I have a lot of trouble understanding 〜ておく (in preparation for the future) >_< Please help...
I can understand:
晩ご飯を作っておく。I will make dinner in advance. (I think...)
But... what about sentences like these?
アメリカにいるうちにニューヨークに行っておいたほう がいいよ。
Does it mean, 'It's better to visit NY and see before it's too late'?
忘れないうちに友達に電話しておこう。
Let's call our friend before it's too late and we forget.
I pretty much replaced 'in advance/in preparation for the future' with 'before it's too late'. Am I on the right track?