Wouter Kallemeijn

I met Wouter many years ago at the AMC in 2009, while I was doing my Master’s in the Department of Biochemistry and he was working on his PhD. One of my clearest memories from that time is how impeccably tidy his desk and bench were. I’ve always been a bit chaotic myself, and his quiet discipline became an example I genuinely tried to follow. Wouter had this way of surprising me again and again. On the surface he was calm, gentle, and sensitive, but behind that was a whole world of unexpected passions and quirks. He loved hardcore music, those incredibly heavy Norwegian bands I never quite understood but always enjoyed hearing him talk about and share cd with Marco. We had many conversations where he’d suddenly let you glimpse a completely different side of him, and I loved those moments. He once told me about a long bike trip he took, if I recall well he even went to Spain! He spoke about it with such quiet pride and enthusiasm that it stayed with me. He also loved the sea, sailing was a part of him, almost natural for someone who came from Zeeland, the land of the sea. He even enjoyed kite surfing. That connection with the water was something I always admired. Another memory it comes to me is that Wouter used to watch Sponge Bob and South Park during breakfast, something he mentioned to me a few times. The way he shared it… so casually and spontaneously with an almost childlike gaze, always made me smile. Not long ago, when my children discovered Sponge Bob, he immediately came to my mind, now I see it is actually very funny, he was right. Those conversations came back to my mind so vividly. I could almost hear him laugh. After I left the UK, we unfortunately drifted into less frequent contact. The last time we met was in London, already far too long ago. But even with the distance, I always carried this comforting thought, that if I ever went to London, Wouter would be there, and we could meet again for a coffee, like last time. Knowing that this will no longer be possible breaks my heart. Wouter, you will be missed, more than I can express. Thank you for the memories, the conversations, the surprises, and the quiet inspiration you brought into my life.