Hala Khalaf
Encyclopedia
Hala Khalaf or Rambling Hal (born 1981) is a prominent Jordan
ian blog
ger as well as a freelance journalist whose writing focuses on how culture influences the daily lives of people living around the world.
She maintains her popular weblog Rants and Rambles
Born in Kuwait
to a Palestinian
father, Hala began her journalism career in Canada at the University of Waterloo
where she worked as a reporter, photographer, proofreader and eventually forum editor
of the campus
newspaper Imprint. She graduated in 2003 with a BA
Honours degree in English
& Rhetoric
and Professional Writing
. She has a Licentiate
of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) diploma
in Piano Performance from England, and a Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate
from Canada.
Upon graduation, Hala moved to Jordan where she worked as a freelance writer for various national Jordanian publications, including The Star, a weekly newspaper, and the monthly[magazine] Jo and Living Well. At The Star, she had a weekly column entitled Street Rhythm, in which she commented on the cultural beat and daily life of people living in Jordan.
While writing is her passion, Hala also dedicates her time to teaching children. In the summer of 2001, she travelled to Lebanon
where she volunteered for 2½ months as an English teacher at Palestinian refugee camps. Furthermore, she teaches music to children in nursery school
s and kindergarten
s in addition to giving piano lessons to young children.
In 2004, Hala was awarded the Novo Nordisk
Media Prize for her article "The Truth About Diabetes" (Jo, March 2004). The award is given to the best article on diabetes and is evaluated by an independent international jury. This article was also a finalist for the Inquirer Award 2004.
After winning the prize, Hala embarked on the adventure of her life – a trip around the world to eight countries on four continents. The goal of this journey was to interview 13 children from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, but all with one thing in common – they all have diabetes. The result was the photographic and narrative book Young Voices: Life with Diabetes http://www.amazon.com/dp/0470015845.
Hala Khalaf has also worked for Aramex
International in their communications department, and as an English Information and Press Secretary
at the Office of Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan.
Today, Hala continues to work as a freelance journalist as well as an external consultant for Novo Nordisk A/S. She is a proud member of the youth panel set up by Novo Nordisk to raise awareness about diabetes worldwide.
Khalaf lives with her parents and her two younger brothers in Jordan. Her father is a civil engineer
and prominent businessman while her mother is a family practitioner and published medical writer. They live in a large flat in an upper middle class
neighbourhood in the capital city, Amman
. Her interests include reading, writing, playing the piano, travelling, photography, meeting people, and horseriding. Khalaf has also lived in Cyprus
, Denmark, and Syria
. She is part Syrian
and a Jordanian national but she mainly sees herself as an Arab
and a Muslim
. She is proud of her Arab heritage, and appreciates the rich culture. Hala is a true believer in traditional Arab hospitality.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger as well as a freelance journalist whose writing focuses on how culture influences the daily lives of people living around the world.
She maintains her popular weblog Rants and Rambles
Born in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
to a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
father, Hala began her journalism career in Canada at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
where she worked as a reporter, photographer, proofreader and eventually forum editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
newspaper Imprint. She graduated in 2003 with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
Honours degree in English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
& Rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
and Professional Writing
Professional writing
Professional writing involves the use of clear language to convey information in a way that is easily understood by the intended audience. Individuals who can use language well may be employed as full-time professional writers in a variety of communications-related occupations, such as journalist,...
. She has a Licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in Piano Performance from England, and a Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate
Professional certification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task...
from Canada.
Upon graduation, Hala moved to Jordan where she worked as a freelance writer for various national Jordanian publications, including The Star, a weekly newspaper, and the monthly[magazine] Jo and Living Well. At The Star, she had a weekly column entitled Street Rhythm, in which she commented on the cultural beat and daily life of people living in Jordan.
While writing is her passion, Hala also dedicates her time to teaching children. In the summer of 2001, she travelled to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
where she volunteered for 2½ months as an English teacher at Palestinian refugee camps. Furthermore, she teaches music to children in nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
s and kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s in addition to giving piano lessons to young children.
In 2004, Hala was awarded the Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services. Created in 1989 through a merger of two Danish companies dating back to the 1920s, it has become one of the world's leading companies in diabetes care, where Novo Nordisk pursues research into pulmonary delivery systems;...
Media Prize for her article "The Truth About Diabetes" (Jo, March 2004). The award is given to the best article on diabetes and is evaluated by an independent international jury. This article was also a finalist for the Inquirer Award 2004.
After winning the prize, Hala embarked on the adventure of her life – a trip around the world to eight countries on four continents. The goal of this journey was to interview 13 children from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, but all with one thing in common – they all have diabetes. The result was the photographic and narrative book Young Voices: Life with Diabetes http://www.amazon.com/dp/0470015845.
Hala Khalaf has also worked for Aramex
Aramex
Aramex is a global transportation and logistics services company providing a variety of express, logistics, freight forwarding and domestic distribution services. The company was established in 1982 and is headquartered in Amman, Jordan...
International in their communications department, and as an English Information and Press Secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
at the Office of Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan.
Today, Hala continues to work as a freelance journalist as well as an external consultant for Novo Nordisk A/S. She is a proud member of the youth panel set up by Novo Nordisk to raise awareness about diabetes worldwide.
Khalaf lives with her parents and her two younger brothers in Jordan. Her father is a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
and prominent businessman while her mother is a family practitioner and published medical writer. They live in a large flat in an upper middle class
Upper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...
neighbourhood in the capital city, Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
. Her interests include reading, writing, playing the piano, travelling, photography, meeting people, and horseriding. Khalaf has also lived in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Denmark, and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. She is part Syrian
Demographics of Syria
Syrians today are an overall indigenous Levantine people. While modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history...
and a Jordanian national but she mainly sees herself as an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
and a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. She is proud of her Arab heritage, and appreciates the rich culture. Hala is a true believer in traditional Arab hospitality.
External links
- Rants and Rambles blog
- Young Voices: Life with Diabetes by Hala Khalaf