2nd Day in the UK

According to my new English friends I have been blessed with two consecutive days of sun - I guess the weather here is usually more damp and cloudy. After getting accustomed to sunny, Colorado days I'm glad to have good weather on my first few days. I'm also glad because I walked to an area of the city called Clifton today to meet my supervisor for the first time. It was a good visit and I'm looking forward to working with him. His name is Steve Finamore and he is the principle of the Bristol Baptist College, one of the older "free", Christian training schools in all the world. The plaque at the door of the school attests to that as it records that the institution was founded in 1679. Everything is much older here than in the US. In fact, so much so that they even put signs on the street to alert drivers to "elderly people crossings". A nice gentleman was willing to pose for me : 0 )

Do you recognize the tree (pic above)? No, I didn't take an overnight flight back to Chile, but it is the national tree of Chile, called an Araucania, or in English a "monkey puzzle tree." It was right next door to the Baptist college. Finally, as I walked from the Baptist College I went through an area called Clifton Downs where there was a number of English prep schools. The high school age students were all dress in coat and ties with fancy black dress shoes. The little ones were also wearing coats and ties and girls skirts - kind of a Hogwarts look without the capes. I did see a field there where they must play quiddich, but someone suggested to me that it might be where they play rugby. Anyway, Jake and Jonny, how would you like to wear uniforms like that to school instead of sweats and shorts? Well, I guess you both did wear those type of uniforms when you went to St. Johns and Wessex in Concepcion.

I miss you family!