The Ditmas Park Word: Ismael Maldonado & Madineyah Isaacs
From new transplants hailing from places across the city, country and globe to residents who have lived in our area for decades, our neighborhood is home to an amazingly diverse collection of people. This interview is part of our “The Ditmas Park Word” series, in which we’ll get to know some of our wonderful neighbors who make our community what it is today. For our latest addition, we interviewed Ismael Maldonado and Madineyah Isaacs about their transatlantic love and what brought them to Ditmas Park.
How long have you lived in the neighborhood? Ismael: I have lived here for five years. I grew up in Borough Park and I’m close to my mom so I wanted to move to a neighborhood where I was still near her.
Madineyah: I moved here one and half years ago from South Africa.
How did you two meet? Ismael: She was on holiday in the U.S. and stayed at a hostel where I was performing stand-up comedy. She came up after the show and said to me, “I thought you were really funny.” I thought it was just another audience member giving me a compliment. She told me that she worked in media in South Africa with other comedians and that I “stood out.” So I asked her if we could hang out together while she was in town.
Madineyah: But nothing romantic happened during that trip. There was definitely sparks, but I met him right after a stint in Qatar in the Middle East and I wanted to settle back home in Cape Town. However, I could not get this Brooklyn boy out of my mind. Back home, as I was turning 29 years old I decided I was ready to settle down. I meditated about it, and Ismael came into my mind. I spoke to a good friend and she told me I needed to go to New York to see what this was about. So I put that intention out there even though I did not know how I could afford the trip. And as fate would have it, a wealthy family whom I had worked for in the past heard about this desire and out-of-the-blue offered to pay for the trip. I flew to New York on January 31, 2013 for a two-week visit and after a week, Ismael asked me to stay.
Ismael: I said to her I hardly know you, but let’s see what is going to happen with us.
Madineyah: So I made the dreaded call to my parents and told them that I’m not coming home. We dated for just over a year and married last March in Cape Town, South Africa.
Ismael: I proposed via Skype because she had gone back to South Africa for four months. I also asked her father’s permission via Skype. Skype is my favorite app.
What was your wedding like? Madineyah: As my family is orthodox Muslim, we got married in a mosque. I wanted to respect my family’s traditions but also wanted to embrace the modern Western world so we had a quaint, quirky wedding by any Muslim standard. It was a great balance, I even got my sweet, old religious mom dancing!
Ismael: We also got married in New York City at City Hall and my family in Long Island surprised us with a second reception.
What do you like about the neighborhood? Ismael: I love the diversity, to be able to walk around and see mosques, temples, churches and people of all different religious and cultures living together. To me a utopia is when people of different backgrounds interact and learn from one another. I came from a Hispanic family and I grew up in Borough Park, which was mostly Jewish. But I wanted to be in a community where there were a lot of different cultures.
Madineyah: We don’t just live here, we love here. I love the community. I never expected that I would know so many of my neighbors. It is very comforting walking down the street and to know so many people. Working at Stems has allowed me to meet many people. If I go to Connecticut Muffin and the Flatbush Food Coop they are so friendly to me. I also love the free meditation at the library on Saturday afternoons.
What is missing in our neighborhood? Ismael: Nothing. There are great cafes, coffee shops, organic food markets, and it keeps developing.
Madineyah: A communal outdoor space where people can hang out.
Finish this sentence…Ditmas Park is… Ismael: Community.
Madineyah: Love, I feel a lot of love here.
Do you feel you are settled in Ditmas Park? Ismael: Absolutely.
Madineyah: Yes, our intention is to purchase an apartment here.
Do you have a favorite store in the neighborhood? Madineyah: The Flatbush Food Coop because you can get healthy food and a nice dinner from the deli.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in the neighborhood? Ismael: San Remo makes quality pizza.
Madineyah: Sycamore’s daily rotation of food vendors.
What is the neighborhood’s best kept secret? Ismael: The best-kept secret is the bar at Sycamore. People walk by and think it is just a bar, but there is a flower shop, a bar with an extensive whiskey selection, and a beautiful courtyard in back with a daily rotation of food from different vendors.
Madineyah: I recently stumbled upon the best-kept secret—the small street in our neighborhood called Buckingham Road that leads into Albemarle Road. It is a wide road with majestic homes.
We live in a very diverse neighborhood, how meaningful is that to you? Ismael: It is everything. Coming from a traditional family where people stuck to their own kind, it is a breath of fresh air. It is the real NYC experience to be surrounded by so many different kinds of people.
Madineyah: I feel like I fit in here.
What do you think of Brooklyn’s newfound popularity? Madineyah: I think it is well deserved. In Cape Town you see a lot of Brooklyn T-shirts.
Ismael: Brooklyn has always been fantastic, although some people have just discovered it now.
What is your profession? Madineyah: I’m a life coach. I trained in Italy and London with Lucca Leadership, which is a transformative leadership organization. As a life coach I help people bridge the gap from where they are now to where they want to be. Prior to this, I worked as a radio DJ and producer and while I was doing that I took a leadership course and it changed my life so much that I knew I wanted to impact people in that way too. It took me four years to make the transition to be a life coach while I was receiving my training. (Madineyah’s life-coaching website: www.madineyah.com)
I also work at Stems one day a week because I love flowers and enjoy engaging with everyone in the community. In addition, I started a Women’s Circle in the community where we meet once a month to do a guided meditation, watch inspiring videos, share, and have a potluck dinner. All women are welcome and can email me at info@madineyah.com for more info.
Ismael: I’m a stand-up comedian. I studied sketch and improvisation at People’s Improv Theater. I have been performing for eight years. Highlights have been performing with the writers of the award-winning show, ‘The Daily Show’, on college tours throughout the country and internationally in South Africa. When I was young, I was always the funny guy. I used to stand up in class and tell stories to make people laugh. It is easy to make your friends laugh, but to make strangers laugh is an art form.
What inspires your comedy writing? Ismael: My comedy and my voice have evolved. My humor is autobiographical; I talk about myself and like the audience to feel that they know me via my performance. I’m Hispanic, but I talk about not feeling a part of that community and that I feel like the black sheep in my family and the funny things that happen as a result.
For the last year, I have been talking in my act about growing up Catholic and Hispanic in a Hasidic community and then marrying a Muslim girl. I do a routine where I talk about having the job of turning off the lights on the Sabbath for my neighbors and that they would reward me with a lot of cookies. Then how disappointed I was when I went home and turned out all of the lights in my own house and would not get any cookies.
I enjoy telling stories about the three religions that have impacted my life in a personal way. I want to make the audience laugh and to take away certain stereotypes.
What is the best compliment that you have ever received regarding your work? Ismael: I received it just the other night. A woman said to me, “You were the only comedian up on stage, who made me think.” It was fantastic to hear that, it is the whole point.
Madineyah: Someone who I coached last month said, “Thank you, you gave me my life back.”
Do you have a favorite quote? Ismael: “Life is never easy for those who dream.” – Robert James Waller
Madineyah: “If you don’t know where you want to be in five years… you’re already there.” – Brad Sugars. This is my personal philosophy. If you are not going to do anything to take your life where you want it to be, how do you expect your life to change?
If you know someone you’d love to see featured in this series, let us know! You can email us at editor@ditmaspark.com.