Engage Blog

Dolly Brittan

Dolly Brittan has been a resident of Burbank Senior Artists Colony since 2009. She teaches Transcendental Meditation, which she has been practicing since she was in her twenties, to residents at BSAC and at The Piedmont in North Hollywood. Below, she shares some of her fascinating personal history and one of her poems:

I am from South Africa and was encouraged to move to the States by my children, who all live here, when my husband of 52 years passed away. I moved straight into BSAC.

Unfortunately, South Africa, my beautiful country, where I was born and bred, had become too dangerous to live in, especially alone. It has become a corrupt country, where murder, robbery, rape, and hijacking happen on a daily basis. I and my husband had been hijacked, with guns held to our heads, and our car, watches and wallets taken. Luckily, we were not hurt, although very roughly handled.

My husband was an architect and I qualified as an early childhood educationist. I was Principal of a Hebrew Nursery school for 27 years and lectured at the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg in Early Childhood Education. I can proudly say that, after fighting for many years with the Provincial Government, I was the first school to be allowed to enroll black children during the segregated, iniquitous, apartheid era.

When I was pregnant with my third child, I was bored at home, as I had worked all my life. So I went back to University to study Marriage and Family Counseling. When I qualified, I worked on a voluntary basis for 19 years for an organisation called FAMSA – Family and Marriage South Africa - and then started my own private practice. I have now been practising for 41 years.

When the course at University ended, I, together with a friend, started a Non-Government Organization called “Small Beginnings.” We targeted and trained black woman who were looking after children in the deep rural areas in what was know as the Eastern and Northern Transvaal. We eventually had four training schools where we trained other trainers in English, who then trained women in all the African languages of that area. I sometimes drove 7 hours in one day to get to these areas, taught all day, and then drove home.

During this time, after Nelson Mandela was released and became President, I was  one of 150 people from the whole country who received Anti-Racism and Diversity Training, which so desperately needed to be taught in the post apartheid era. Out of this, and because I had lectured in appropriate literature for young children and had had stories published in South Africa, came the request from Rosen Publishers in New York to write a series of books for immigrant children in American schools. I wrote 6 books called “Celebrating the Civilizations of South East Asia.” They were about Vietnam, the Hmong, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines. In between assignments, they asked me to write a book called “Let’s Talk about Cheating” for their series called “Let’s Talk About…”

Why did I start writing poetry and when? When I fell in love with my sculpture teacher here at BSAC. He started writing poems to me and I wanted to respond. I did, but wasn’t sure it was poetry, so I joined the BSAC poetry class.

When I arrived in the U.S., I was a complete stranger; the only person I knew in California was my daughter. I am garrulous and love people and decided to avail myself of every activity offered, mainly in order to meet people! To my surprise, I found that I could paint in acrylic and watercolor. I could draw and sculpt, I could act in plays, and write both prose and poetry. But my most satisfying and enjoyable activity is being part of the mentoring program and working with the at-risk students from the school next door. So, being at BSAC has given me a second innings in my life, made wonderful friends, and helped me discover much joy, satisfaction and many hidden talents.

 AMERICA

What is becoming of us, this World Power?

The Country that was a harbor, an anchor,

an example to the rest of mankind?

Why do we not learn from history?

The rise and fall of the Roman Empire,

Is it now the rise and fall of America?

Where corrupt politicians

ruled by faceless corporations,

represent their own aggrandizement,

rather than their country and it’s people.

They bubble up from a cesspool

making false promises,

grasping for fame.

And the uneducated follow like sheep.

America has become fertile ground for

greed, corruption and lies.

A vacuous star studded world

masking a vacant intelligence.

Hyped and influenced by violence,

mayhem, hatred, and war.

If only the obsession with sports would satisfy

the testosterone filled, combative,

macho men, and their audience.

Certainly a better alternative

to murder, rape and brutality.

Life is all dressed up in the excitement of

a Halloween world…

instant gratification.

A façade covered by glitter and gloss.

Ethics, values and morals based on

a “Trick or Treat!” premise.

And yet, and yet! What makes us tick?

Huge, virile football players

wearing pink ribbons

showing their support for

the scourge of breast cancer.

Why do we need earthquakes,

hurricanes, floods, disasters,

to show who we truly are?

When faced with enormous tragedy and destruction

people rally round and become heroes.

Performing feats of inconceivable

bravery and sacrifice.

Showing the true colors of the nature of man,

filled to the brim with compassion, love and generosity.

A shot of adrenaline and a

glimmer of hope shines through!

 © 2011 Dolly Brittan