Three possible triggers behind the arrival of 50,000 people in Ceuta

Gonzalo Castro, who left Argentina as a teenager and returned after 23 years, has shared his reasons for choosing to come back. His decision was not driven by nostalgia or a preference for one country over another, but rather by a deeper personal journey. The return to Argentina marks a turning point in his life, one that he describes as being fully in his control. Castro’s story began in 2002, when he was 18 years old and studying film direction. At the time, he had friends from school, neighborhood, and even some new acquaintances from his diploma program. His parents ran a successful video production company, which played a central role in their lives. While his father had always dreamed of moving abroad, several incidents of insecurity, such as thefts and even a kidnapping, shifted the balance toward leaving Argentina. Initially, Castro wasn’t eager to go, as he felt comfortable in Argentina economically. However, he followed his family's decision, supported by the presence of relatives in Spain and the availability of Spanish passports. “I was doing well financially in Argentina,” Castro explains. “My parents sold the business to a friend with the intention of starting exactly the same enterprise in Spain. We also had two houses that were entrusted to friends, and these properties were linked to a third that was mortgaged for a business venture.” Unfortunately, the reality of their move turned out very differently than they had imagined. “The company was never paid to us. They kept it. My father trusted, didn’t make contracts because he believed in the word of a friend, and that trust cost us dearly. They never paid for the company, and we lost it. With the houses, similar things happened. The people who were living there stopped paying, remained as squatters for many years, and this led us to lose those properties too. On top of that, many things were sold off hastily with the intent to emigrate. In the end, we went from having a very solid economic position to facing a major financial crisis.” Castro reflects on the emotional impact of the decision. “Looking back today, going away was a big choice and an experience I would repeat, but the cost was enormous. Not only did we lose a significant part of our inheritance, but the first few years in Spain were extremely difficult because we started almost from scratch and carried quite a bit of debt to get the business up and running again.” The transition was marked by mixed emotions. It took him two years to begin adapting to life in Spain, during which he struggled with the loss of everything behind him and the manner in which they had left. Yet, he also found himself embracing the idea of being somewhere else, a feeling he says he hadn’t recognized until later. This sense of hope was overshadowed by the pain of change. Upon arriving in Spain, Castro was struck by the calmness and order he had not experienced in Argentina, which was undergoing a period of turmoil. He recalls the initial days in Barcelona, where life seemed peaceful and unhurried compared to the fast-paced environment of Buenos Aires. “My arrival in Spain was filled with conflicting emotions,” he says. “On one hand, there was great sadness for leaving everything behind and for how we had left. On the other, there was a part of me that embraced the idea of being in a different place. Especially after all my family had gone through with the insecurity and the desire to see more of the world. But that excitement was completely hidden by the pain of change.”