BootsnAll Intern – Chris Allen

BootsnAll Intern – Chris Allen
Author Bio

Wherever I’ve gone I’ve always asked the question “why”. Perhaps this is what has spurred me to a major in philosophy; someone once said philosophers are those people who have to understand the why (or something like that). I think I read it in a calendar somewhere. Portland State University in Oregon has its faults, but it has a strong philosophy department.

My other passion is experience. For some reason I have wanted to experience everything I could from day one. My family is full of stories about my adventures, and sometimes misadventures, as I explored anything and everything around me. Whether it was sticking worms in my mouth to see what they tasted like or poking long-dead animals to see what was inside, my mother knew I would be exploring – and lucky if she didn’t have to hose me off in the front yard.

After leaving the protective wings of my parents I was constantly on the move, rarely spending more than a year in any single location. This made holding down a job or going to school difficult, which is why I’m a senior at the ripe old age of 28. I figure graduating from a University will be a good goal for my 30^th birthday (and it will pretty much be on my 30^th birthday).

Attack of the Lifejackets!

Thankfully enough I invested in a whitewater rafting guide school, an investment which has allowed me some security in summer employment at least. After having seen more than 7000 miles of rivers in eight different states, I am planning on visiting Scotland during the coming summer to work on an international certification. Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are perfect hatching grounds for rafting and kayaking, and then branching out into other outdoor sports.

Then, after graduation, it’s off to Japan for a year to teach English; not because I know any Japanese, but because I can make enough money to pay off the students loans I’ve collected over the last ten years. Then off to China, which I have been studying, to hopefully live for a while and experience what I can. I’m supposed to take an around the world trip after that visiting friends in Australia, Kenya, Spain, Germany, England, and then my grandparents in Connecticut, but that’s a ways off.

Ultimately it’s off to grad school in Melbourne, Australia, but that’s a ways off as well and I have found from past experience that my plans tend to be subject to change with little notice.