When Hanan Dababneh hears something in the U.S. referred to as “old,” she always chuckles. “1800s is not old,” proclaims the Atlanta Lab Manager who is from Jordan, a Middle Eastern country with a history dating back thousands of years.
The eldest of 10 brothers and sisters, Hanan was raised on a large farm with acres of olive trees that all her siblings helped pick each fall. “We all had a love-hate relationship with this event,” Hanan remembers. “It was a lot of work, but it taught us the value of team work, helping family and being self-sufficient.”
Hanan lives her life in the same way, incorporating old traditions from Jordan with newer pursuits she has recently discovered. Every morning in her kitchen in Atlanta, she prepares Turkish coffee from her homeland. Every evening she practices Muay Thai fighting, a physical and mental disciple from Thailand.