Now that I have had a few days to process, I wanted to write another entry here and share some more memories.
Kye and I met on our first night out in St Andrews, Scotland. Kye was just starting a year abroad at St Andrews University, and I was commencing my Master’s programme. We were at the Student’s Union for a party but neither of us had purchased a ticket in advance and they were sold out, so we were stuck in the foyer. We asked around where else we could go and ended up at a club called the Lizard (any St Andrews students will immediately recognise this name). We danced the whole night (he was a great dancer) and managed to get lost on our way home. At one point we found ourselves in the middle of a muddy field! When I realised I was in the middle of a dark, empty field with a guy I had just met, I got a bit nervous. He picked up on this quickly, and with his usual friendly, easy-going manner immediately put me at ease. (We made it back to our student accommodation eventually).
Another memory that made me smile was remembering how he refused to get a modern-day smartphone. He insisted on using a very basic feature phone that he’d acquired for about 20 pounds, and that he would frequently lose somewhere in his room and forget to charge for days. People were constantly contacting me, asking if I could help put them in touch with Kye, since they’d failed to reach him for days. He didn’t see this as a problem – after all, he could always reach other people when he needed to. :-D
I’m not sure why he was so resistant to modern technology. Perhaps because he was always an old soul. I was often struck by how mature and insightful he was, even at the age of 19/20 when I knew him. On nights out, he was often the one who looked out for his friends and made sure everyone was safe.
He understood many important things about relationships and people that took me years to fully comprehend. He knew the importance of being 100% yourself and not compromising on who you are and what you want. I learned this lesson through my time with him and I am forever grateful.
I was going through some old entries in my diary from my time at St Andrews and I found a note Kye wrote to me at the time. I think those who knew him will recognise him in these words: “Life’s too short to worry about little things. Try not to let them bother you. At the same time if something is bothering you it may not be as small as you think, in which case it is important to talk to me about it.” I’m a big worrier about small things. Kye always tried to put me at ease and he was generous with his time when I needed to talk.
I also remember how hard working and diligent he always was. Often after a night out, he would proceed to sit in bed and read notes for his classes. I tried this once – after a party, he sat down to work, so I also sat down and read an article I had printed off, and underlined things I thought were important. The next morning I discovered I hadn’t underlined anything. I’d crossed out random bits of text and couldn’t remember a thing I’d read. I’m not sure how he did it!
I take comfort knowing that, although his life was much shorter than it should have been, I am confident it was a full life. He always aimed to do his best at everything he did, and he never settled for less. I know he had a lot of varied, vibrant, meaningful experiences and he enriched many people’s lives.
The final memory I want to share is a more recent one. A few months ago, Kye reached out to me. There were a few things we’d never really talked about, some old grievances to air. We had an open, honest conversation. It was very positive and we wished each other well. I’m forever grateful that he was so mature and cared enough to reach out, after all this time.
We’ll miss you, Kye.
Now that I have had a few days to process, I wanted to write another entry here and share some more memories.
Kye and I met on our first night out in St Andrews, Scotland. Kye was just starting a year abroad at St Andrews University, and I was commencing my Master’s programme. We were at the Student’s Union for a party but neither of us had purchased a ticket in advance and they were sold out, so we were stuck in the foyer. We asked around where else we could go and ended up at a club called the Lizard (any St Andrews students will immediately recognise this name). We danced the whole night (he was a great dancer) and managed to get lost on our way home. At one point we found ourselves in the middle of a muddy field! When I realised I was in the middle of a dark, empty field with a guy I had just met, I got a bit nervous. He picked up on this quickly, and with his usual friendly, easy-going manner immediately put me at ease. (We made it back to our student accommodation eventually).
Another memory that made me smile was remembering how he refused to get a modern-day smartphone. He insisted on using a very basic feature phone that he’d acquired for about 20 pounds, and that he would frequently lose somewhere in his room and forget to charge for days. People were constantly contacting me, asking if I could help put them in touch with Kye, since they’d failed to reach him for days. He didn’t see this as a problem – after all, he could always reach other people when he needed to. :-D
I’m not sure why he was so resistant to modern technology. Perhaps because he was always an old soul. I was often struck by how mature and insightful he was, even at the age of 19/20 when I knew him. On nights out, he was often the one who looked out for his friends and made sure everyone was safe.
He understood many important things about relationships and people that took me years to fully comprehend. He knew the importance of being 100% yourself and not compromising on who you are and what you want. I learned this lesson through my time with him and I am forever grateful.
I was going through some old entries in my diary from my time at St Andrews and I found a note Kye wrote to me at the time. I think those who knew him will recognise him in these words: “Life’s too short to worry about little things. Try not to let them bother you. At the same time if something is bothering you it may not be as small as you think, in which case it is important to talk to me about it.” I’m a big worrier about small things. Kye always tried to put me at ease and he was generous with his time when I needed to talk.
I also remember how hard working and diligent he always was. Often after a night out, he would proceed to sit in bed and read notes for his classes. I tried this once – after a party, he sat down to work, so I also sat down and read an article I had printed off, and underlined things I thought were important. The next morning I discovered I hadn’t underlined anything. I’d crossed out random bits of text and couldn’t remember a thing I’d read. I’m not sure how he did it!
I take comfort knowing that, although his life was much shorter than it should have been, I am confident it was a full life. He always aimed to do his best at everything he did, and he never settled for less. I know he had a lot of varied, vibrant, meaningful experiences and he enriched many people’s lives.
The final memory I want to share is a more recent one. A few months ago, Kye reached out to me. There were a few things we’d never really talked about, some old grievances to air. We had an open, honest conversation. It was very positive and we wished each other well. I’m forever grateful that he was so mature and cared enough to reach out, after all this time.
We’ll miss you, Kye.