studying came naturally; and at the age of 32 he did his A-Levels. Making that choice is never easy, but taking from his words, questioning ourselves is inevitable and shouldn’t mean we are discouraging ourselves.
To study medicine felt like fulfilling his calling (in spite of the exam nerves). Now in his second year, he balances university life with his job as a tour guide, doing kayaking, paddleboarding, mountain biking, and climbing. Speaking of which, kayaking is actually how he met his girlfriend, who just recently proposed to him.
After spending ten years together, she made her plan and bought the ring. They’d gone for a swim, and as he got out of the water, she asked him to marry her. This was no surprise to Simone though, as he’d told her when they first met that if she wanted to get married, she’d have to ask—doing it on her terms, just like they’d promised.
So how has Simone managed to lead such a fulfilling life? He draws inspiration from his grandfather’s relaxed outlook, believing that anger and negativity are simply wasted energy. He also lives by his father’s words—to smile—because, as his father would say, life is beautiful. To Simone, success means having the freedom to do what you want without arbitrary restraints.
Mistakes don’t matter to him; it’s how he responds to them that truly counts.
