In memory of Julia and Reneilwe

Two years ago a member of the SAIS community died after being hit by a drunk driver in the streets of Washington DC. Julia had been with us in Bologna during they year before. and she was just starting the second year of her program.

Last month the Red Cross Nordic UWC lost a beloved member of our community also in a drunk driving accident. On the other side of the world, Reneilwe was training for a marathon in Johannesburg. She died with four other members of her running team.

Just like many SAISers then, and many UWCers now, I am at a loss for words. Instead, I have copied below the kind words that one of our friends posted on his facebook wall:


"Like everyone else I still cannot quite believed that Reneilwe Lesenyeho has left us. I did not know you that well when we were at the RCNUWC. Nevertheless, seeing you at the reunion in August and talking about your long-distance running project made me think that I would start practicing more. This way maybe I could stand a chance that you wouldn't outrun me completely on the Flekke trot of our 20th year reunion. Sadly I will never know... But I can bet that now I will be thinking of you every time I'll go running in the coming years.

Trying to remind myself of the fragility of life, I often tell myself that the world we live in is not as safe as we wish it were and that we could die every time we take our car or we cross the road. How I wish I were wrong !

Once again I feel like picking up the phone and calling all these people I haven't seen in so long and lost touch with.

Reneilwe, you, your joyfulness and your smile, a smile that could warm your friends' spirits even in the cold of the harshest Norwegian winter, all of these will be sorely missed " Remi Gau