People travel to Latin America for various reasons. Some go for business. Others want to visit the country where their ancestors were born or their grandparents currently live.

Often groups of friends and extended family members choose Mexico or another Latin American country for their annual vacation.

Still others simply have an adventurous, curious spirit and want to embrace the beauty and the customs of the different Latin American countries themselves. That’s why Kieran Rooney traveled to Latin America.

Born in Belfast, Ireland, Kieran was always drawn to the romance and the culture of Latin America; he knew that one day he would set out to travel through all the countries and come to learn more about himself as he explored the customs of others.

In 2000, he brought those traveling plans to fruition and ventured out; Argentina was his first stop.

First impressions can last a lifetime

From when he first set foot on Argentinian soil, Kieran was pleasantly surprised how laid back everyone was in Buenos Areas. The tempo was much s-l-o-w-e-r and less frantic than what he was used to after having lived and worked in the major bustling cities of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

From the make and model of cars on the roads, the conversations on the sidewalks, the courtesies extended in the local shops and eateries, and the charismatic individuals he met in the pubs, Kieran felt like he was back in the 1970s.

And he loved it.

When he’d stop someone on the street to ask for directions or inquire about the best place to enjoy a leisurely afternoon beside the warmth of an open fire grilling up asado, the Argentineans would happily take their time to talk with him.

Everyone was so personable without hesitation; everyone looked him in the eyes when they spoke; everyone made him feel like they had been friends for years.

Kieran was so profoundly moved from his wonderful experience in Argentina that, for a moment, he thought maybe he’d forgo the rest of his travel plans and simply stay in Argentina for a longer while instead.

Gabriella, a native of Argentina and one of the new friends he made in a local pub while attending an Ecela meeting, however, wouldn’t hear of it; she insisted he continue on his journey through Latin America as planned.

The roads less traveled often bring the most surprises.

So, from Argentina, Kieran continued on with his impromptu travel plans.

He went south to Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Brazil and then went north to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama ~ all the while keeping his new-found Argentinian friends on his mind and in his heart.

Preparing for being unprepared.

Kieran found that the best way for him to prepare himself for his adventures throughout Latin America was to – first and foremost – learn one of the romance languages of the region ~ either French, Portuguese, or Spanish.

Since Spanish is the predominant language of Latin America and is spoken as the first language by 60% of the population, Kieran decided to learn conversational Spanish. He knew that the only way to fully submerse in the culture, customs, and conversations on his journey, he would need to speak the same language as those who live there (or at the very least show the people on his journey’s path that he was trying his very best to learn the language).

So Kieran searched the internet and found Ecela.

While there were many components of their language programs that attracted him, one deciding factor to use their services was the fact that he was able to connect with other individual travelers throughout Latin America who were also using the Ecela services.

Having this “safety net” and constant “go to” resource that he could count on instantly removed some of his initial trepidations of traveling alone in a country where he had never previously journeyed. Several times throughout his experience abroad he met with other students and directors from Ecela at organized meetings at local pubs and eateries.

Connecting with Ecela “definitely eased me into the culture, the language, and helped me to find my bearings, and obviously continue with my travels,” shared Kieran during a recent interview about his experience as a student of Spanish and traveler in Latin America.

Learn through your experiences (and the experiences of others).

While everyone has their own experiences, goals, and plans when traveling abroad, there are certain protocols that, when learned in advance, can help to make the international experience that much better for everyone. For Kieran, there were many learning experiences.

For starters, he shared that it’s not important to wait until you feel you’ve mastered the language in order to travel or to attempt to speak it.

Natives from the countries you visit will appreciate your honest and humble attempt at communicating with them in their own native language.

So, even if the grammar and gender in your word choices are not correct, keep implementing what you learn in Ecela’s programs and keep speaking Spanish!

Next, acknowledge and appreciate the fact that people from different countries have a different outlook on things.

“Where people from the States or Europe would be accustomed to saving money,” explained Kieran, “they get paid and the want to save so much money. In Argentina, no one saves money. They spend it as they get paid. If they earn a hundred dollars, they have it spent…They won’t even keep a dollar of it! That is just their mindset.They have different outlook on things all together.”

Third, Argentinians are not hung up on, distracted by, or impressed by someone’s job or material possessions. “I’ve found living in other countries that the first thing people would often say to me is ‘What do you do?’” explained Kieran.

While that might be a natural question in America or another country, in Argentina they find it very rude to ask someone that.

“People aren’t hung up on status or whether you’re a lawyer or a doctor. It’s more the type of person you are. Whether you are someone that they can relate to, have something in common with, or can share a laugh with."

After Kieran continued on his journey through Latin America, he returned to Argentina ~ where he married Gabriella, the beautiful Argentinian girl he met at the pub the night he went there to attend a meeting with other Ecela students. Today Kieran and Gabriella have two young boys and continue to live in Buenos Aires.

They own and operate two businesses in the city. One is a 100+ year old renovated hotel that welcomes guests from all over the world. The other is a travel agency that offers many unique customized and pre-planned tours, including a popular Pope Francis Tour that leads guests through the streets and favorite spots of Pope Francis when he lived in Buenos Aires as the Arch Bishop of Buenos Aires.

People travel to Latin America for various reasons. For Kieran Rooney, his initial pursuit of adventure turned out to be a truly life-enhancing experience!

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