Things Could Get Pretty Strange

In the last couple of weeks, Davan has made a decision that could change our lives pretty drastically.

As you probably remember, she and I took a little trip up to Vancouver so she could attend the pre-selection tour for the National Circus School in Montreal.  This was so she could try to attend their camp this summer, which is a two week program for 13-17 year olds.  They also have a one week program for 9-13 year olds.

Any-who, as you probably also remember, she put together an audition packet for Circus Smirkus, which would have been a 10 week performance tour deal.  She got the news that she was not invited to in person auditions on Thanksgiving.  She is still applying to their advanced camp, which is a two week camp.

So, as of a couple of weeks ago, this is where we stood - waiting to hear about camp from the National Circus School, knowing she wouldn't be doing the 10 week troopers program at Circus Smirkus and thinking about a new audition video for the 2 week advanced camp at Circus Smirkus.

Then, she watched this video and this video.  She burst into tears, hugged me and said, "Mom, I don't want to leave you, but that's where I really want to be!"

Davan had considered the high school a couple of years ago, but had recently decided that she didn't want to leave home.  That was that.  She just wasn't ready to move away.  Those two short videos blew that all away.  Mostly.  Actually, she still doesn't want to leave, but she really does want to do this program.

So, we've started working on pulling together what she needs for her application.  We decided that we'd:

A) Take things one step at a time.  Right now that step is just getting her application stuff in.  Next, it'll be the audition.

and

B)  She'd apply even if she didn't get a recommendation from the pre-selection tour.  One can, but one does not have overly good prospects of making it.  However, seeing as how it's a $50 application fee (plus, of course, another trip to Vancouver), we decided the experience would be good and it would be worth a shot.

I've put together some homeschool transcripts (she's supposed to have official transcripts, but I'm winging it a bit) and she's taken a standardized test for 7th grade (she's in 8th now, but 7th is the last year completed) to back up my claims on her abilities.

Meanwhile, we got this email:

Dear Candidate,

We are pleased to inform you that your application caught our attention during the recent Pre-Selection tour. Following our preliminary assessment, the National Circus School would like to invite you to apply for acceptance to the Circus and High School Studies (CES) program. You could register to the official Entrance Exam, in Montreal, February 18, in Toronto, February 2 or in Vancouver, February 3, 2012. The candidate who has succeeded the first part of the test will be invited to continue with the Academic test that will be conducted in collaboration with your actual academic institution in March 2012.

There is more, but you don't need to read the whole thing.  Davan was so excited to get this that she walked on air for days.  The letter did go on to say that if she didn't want to go to the high school at this point, or her parents said no, that she was welcome to come to camp.  As camp was all she was hoping for originally, this was pretty cool for her. 

I was so pleased for her after the rejection from Circus Smirkus.  Whew.

While we're taking this whole thing one step at a time; first application, then audition, then hearing if she's accepted, then deciding for sure if she'll go, we can't help but have lots of conversations that start with, "If you go away next year..."

It makes my heart hurt when I think of it too much.  I don't want to hold her back and we'd make it work, but...it's such a huge change for us to go from homeschooling to boarding school - maybe.

What a ride.