Turns out...

                                                        Turns Out...

      So my last post I was kind of wondering if things were going to slow down. Turns out, no such thing. But maybe that's a good thing. I am happy to say tests and exams went really well. Still drowning with studying and homework, but I now know how to handle it. Another piece of really really good news: My "carte blanche" (Junior Choreography) has been chosen to be performed at the Xmas Showcase. We showed them all to our Contemporary teacher on Thursday, at the end of the class he said me and one other girl who also did a solo will be for sure performing them and he would re-see them on Tuesday, and choose another three. There were close to 15 different pieces in total from my class. 

This past week was insanely busy, and I didn't sleep much. The attacks on Paris last Friday left everyone on edge, and you could even see the teachers were a little tired. There are militants and police everywhere you go, a reminder of the terrible attacks and a reassurance at the same time. I went to Cannes with a counsellor and my best friend yesterday and there was so much extra security.  Anyways, the week was busy and not much free time but thats a good thing when you live in a highschool Res. 

Best wishes to everyone, I miss you all so much.
xoxo

Toute Suite

           
                                 Toute Suite

First, so sorry I haven't posted in so long!! Crazy busy right now.

          The last week of school before break was great. My dad flew from Amsterdam to Nice the morning of the Friday the 17th, then after my classes that day we flew to Amsterdam together and met my mom and brother at the airport in Amsterdam. I had an AMAZING holiday traveling around Europe and visiting extended family in Germany.  This past Sunday morning, they dropped me off at school to head off on an 11 hour car ride to Madrid where their plane took off not the next morning but the next to head to Managua, Nicaragua.  Seven weeks until I'll see them again, not very long.

         Now I've had a week back and things are in never-stop-working-exams-are-coming mode. This coming week is crazy busy with school and then the next  the same, plus dance exams. Seven weeks until Christmas Break, seven weeks until our Christmas Performance, days to prepare for tests, barely a week to prepare for dance exams. So busy. My friends and I are nonstop quizzing each other. Also our artistic studies exams are this week... I need to go study. 

Miss everyone so much and hope to hear from you all soon
Best wishes

~A la Seconde~

                      
                             ~A la Seconde~

        Second week is underway. And I am finally starting to understand what is going on around me. Last week was... well I'm glad its over, it was impossible to understand anything, as my entire program is in french. I have been in Late French Immersion for two years, and while that has helped, I have also realized how little french I speak. As of Thursday last week, things have calmed a bit.  My classes have settled too.  You don't really have to speak in ballet or contemporary classes, so that is a relief as well as the fact that my teachers are absolutely amazing. I am (sort of) making friends who are mostly italian but some french. My roommate is English speaking; she also doesn't speak french. BUT because she is a year younger she isn't in my class, so we decided to switch rooms so I'll be rooming with another girl from my class, also international, and not french speaking. It is hard (if not impossible) for us to communicate because she speaks japanese. I should go now, so...

xoxo

                               Travel Time!

        

           I took a plane from Vancouver to London a few days ago, and after a long and slightly stressful journey I'm finally in Europe! I said goodbye to my family at the airport, went through security, and boarded the plane. The flight was long and tiring, and I didn't manage to sleep. At all. :( So I arrived in London, ready to crash. I got lost trying to find Immigration multiple times, before finally finding it. The border officer asked a lot of questions before deciding he wanted to talk to my grandparents (who were picking me up) before letting me through. He wanted to make sure they were there, which is... whatever. But then I was brought to the detaining room, while he tried to get a hold of my grandparents. The detaining room is pretty terrifying, especially for a 12 year old travelling alone, considering the people that are generally in it. Generally scary people. And of course, my grandparents couldn't hear their cellphones going off, multiple times, and my mom wasn't answering my (illegal) texts to her. So I waited almost an hour in that room. Finally, my mom got a hold of my grandparents, who of course were there and waiting. And I got a hold of her. The border guard talked to my parents and made sure that they were my parents and were telling the truth. Nothing like watching a border guard grill your parents over the phone in a detaining room! So they finally let me through, and I got lost again trying to find the baggage carousel from Vancouver. When I found it, mine was the last bag going around, as everyone else from my flight had already gotten their bags and left. After that, I found my grandparents and they took me back to a friend's place in London, a beautiful, huge, Victorian style house. We went out for dinner at my favourite restaurant in London, and then went home and crashed. Yesterday we went out for coffee in the morning, and in the afternoon we went into Downtown London, visited the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet School, did some shopping, ate dinner, then went to a broadway style performance.  Today we are taking a flight from London to Nice, where in the next few days I will move into my school in Cannes.

~I'm aspiring to be a ballerina~

~I'm aspiring to be a ballerina~

      

        As you may already know, my family goes on a year        sabbatical every five years. When I was younger, it was easier to  miss a year of dancing and be able to catch up. But as a twelve year  old, missing a year wasn't an option if I wanted to have a career in  dance, which I do. So that meant I couldn't travel with them.    Eventually we came to the conclusion that I would audition by  DVD to a few Professional Ballet Programs in Europe, as Europe  the main centre for dance. I was accepted to a school in  the south of France that has an amazing reputation and training, so  I took the offer. My training there starts in September and is  completely in French. So while my family travels around Europe,   South and Central America, I will be training in France and living in a residence the school owns. I will hopefully continue to train in  Europe for multiple years, even with my family possibly overseas.  I am so excited to embrace this amazing opportunity, and I would  like to thank Renée Salsiccioli, Carole Bonin, and Joanne Robbins  for training me all of these years, Mme. Bryar Wood for being my  amazing teacher, (also my Late French Immersion teacher for the  past two years) and basically everyone else.