That’s what they told you when you got out of the van somewhere north of Sao Paulo. The contrast between brown and green was unfamiliar. But it was just brown and just green. At times you tried to remember if you had seen vegetation like that. Maybe you never looked that closely at shrubs and dirt in Toronto.

“Alright,” you thought, “let’s get going.” But others were stretching their legs and seemed more fascinated by dry air and cracked earth. You returned to the middle bench thinking if you stayed near the car, the other passengers would get the hint.