I spent 6 months in Khartoum working for the Winner Language Institute as Assistant Director and TEFL/ESP Teacher for companies, such as Chinese Petroleum Companies & MTN Sudan.

1. Sudan
• Tailor-made
Business & ESP
courses to
Companies &
government
ministries in
Khartoum
• Summer camp to
teens
(Apr. 2008 – Aug. 2008)

2. Working Abroad
Henry Badenhorst
Journey 6:
Sudan
(2008)

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Sudan
• The Republic of Sudan (Arabic: ‫جمهورية‬
‫السودان‬ ,Jumhūrīyat al Sūdān), is a
country in north-eastern Africa.
• It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the
Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and
Ethiopia to the east, Kenya and Uganda to
the southeast, the Democratic Republic of
the Congo and the Central African
Republic to the southwest, Chad to the
west and Libya to the northwest.
• The world's longest river, the Nile, divides
the country between east and west sides.

4. Khartoum• Khartoum (Arabic:
‫الخرطوم‬ Al Kharṭūm) is
the capital of Sudan.
• Divided by the Niles,
Khartoum is a tripartite
metropolis with an
estimated overall
population of over five
million people consisting
of Khartoum proper, and
linked by bridges to
Khartoum North called (al-
Khartūm Bahrī) &
Omdurman (Umm
Durmān) to the west.
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5. Khartoum
A brick maker on the
banks of the Nile river,
only a stone’s throw
away from my school
Spices sold on a souq
(market) in Burri, Khartoum.
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7. Khartoum
Sandra negotiating with a
Raksha driver for a price to
take us to town. This was my
very first day in Khartoum.
A Schwarma
stand in BURRI
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8. Winner Language Institute
Mr. Mohammed Rahma,
Director of the School with the
General manager Yasir right
front
At the reception area of the
school. Mornings were spent
marketing the school by meeting
with companies & ministries to
add to our client base.
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9. The Winner Language Institute, taken
from Nile street. About 100 meters
behind me is the Nile river. I lived on
the top floor.
Some of my Sudanese
students posing for a picture in
front of the school
Winner Language Institute
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11. Winner Language Institute
With Ali, our guard and the WLI
company mini-van which took
me and the other teachers to
where we needed to be.
Above: In the city centre busy
marketing WLI with companies
and ministries.
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12. Yasser, the General Manger of WLI
One of the classrooms
The reception area from the second floor
The reception area: English club film
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13. Winner Language Institute
Left: Ali our guard at the front
entrance to the WLI property.
Above : The roof of the school
during a ‘haboub’ (windstorm).
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14. China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC), with more than 50
years history and starting overseas operations in 1980, is a large-scale state-owned
enterprise specialized in contracting international petroleum and petrochemical
projects, and has been the largest and leading subsidiary of China National Petroleum
Corporation (CNPC) in the field of international oil/gas engineering and construction.
I was responsible to teach tailor made Business English and ESP courses to staff .
14Henry Badenhorst
ESP@CPECC in Sudan

