A Tiger?

By Rachel

I was born on January 2, 1975. According to every Chinese restaurant placemat I’ve ever seen this means I was born in the Year of the Rabbit. I have lived my life accordingly. Meekly, quietly, curiously.

I started to suspect a grave error, however, around the time of Tsaagan Sar, the lunar new year. I realized something that many of you probably realized a long time ago: if you are born in January (and sometimes early February) you are born in a netherworld, stuck between two calendars. January 1975 is really still part of 1974 (or the Chinese equivalent) as far as the Chinese zodiac is concerned. I had many conversations with Mongolians, trying to sort this out. Everyone agreed about the problem, but no one was definitive. Was I a Rabbit?

Finally, a fellow Januarian told me the cold, hard truth. I am, in fact, a Tiger, albeit a Tiger with Rabbit tendencies. If you are born in January it is acknowledged that you might blend the two years a little.

So, get ready for the new me. Grrrr.