Expectations

Last night as I was starting to think about packing, I received a call from a German artist friend, O., wishing me a good trip. I told him that despite my excitement for my trip, I'd had no time to really think about where I was going or what I was getting myself into. 

"But this is the best way to travel," my friend, who has spent the past few years traveling traveling the world to make art, insisted. "The fewer expectations you have about a place, the less time it will take you to reconcile them with the realities you find when you arrive at your destination." 

Beyond justifying my lack of preparations, this seemed like sage advise from a seasoned traveler. 

But I'll still have to pack.