Academic Affairs staffer visits Bolivia

by April Schulthies

Patricia Ayaviri loves to travel.

Originally from Mexico, the support staff member in Academic Affairs spent a month during the 1997 Christmas season visiting her husband's family in Bolivia.

"It's so different from Mexico . I learned that just because they speak the same language, doesn't mean they do the same things," said Ayaviri. "Mexico has pretty much 60 percent of the same culture as Bolivia - the language, the religion. But Bolivia is a totally different country and has its own identity."

Ayaviri actually met her husband, Boris, at Fresno State. They were married last August in Fresno and spent their honeymoon in Cancun. The trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was like a second honeymoon. During days when El Niño wasn't bringing storms, she and her husband visited small towns like Concepcion and the San Javier missions.

An interesting aspect of some Bolivian families, Ayaviri said, is that their main residence is in Bolivia but they have jobs in other countries like Brazil or Venezuela. "There's a lot of Brazilian influence in Bolivia - from food, to music, to the way they dress," Ayaviri said.

Cheese is a mainstay of the Bolivian diet, according to Ayaviri. She described the Bolivian palate as tending toward salty cheese dishes rather than sweet dishes. For instance, when Bolivians serve tea around five in the afternoon, you won't find the sweet cookies you would find with a Mexican tea, but you will find biscuits cooked with cheese.

Ayaviri, who described her Mexican hometown as conservative, said her American education has given her a broad outlook on the world.

"I'm glad I'm here, because I have so many opportunities," she said. "I am who I am right now because of the support and the unity of my family."