WHAT A BEAUTY!

This moment didn’t start on the hike.

It actually started way before the trip even happened, during the interview process with Michael O'Sullivan. When I was talking about why I wanted to go to Guatemala, I mentioned something kind of specific. I said it had always been a dream of mine to see the quetzal, Guatemala’s national bird.

At the time, it felt like one of those things you say knowing it probably won’t happen. My brother who has gone to Guatemala 3 times has never seen it. I even remember being told that sightings depend on the time of year, and that it’s not something you can just expect to see. So I let it go as a goal but kept it close into my heart as a dream.

Fast forward to Guatemala.

On of the days of our travel, our tour guide, who was also a close friend of my professor, took us on a hike somewhere near Santiago. I wish I could remember the exact name, but what I do remember is how long tha hike felt. It wasn’t just a casual walk. It was a full hike into the woods, surrounded by thick greenery, uneven paths, and so many bird sounds! I think we saw 4 tucans, 8 humming birds, and 2 tiny tiny birds on this walk.

At some point, the group split.

And I have to say, there was this one girl who I will not name, with a camera who was very determined to be the first to see the bird. She kept pushing ahead, rushing the pace, making it feel less like a shared experience and more like a competition. It was a lot to handle

Eventually, she ended up going ahead with part of the group. And somehow, the rest of us, the slower group, the ones just walking and taking it in, stayed behind.

And that’s when it happened.

We saw it.

Not in a rushed, chaotic way, but in a quiet, almost unreal moment. The quetzal was just there, sitting still, like it had always belonged in that exact spot. Its colours didn’t even look real at first. A quetzal was know to be a bright green but seeing it in real life it was almost too bright, too perfect against the trees.

No one was pushing. No one was trying to get ahead. We just stood there, watching. And then, after a few seconds that somehow felt longer, it flew away.

Just like that.

What stayed with me the most wasn’t just that I saw it, but how I saw it. The fact that it happened in the most unexpected way, with the group that wasn’t trying to force the moment.

It almost felt like a quiet reminder that some things aren’t meant to be chased or rushed. Sometimes, they just happen when you’re present enough to notice them. And somehow, the dream I casually mentioned months before actually found its way back to me.