He is originally from Trelew, his dream was to travel and through his work he visited 84 countries: “The American dream is possible, but it is not free”

During his teenage years in Trelew, province of Chubut, Andres Castelo played to be Argentina’s ambassador to United Nations. An interest that was not common among his high school friends. However, even today he remembers that at the age of 15 he wrote letters to his friends stating that it was his job. The same thing happened with the embassies: every time he went to Buenos Aires with his parents, he asked them to go through them, he wanted to pick up brochures, take cards. He wanted to know the world.

Generating international relationships, traveling and experiencing different cultures have been, for as long as he can remember, part of his list of goals. He recently completed 16 years living in the United States, occupies an office that is owned by the UN and has already traveled through 84 countries. “I made my dreams come true, but I always have to go further”, he assures during a telephone conversation with Infobae of an airport, how could it be otherwise.

Its story begins with that of many people who seek opportunities outside their homeland. Then the luck is uneven. Castelo believes he was able to succeed professionally on a competitive field like New York after cementing every stage. Faced with a new tourist adventure, this time to Ghana, he is ready to share his formula and to go his way.

The born man made 41 years in Argentinian Patagonia, he always told those close to him that he would move to Buenos Aires and devote himself to exploring each continent. At the start of his adolescence, he was already considering his future. His parents, although they supported him, did not take such a decision seriously.

But indeed, at 18, and as he had anticipated his mother, he left his home for the federal capital. He studied international relations at the Kennedy University. Later on, it was time to “try your luck” in the United States. Houston, the most populous city of Texas, was the chosen site.

“I knew that my field of action was not in Trelew, I wanted to belong to an international organization, or to be a diplomat. In 2006, I obtained an internship at Consulate of Argentina, which was a great experience. This led to a working relationship. I worked the first years in Houston, where I had knowledge, and later in new York», He reports.

After the first job, he felt the time had come to try it out in the place of his dreams, the place of his first letters, the United Nations. Revive: “I have applied for over a year for many positions, it is a very competitive process. They started calling me, I took exams, general, specific, and found myself at the office of Fight against terrorism United Nations. ”So thirteen years ago he came to“ her ”place.

Her job as a program management assistant is to get countries to create anti-terrorism legislation, which has enabled her to travel to distant destinations such as Malaysia, in Southeast Asia, or Niger, in West Africa, exchanging legislative knowledge in each location.

“It was great to attend the General Assembly when it is in session. I was in 2018 and 2019, in 2020 he was suspended due to the pandemic. It was impressive to be present when the President of our country (at the time Mauricio Macri), the French Emmanuel Macron or Máxima Zorreguieta (the Argentine queen consort of the Netherlands) spoke; They were practically next to me, I will never forget that ”.

Along with their daily life in Bronx, uno de los distritos de Nueva York donde habita una comunidad latina y afroamericana muy significant – ”para muchos todavía es el estereotipo de las películas, un área de pandillas, pero no es así”, aclara- sigue tachando cada vez más países de su Agenda.

He is already 84 years old, shares the tours on his Instagram account @andres_the_traveler and underlines some of them: “What impressed me the most was EgyptSince I was a child, I dreamed of knowing the pyramids and when I had them in front of me I had goose bumps to imagine how they had been built, they are majestic ”. The India It was another of his favorite places: “I was very impressed with the culture regarding the dead; as many people travel to throw the ashes of their loved ones into the river when they die, it is a very moving ceremony, there is a very strong spirituality ”.

In his tour he also talks about Burma, or Burma, which since February 1 has suffered a military coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. There Castelo observed extreme conditions of poverty, and today he reflects: “There are many barefoot inhabitants, but no crime is observed and one could walk quietly. Sometimes poverty is associated with crime, but in this case they don’t think about harming each other; even because of a religious problem they think that it is their destiny and they end up accepting it, it is really very sad ”.

A repeated question he receives is how to achieve professional transcendence in North America. Is there a formula for those looking for options outside the country? He replies: “People think that if they come to the United States, there is only work in bars or restaurants. It’s being able to work with dignity, but that’s not the only alternative. Here, there are opportunities for everyone, but you have to offer your different qualities, ”he notes.

In his experience, the key to developing and getting the job you want is arrive with a diploma under your arm and, already in the new destination, promote these studies through scholarships.

“Beyond being received in Argentina, upon my arrival, I continued to study international trade; I came with my diploma in international relations. And I added English as a second language, ”he explains, and warns against a recurring custom: “When a lot of people come, they meet people from the same culture or who speak their language. Years go by and they don’t know how to speak English fluently, that’s limiting ”.

In this sense, he assures us that “the better we prepare in the United States, with a better education, a level of English, we can do better things, the key to success is to be trained and to be prepared. because it is a very competitive market, especially in New York “. “The American dream is possible, but it is not free, it is not easy, you have to work hard to achieve it”, ends.

The interviewee also provides his tips for “living while traveling”: “In my experience, it is important to have a stable job with the possibility of doing it remotely, from another location. But you also need to know how to travel, that is to say, know what day to look for tickets, for example do it between Tuesday and Thursday, because for example on weekends the pages have higher prices, and do it in advance or take advantage of last minute opportunities ”.

His recipe adds ingredients: “I travel in low season, I use my networks to contact hotels and so they always bring promotions. I also move to two or three star hotels and feel comfortable. You can travel with little money. Another recommendation is to rent apartments to cook and thus save; also travel with little luggage to use public transport more easily ”.

Andrés was one of the first Argentines to be infected with COVID-19, in March 2020. He went through the disease when little was known in the United States and remembers that “I had no idea what drugs to take. take and I ran out of smell, but until then it was not identified as a symptom of the virus”.

The uncertainty of this moment contrasts with the scenario that looms right now. According to Castelo, “since June New York is back to what it was before”. He speaks of a, until a few months ago, “ghost town, epicenter of the pandemic”, which now lives “practically normal” from a “super massive” vaccination campaign.

The change of scenery allowed him to continue his travels. He no longer goes to large central station from Manhattan to take the train to his office and stresses that the United Nations is very cautious about the evolution of the pandemic, which is why the tasks operate in a hybrid format, running face-to-face and in virtuality.

When asked what are the new goals he is considering, he explains that he wants to continue to know the countries because life “is based on the realization of projects and the generation of energy to move forward” . Regarding his career, he seeks to climb the ladder and enter the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “My greatest achievement would be to help people who have suffered conflict and been displaced from the areas where they reside,” he describes.

Throughout the conversation, repeat the word “dreams” more than ten times. “Work” about six and “effort” several more. If necessary, he evokes neither “conviction” nor “positive attitude”, implicit values ​​that he lets hover in the environment while he says goodbye because he must embark on his African adventure. You must continue.

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