After a port call, everyone is always asked, “So, what did you do?” The response is usually the same: MWR tours, eating good food, watching new movies, maybe a little golf. It always seems like each activity must outdo the last, lest you be judged to have not fully participated in your much-needed break.

What people usually fail to admit is that they truly try to enjoy the everyday comforts that are so sorely missed while deployed on board an aircraft carrier. I have never been one to go “all-out” during a port call, and from what I hear, the activities that I enjoy are judged as being “lame”, but what I have learned over my life is that it is the simple things that make a port call truly worthwhile.

Some of the things that I look forward to are the smell of grass, the sound of chirping birds, the wind in my face, taking a shower in my bare feet and then walking across the floor barefooted. I like surfing the Internet whenever I feel like it; wearing regular clothes and experiencing everyday life.

We recently visited Dubai, which is a very unique place to see. There are so many cultures in our world, and it is very interesting to observe how the culture of the West melds with that of the Middle East in Dubai. It is a very modern city with many beautiful sky scrapers and the world’s largest mall – which is HUGE! I have a funny story about that. On our first night in Dubai, my liberty buddy and I made our way to the Mall of Dubai. We wandered around for an hour or so, and then decided it was time to leave. Well, it wasn’t going to be that easy. We got lost! In a mall! The thing is so huge it has its own language (not really, but it should). Anyway, not many people from home would expect this city would be so much like home. That is the cool thing about traveling the world; you realize that everyone is really not that different. You also learn to appreciate them more.

I was traveling on a commuter train on my way back to the ship on my last day in port, and my mind started reflecting back on the opportunities I have been afforded since joining the Navy. I have been to many places that few will ever have the opportunity to see. I have been around South America twice – once through the Straits of Magellan, the other around Cape Horn. I have seen the world’s largest bronze Buddha in Hong Kong. I have stood at the base of the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai. I have eaten lunch with Buddhist monks in South Korea, and I have seen ancient ruins in Peru. I participated in aiding Haiti during Operation Unified Response.

I have had the opportunity to meet some famous people, too. I got to see the band Blink 182 perform live in the hangar bay in 2003, I met R. Lee Ermy (Full Metal Jacket and the History Channel’s “Mail Call”), Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno. I know that I have seen so much more and met so many other people, but there are too many to list. What it has done is made me appreciate this world we live in, and all of the different cultures, religions, and customs that these different cities and people have been generous enough to share with me. It has given me a respect toward my fellow man that I know I probably would not have gained if it weren’t for my travels in the Navy.

So, instead of focusing on trying to outdo my friends while in port, I always make sure to reflect on the everyday events that I am fortunate enough to experience and how they make my life that much more meaningful. I am appreciative for the people whose path I have crossed, and for the kindness that they have shown me in allowing me to come into their lives and share what they know. I can only hope that I have done the same for them.