Six-year wait worth it for Castillo

• Estefany Castillo and Matt Froderman

ryan mcgaughey/daily globe Estefany Castillo and Matt Froderman pose Monday in front of Worthington’s pupuseria, which serves authentic El Salvadoran food.

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WORTHINGTON — For six years, Estefany Castillo lived with her aunt in El Salvador while her mother established a new life in the U.S.

Then, at age 11, Estefany had her chance, coming to America and joining her mom and two younger siblings who had been born in Houston. She’s currently a second-year student in the PSEO program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

Estefany now lives in Worthington with her fiancé, Matt Froderman, in an environment a far cry from what she grew up in.

“My dad passed away before I was born,” she said. “I was 5 when my mom left me, and I was with my aunt — my mom’s sister. My aunt has 10 kids, and it was a really big house. I guess you could say that was enough for everybody, but I think at the same point there were 16 people living in that same house.”

Estefany lived in the El Salvadoran state of Cabañas, in the community of Ilobasco, prior to leaving the nation. Ilobasco is located about 30 miles from San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital city.

“It was pretty safe,” Estefany said of her native country. “There were a lot of gangs over there, but I never got hurt or anything.”

That doesn’t mean that crime didn’t directly affect her family, however.

“My aunt’s husband, he got kidnapped with his son, but they came back,” she remembered. “It was a really big deal and since he is well known in town, everyone thinks he’s rich. But he’s really not — he just works hard and helps people.”

Estefany and her family also experienced adversity following a deadly earthquake in early 2001.

“From that I just remember sleeping in the street for a week, maybe,” she recalled. “My family was in the street; we didn’t sleep inside a house because we were afraid it would collapse on us.”

Estefany first came to Texas upon arriving in the U.S. and then moved with her mom to Lexington, Neb., where her mom was employed at a Tyson meat-packing plant. She was in ESL classes in that community’s elementary school, but found herself to be a quick learner.

In some ways, Lexington shares similarities to Worthington, Estefany said.

“There was snow like here … and there were a lot of ESL kids,” she remembered. “But Lexington is so tiny. At first I was excited to move here because I thought, ‘There is a mall.”’

Estefany arrived in Worthington at age 14 and enrolled in eighth grade at Worthington Middle School. She didn’t need to be in ESL classes anymore, adding that she has continued to do well academically.

“I like history, and I’ve done very well in that,” she said. “But I don’t really like math or science.”

Estefany does like El Salvadoran food — she said pupusas (made with thick, hand-made corn tortillas and commonly filled with meat, cheese and beans) remain a favorite.

“Everyone knows El Salvador for their pupusas,” she said, adding that she and her fiancé are regulars at Crystal pupuseria in Worthington.

Faith is also important to Estefany, who is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. There is a difference between practicing religion in the U.S. as opposed to El Salvador, however.

“I think religion is a big deal,” she said of her native land. “When there’s a celebration here, they celebrate it, but in El Salvador it’s 10 times bigger.”

Estefany and Matt plan to marry sometime next fall in Sioux Falls, S.D. They also plan to move on from Minnesota West — potentially to Winona State. Matt is currently in Minnesota West’s law enforcement program, and also has an interest in personal fitness training. As for Estefany, “I’m thinking about being an immigration lawyer, but I don’t know. There are so many options. I still have time to figure that out.”

Eventually, Estefany hopes to return to El Salvador — “not to live there, but just to visit for a while.” Though her mother (who works at JBS) and now-three younger siblings live in Worthington, and an uncle and aunt also live in the U.S., she still would like to visit other family who remain in Central America.

“My brother, he’s 12, he recently went to El Salvador for almost a month,” Estefany said. “He loved it and was so happy to go over. He said, ‘Everything is so cheap. I can buy everything.”’

Tags: el salvador, our diverse community, news