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16. Right: the street the school is
situated in. I took many walks to
explore. I also took many runs
alongside the Nile for exercise.
Above : Karen du Bois, a
colleague sitting in my TV room
in my apartment.
Winner Language Institute
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18. Sami
Sami, my driver, showing a Sudanese dance
The WLI mini-van
Sami behind the Receptionist desk
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19. The Nile River
The Nile in flood. The picture was
taken from my roof. Every year the
Nile floods, erasing temporary
agricultural practices & temporary
brick making practices on the banks.
The Burri bridge over the
Nile connecting Khartoum
and Khartoum-north
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21. The Nile
River
Above: Across the river
where the super rich live,
boats galore. Left: This side
of the Nile, those not so
fortunate, working the fields
and selling goods just to
survive….yet content &
happy.
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22. Plane over the Nile coming in to land
Fishermen’s jetty
Railway bridge over Nile at sunset
Nile cruises at sunset
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23. In the dry season, the banks of
the blue Nile near my home
are used for agriculture and
petrol pumps, like the one on
the right, are used to pump
water out of the Nile into
these irrigation ditches to
water the produce.
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24. “The Beach”
A wide stretch of “beach” on the
banks of the Nile in Burri made this
an ideal spot for picnicking among
families. People could swim in this
section of the Nile and there is even
a restaurant on the water. Rules such
as ‘no littering’ and ‘no pets’,
however, did not apply…..
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25. The Nile River
Railway bridge to Bahri
(Khartoum-North) crossing the
white Nile, carrying cars,
pedestrians and trains and it’s
the oldest bridge across
“The beach” – gave many
residents and ex-pats a beach feel
and many swam. There is also this
restaurant on the water. I usually
jogged this stretch of sand to get a
good work-out.
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26. The Nile River
Opportune fisherman
fishing a flooded section of
the Nile where just days
ago, someone was farming
his land
Just before the floods every year,
these muddy sections dry into
these bee-hive like patterns
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29. Omdurman
Omdurman (Arabic Umm
Durmān ‫درمان‬ ‫أم‬) ) is the
largest city in Sudan and
Khartoum State, lying on
the western banks of the
River Nile, opposite the
capital, Khartoum.
Omdurman has a
population of 2 and a half
million (2008) and is the
national centre of
commerce. With
Khartoum and Khartoum
North or Bahri, it forms
the cultural and industrial
heart of the nation.
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30. Omdurman souqHenry Badenhorst
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31. Khartoum street scenes
Almost everything in Khartoum
is imported and expensive. Here
is another delivery.
A Khartoum taxi. All yellow
taxi’s date back to the 70’s .
The dusty air is due to an
approaching haboub
(sandstorm). Picture was taken
in central Khartoum.
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32. Colourful sign boards, litter
Khartoum streets
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33. Another MTN, A South African mobile company
advertisement
MTN FIFA World Cup advertisement
ATM advertisement
Who knows what he’s advertising?
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34. Burri - Khartoum
When I walked into central
Khartoum, I usually took this
road. These are typically the
shops you find.
I took photography walking tours
through hot Khartoum up to 5 hours at a
time. Photography must be done very
sensitively. I was arrested once for
accidentally taking pictures of
government buildings or strategic
infrastructure like bridges.
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35. Khartoum Street scenes
A side-walk bicycle repair
shop
Street salesman selling
small packets of peanuts
and other sweets
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36. Khartoum street scenes
Sudanese bookstore, but you’ll
be able to get mobile recharge
cards here as well
The ministerial section of the
city with the Al-Fatih Hotel
(5 Star) in the background,
designed by the same
architect who designed the
Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai
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37. “I’m not sure” store
Bathroom supply store
Computer store
Furniture store
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39. Khartoum-South SouqHenry Badenhorst 39

