Expectations vs. Reality
The first time I remember talking about expectations was with my uncle in college. There was a certain girl I was interested in, and I was hoping that she would act a certain way toward me. My hope was that her feelings toward me would be reciprocal, that she would be interested in pursuing a relationship with me. When her actions did not match my expectations, I was extremely disappointed. My uncle explained to me that I was expecting too much from this girl, and that there were other areas in my life where I was expecting too much.
Expectations. What do we expect from other people? When traveling, what do we expect to see, feel, and experience when we visit a new place? If we expect great things and the reality doesn’t match, then we are typically disappointed and discouraged. Some people would prefer to set low expectations such that everything will be a pleasant surprise; however, the majority of people do not operate that way.
If you’ve ever visited an amusement park, it is common to find signs that indicate how long you can expect to wait in line for a ride. When the crowds are large, you may find a sign that says, “Expected wait time 1 hour from this point.” You then have the decision whether you will commit to waiting 1 hour, or go elsewhere. If you decide to wait an hour, it may not be the most enjoyable time (because who enjoys waiting?), but at least your wait time was expected. Whether the wait time was worth it once you experience the ride is an entirely different thing!
Typically when people visit another country, they come with preconceived notions of the people they will meet and the sites they will see. In other words, they come with expectations. They may be pleasantly surprised if the reality is better than their expectations. Or they may be disappointed if their reality does not meet those expectations.
Sometimes arriving at the best understanding of reality takes hard work. It takes asking questions, research, and time, amongst other things. Coming to a better understanding of a place, people, and systems takes effort, but it’s worth it.
We at Crossroads Cultural Exchange want to help people better understand the reality of travel and experiencing other cultures. We want to help facilitate encouraging and edifying experiences between people from different cultural backgrounds. We want to help facilitate a basic understanding of the way local people and systems operate when people visit or plan to move somewhere else. We are foreigners living in the country of Morocco, and we have many expectations for our new business. One of these hopes is that foreigners would be able to adapt well to visiting and living in this country.
In the United States, we have a phrase, “Knowledge is power.” Through the articles in this blog, our hope is to empower others to better understand local people, places, and systems. Some of the articles may not be the most exciting, but our hope is that readers would have a better idea of what to expect. The process of understanding is not easy; it is a journey. You are invited to join the journey with us.