Marie:
Early 2025, I took my first master’s exam at my new university in Ticino. Unlike during my bachelor’s degree at ETH, there is only one big exam covering the entire semester’s material, but it went well.
Afterwards, I spent a few days in Prague with Hannah and her friend Lara. We ate well, explored the old town, and recovered from the harsh January period. Immediately afterwards, I traveled with my boyfriend Luca to northern Germany to enjoy a few windy but very amusing days at the North Sea with my grandmother and family.
Feeling refreshed, I started the spring semester, where the gynecology module awaited us – a highlight for me, as I have wanted to become a gynecologist for a long time. At the hospital, I was not only allowed to attend pregnancy examinations and check-ups, but also several births, including two C-sections. I even got to assist with a C-section! I was also able to do this during various other operations, in the gynecology ward, and in other modules. This exciting semester further strengthened my enthusiasm for my studies and my future as a doctor.
Over Easter, I was on the road again: first a few days in Venice with Luca, then with my roommate Anna in Barcelona for a girls’ trip.
In the summer, we mastered another exam phase and then set off on my most exciting trip of the year. Luca and I rented a campervan in Hamburg and traveled for almost three weeks through Denmark, southern Sweden, and Norway. The wild nature completely overwhelmed us; we hardly wanted to return. On the way home, we visited my family again in Germany, this time in Hanover.
In the fall, lectures and clinic days resumed, now with much more routine – and we also feel quite comfortable with the Italian language.
With our family vacation in Valais in October for Mom’s birthday, the semester flew by, and after the holidays, preparations for the January exam will begin again.
I am very happy because this year I not only enjoyed my studies, but also made good use of my free time to travel and be with my loved ones. Next year, I will have a much busier schedule with my six-month internship, but I am also very much looking forward to the new experiences.
Hannah:
In my fourth year as a self-employed filmmaker, I’ve finally settled into a working rhythm. It isn’t very regular, but it works. My year began with my biggest commission to date, this time for the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). After several weeks of preparation, two days of shooting and the post-production phase, more small projects followed.
In the summer, an unexpected slowdown hit many people working in film. The changes brought about by today’s technological possibilities and by AI are clearly noticeable in the commercial sector as well, and they certainly don’t make the search for work any easier. However, I took the opportunity to realise two music videos: one for the Swiss band Hecht and one for the young artists Gigi and Cachita, Schön (Pretty). The latter in particular was a passion project for me, and the weeks of planning, crafting, building and painting truly paid off: the music video and the accompanying behind-the-scenes piece were a hit and won a Silver Edi, an official award for Swiss commissioned films.
To make the most of the slower summer period, I visited a friend in Stockholm and then continued to northern Germany to see my grandmother. After a few relaxed days, I travelled on to Berlin to meet my best friend and explore the city together.
At the end of summer I won a directing pitch for another major commercial project, this time for Betty Bossi, a publisher and producer of cookbooks and kitchenware. The production stretched over several months and was a real joy: for the first time, I was able to collaborate with food stylists and contribute to the colourful world of this commercial in a new way.
In August, I spent two weeks in Spain with friends, enjoying the warmth and the good food — with a few small work breaks in between.
November brought one of the highlights of my career so far. My short film Rabe (Raven) was screened at the Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, and I was able to spend five days in the small coastal town. I met filmmakers from all over the world and returned full of energy and inspiration. Shortly afterwards, the Swiss premiere of Rabe and my other short film Tin Man took place. Being able to celebrate with the crew and the many actors involved was a beautiful conclusion to these two very personal projects.
In December, I worked on another commercial shoot, but in between I used every free moment to meet friends, enjoy the Christmas markets and bake cookies.
I’m excited for the new projects ahead — bigger than anything I’ve dared to take on so far. But after this year, I feel strengthened and energised for whatever comes next.
Michèle:
We rarely get the chance to know that a moment will be the last. My mother’s sudden death on December 24, 2024 brought this truth back to me as I thought about our phone conversation a few days earlier. This departure without the chance to say goodbye inevitably reminded me of Matthias’ equally sudden death in October 2012.
On a lighter note, 2025 also marked another end: my final year at the institute that hired me in 1994 and that I will officially leave in February. Throughout the year, I curated an exhibition on WSL research using genetics to understand and protect biodiversity in Switzerland. I savored it all the more for knowing it would be my last major achievement at WSL. And for the past few months, I have seized every opportunity to have coffee with those who have mattered to me over the decades, a way of saying thank you and goodbye without actually saying it. They are the ones I will miss the most, despite various activities to keep busy in retirement.
While this chapter has closed, others have opened. In January,
I fulfilled a long-held dream by taking a birdwatching trip to Senegal, a completely new terrain for me. While birding was astounding, it was the exchanges, the looks and the smiles of the Senegalese people that touched me the most.
In October, Hannah, Marie and Luca enjoyed a fantastic, sunny week in Valais, hiking daily, cooking, eating out and playing board games. If our schedules align, this might well become a new family tradition. Another first for me was spending a week with my almost 95-year-old mother-in-law in northern Germany and taking a girls’ trip with her to the North Sea, with plenty of time for great conversations and lots of giggles.
Closer to home, I provided catering for two of Hannah’s music-video shoots, something I always enjoy because it brings me into contact with bright and kind young professionals. The icing on the cake was applauding Hannah’s short film Raven in Cannes in November. That same week, Marie and I had spent two days in Mendrisio (Ticino), she for an ambulance internship, me for a beautiful fall hike.
Two days after my farewell party at WSL on January 14, I will fly off on a new birdwatching trip, this time to Goa on the west coast of India.
Hannah, Marie, and I wish you peaceful and blessed holidays, and a very happy New Year 2026.
- Watch a slideshow of our favourite family photos of 2025 on YouTube.
- And Michèle’s favourite nature and culture photos of 2025 are now also on YouTube.