40. Khartoum Transportation
There are a number of taxis or amjad
that charge SD 10 to most destinations
in Khartoum. These taxis come in the
form of 30-year-old yellow Toyota
saloons or Daewoo micro-buses, that
can be hailed from street corners. The
raksha (TUK-TUK), however is the
cheapest at SD 5, but not necessarily the
safest.
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42. These Toyota Corollas of the late 70’s and
early 80’s reminds me of Cuba where the
cars are stuck in time. Ironically,
Khartoum residents drive the newest
cars in the world market, yet these taxi’s
remain and as dilapidated as they are,
over charge the expats. I took one only
once and it was 10 SDG. Amjads,
Raksha’s or friends with NGO vehicles
remain the cheaper options.
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44. Khartoum Donkey cars
I was asked to drive this donkey
car by a bunch of rural teenagers
who came into central Khartoum
to have some fun.
A typical donkey car in
Khartoum, still a very popular
mode of transportation for the
less fortunate.
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46. Inside a Raksha or Tuk-Tuk as it is known in Thailand, might be indeed your cheapest
choice of taxi in Khartoum, but not the safest. Driven by youngsters who pimp up their
rides, these Raksha’s disobey all traffic laws, making it an adrenalin rush experience
second to none to skydiving. Yet I always had great conversations with the drivers and I
always got where I needed to be.
Khartoum Raksha’s
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47. Khartoum Street scenes
The goat market on the
sidewalk of one of the main
streets
A water point where any
thirsty traveller can drink
from the clay jars
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48. Drinking Tea
Drinking tea is not reserved for the
English alone. Sweet tea, is sold at
thousands of these little tea ‘shops’
or shāy ladies, litter the sidewalks
Waiting for rush hour traffic to
quench their thirst for tea, or shall
we say sugar?
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49. Open air tea bar. Alcohol is forbidden
as it is an Islamic country. So if you
cant drink beer, what do you drink?
Lots of Sweet tea with friends work
just as well.
The Sudanese women wear these
colourful dresses. The sidewalks are
very dirty, yet no-one gets ill. I guess
they have Deli bellies. No one is sure
where the water comes from either.
Drinking Tea
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50. Outdoor Tea “bar”
Side walk Coffee shop
Southern Sudanese boys playing
Lonesome fruit and veggie vendor
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51. Khartoum street Scenes
Khartoum International airport is
smack down in the middle of
Khartoum. Great if you are a plane
enthusiast, less great if you hate
noise pollution
A typical small little shop in the
suburbs for the locals to come
and satisfy their sugar addiction
in the form of sweets, sodas,
biscuits and sweet bread.
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53. Haboub is the Arabic name for a
sandstorm. During my 6 months in
Khartoum I experienced 3. The sky
turns into dark orange and it
worsens to the point where it
becomes totally dark. If the wind
is blowing every bit of your home
and your body gets dusty.
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54. Coffee shops & Restaurants
A famous landmark in Khartoum
for the ex-pats and the more
fortunate Sudanese, the Beatles
coffee shop during a Haboub.
Schwarma’s are the local delight
in Sudan and a big favourite
among the expats. Many Turkish
restaurants specialises in it
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55. An ice cream shop, very popular, especially the Italian
ones.
A coffee shop with a windstorm (Haboub) in the
background
The inside of a small grocery shop
A Steers and Debonairs franchise, a welcome sight to any
South-African’s stomach.
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57. Rural & Poor Khartoum
Goats are many. This old Peugeot
wreckage adds to the scenery.
This was taken not far
from where I lived on the
outskirts of Khartoum
where the pace is a lot
more laidback.
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58. Spending some time
exploring the farm and
watching how they are
milked.
Camels galore! What would the desert be
without camels. Not far from where I lived, I
stumbled upon this camel farm on the outskirts
of Khartoum. This is truly where no other
foreigner has ventured before.
CAMELS
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60. Tuti island
Tuti Island (also spelled
Tutti Island) is an island in
Sudan where the White
Nile and Blue Nile merge
to form the main Nile. It
is surrounded by the
"Three Towns":
Khartoum (the capital of
Sudan), Omdurman (the
largest city in Sudan), and
Khartoum North (also
known as Bahri, a large
industrial center).
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61. Visiting Tuti island
From Tuti island towards
Khartoum across the Nile river
Exploring the island. I took a
raksha with a guide who could
speak English.
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62. Doing the crossing. Tuti bridge in the
background.
The “ferry” that took us across
Fishing boat and Sudanese boy
My guides and the Raksha
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63. Khartoum Shopping
Shopping at Marwa with Karen du Bois,
one of my colleagues. Marwa
supermarket stocked most of the
Western amenities that you are used to at
home, and which of course is a safer
option than buying Schwarma's from the
local street vendor.
Buying fresh fruit juice at the
Khartoum-South Souq with
Justine. Freshly squeezed out
fresh juices are great for the
summer heat
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Relaxing at Al Salama Rotana Hotel in Khartoum with students

66. At a coffee shop with Sudanese
colleagues of mine. There are really
fancy Western coffee shops like
Starbucks run by Phillipino’s.
At a Turkish restaurant, called
the Syrian, with colleagues
saying farewell to Karen
Khartoum Restaurants
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67. Sandra, one of my colleagues at the Syrian
Turkish man making schwarma’s
The menu
Baklava-Arabic pastries at the Syrian restaurant
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68. Having high tea with
Jim, a doctor and his
wife, who worked for
a charity in
Khartoum.
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Friends

69. Khartoum downtown
scenery
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70. The Sudanese people
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71. After nearly 6 months in Khartoum, the security situation in Khartoum and in
wider Sudan became dangerous due to the indictment of President Omar Al-
Bashir for war crimes in Darfur. I accepted a Teaching position in the
Sultanate of Oman and flew 31 August 2008 to assume my post at the Ibri
College of Applied Sciences in Oman with the Council for British Teachers.
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