Article written by Karen Lyddane
During the workweek, when you walk into The Woodlands from the sunny outdoors, you are welcomed by Astrid Castro with her kind words and smiling face. Yes, her whole face smiles in delight to see you! You can also be greeted by her on weekends, too. Her schedule may flex, and often does, but her smile is always on the same schedule.
Astrid is a “local,” being born right here in Fairfax, Virginia. Her mother, Olivia, lives in Centreville and is Astrid’s best friend. Olivia is from San Salvador in El Salvador. Her family moved to America when she was just two years old. She stayed in El Salvador until she was twelve.
Now, about Astrid’s name. She is named after the celebrated Venezuelan actress, model and beauty queen Astrid Carolina Herrera Irazabal, best known for winning Miss World 1984. How did Olivia know that her daughter would grow up perfectly into this name?
After graduating from Centreville High School, Astrid taught pre-school children. She enjoyed “Being able to teach young minds how to be polite, to share, and other things they need for later life.” This was a great experience for her, and it lasted about two years.
Next in Astrid’s career path was being receptionist for an Auto Body Shop. After six months, she became a Service Advisor. Astrid made sure that the cars were worked on from start to finish, ordering parts, contacting regarding updates, and arranging for rentals. Her favorite benefit was learning so much about vehicles – no one can scam or overcharge her!
Now comes the twist in Astrid’s career. Her husband, David Gomez, was requested by his employer to move to Durham, North Carolina. David is a truck driver for a company that has hubs in various states. Astrid had the advantage of life as a stay-at-home wife for a while. This was an advantage because during this time, she met many people, who to this day are friends she often visits. Without a doubt, Durham is her choice for vacation time. She visits her friends about every two months.
A remarkable coincidence happened when Astrid and David moved back to this area. A position became available at The Woodlands for daytime receptionist. Bingo! She applied and filled the position. Now, Astrid has great contentment, with plenty of opportunities to binge-watch TV with her mother or husband. Reading books, going to the park, and cleaning are also fun times. When all else fails, online shopping is it! Funny how often it’s recognizing and doing the basic things that bring the best lifestyle.
Astrid is a collector of Starbucks mugs. She has about 16 now, one from every city she’s visited. Honey-mustard, rather than Ketchup, is found on her fries. This all goes with her fun, exuberant personality. Seriously, though, Astrid credits her greatest life achievement by being “Kind always and to stand up for what is right, in a respectful manner, through hardships I’ve had to deal with in my life.” She chuckles throughout the day in sharing times with residents, and our own staff times with Astrid are guaranteed to bring smiles to our faces.
