First person | Nurpaxa abduwayit

Editor's note: Nurpaxa Abduwayit is a 19-year-old Peace Ark crewmember.

I love animals. Back at home in Xinjiang, I have two goldfish, "Tiny Gold" and "Beauty". I also have two cats, one is Xiao Gang or Little Tough, the other is Man Yue, or Full Moon, because of his beautiful eyes.

I think dolphins are like dogs. They're loyal and friendly. A more experienced crewmember told me that dolphins love to follow ships, but sometimes they accidentally come into contact with the screw and suffer injury or death. I love seeing them but I don't want them to come too close. Sometimes I even tell them to get back a little. I know it's silly to talk to them, but I just can't help it.

I've been trying to make friends with the seagulls recently by scattering breadcrumbs on the deck. The gulls are always circling when I'm raising and lowering the ship's flag. I hope that one day I can feed them with my hands, but so far not one has taken my bread.

My favorite place on the ship is the pilothouse. It is not only where I work, but it's the place with the best views. Stay in the pilothouse and you can be the first to spot dolphins and other animals.

I am the first member of my family to see the ocean. Whenever I speak about the things I've seen during my deployments, people are fascinated and proud of me. After all, joining the navy and traveling the world is not something everyone experiences.

Nurpaxa Abduwayit was talking to Peng Yining.

(China Daily USA 09/03/2013 page9)