peter balvanz biography

Peter Balvanz first went to Nepal as a student on the Pitzer College in Nepal study abroad program in the Fall of 1996.   A couple years after graduation from Swarthmore College in 1998, he returned as an intern to work with Pitzer College’s hospitality program.   The hospitality program is designed to assist ailing villagers from certain regions of the country navigate the urban hospital system while following up on and explaining their out-patient and in-patient care.   When this year expired he became part of the study abroad team assisting with student integration into the culture and helping with the academic logistics. 

Peter continued his work with Pitzer College for five additional years where he served as Academic Coordinator and then Coordinator for the program.   In 2004 when the conflict in Nepal forced Pitzer College to move across the border to India, Peter was an integral part in helping to set up a new program in the Nepali speaking region of Northeast India including the Darjeeling District and Sikkim.   There he had a large role in locating people, places, and activities that would support the academic curriculum of the program, thus providing students with a greater variety of specific study options within the region.

During his stay in India he was introduced to permaculture through an intensive two week course outside of Kalimpong taught by Rico Zook (internal link) and Josho Simone.

Concurrently, Peter traveled with Rico (insert internal link) to the Western and Eastern ghats of India in the early months of 2007 to learn more about the site-specific designs incorporated into distinct ecological systems while integrating their thoughts for this course.  

Fluent in the Nepali language, Peter has traveled extensively through Nepal whether it be by bus, bicycle, taxi or foot.