Ep 16: Raesha Ismail – "Rich lessons in life from the corner dairy”

The corner dairy is a familiar part of our landscape. The lives lived inside unknown to those just passing. Raesha Ismail was nine years old when her family bought the dairy on Springs Road, Christchurch. For a child it was a space full of treats that offered a joyful time. There, her parents modelled the meaning of very hard work and responsibility that saw Raesha and two of her brothers through university. Seven days a week and just two half-days off each year, with family life integrated into the shop, in a place that was part of the social fabric. Over time she’d experience those micro-aggressions and familiar stereotypes that some individuals seem unable to live without, and her early coping mechanisms included a kind of reactive, even self-mocking humour. Gender constructs might have limited others but Raesha found her own voice and, importantly, her own sense of identity, through determination and a sense of social justice.The death of her cricket-loving brother, Junaid, in the March 2019 mosque attacks called on all the strength and balance of her family and the support of those around them from the reputation they had earned.Her work now in culturally responsive, solution-focussed counselling means listening with intent and offering hope to others, especially for those with addictions and those experiencing shame. She quotes the line that “the opposite of addiction is connection” – connection to self and connections to those around us. Connection, belonging, identity are powerful elements in this korero.