In my twenties, a friend used to describe me as a young lion, full of curiosity and fearless in exploring. This was probably still applicable to me when I was 30 and entering China. The potential of the country outshone the difficulties, I was inexperienced, and the combination set the stage for a tough journey.

That experience really reminds me of our bilingual quote for the week, that is 初生之犊不畏虎(chū shēng zhī dú bú wèi hǔ). The proverb literally means “a new-born calf is unafraid of tigers,” or in essence, “the inexperienced are dauntless,” and being born in the year of the ox myself, it really sums up my state of mind then.