长沙 day 3

RenZhi and I at our grandfather's middle school
me and the brothers
RenGuang and his daughter GuZiYi (谷子依）
On the eve of my departure I'm looking back on this weekend with a lot of joy. Although I didn't know what to expect before coming to Changsha, I've had such a wonderful time these past few days with my cousins, and never really felt distant from them after the moment we met. Today I ate breakfast consisting of doujiang and youtiao (豆浆跟油条) with RenZhi and afterward, with he and his girlfriend strolled around the city's center which is essentially the same as all other Chinese city's commercial districts. We played pool in a cold dark pool hall for a while and then met with RenGuang and ate so much Hunanese dishes (湘菜), including the specialty and a personal favorite of mine 臭豆腐. It was so delicious: not too foul, nor too salty, just the right amount of spiciness, and black as a beetle's back.
After eating I took a long walk around with RenGuang. We ended up at 天心阁, a part of Changsha's old city walls. It's been turned into a public park, and is actually where RenGuang and his wife took their wedding photos back in 2005. RenGuang is the most talkative of these cousins I have met, and I understand his Mandarin the most. As we stood up on the tall pavilion in the park, he was telling me a bit about the city's history and eventually we talked more about family history. He described to me his father's situation in China when the rest of the family left and he said it certainly isn't anyone's fault, but ultimately a matter of how history shaped the family's various constituents. He told me his dad once tried to go to America to visit his family, went all the way to GuangDong to get a visa, but his visa was denied bc the Chinese gov't saw that all his siblings lived in the U.S, and they thought if he were to go there he would not want to return. So for this reason my uncle never had the chance to go to America at all. RenGuang furthermore told me that because of their family circumstances they did not have connections in high places when the time came for he and his siblings to find work. He said they had to rely on their own resourcefulness and abilities, much like us in the US (since familial connections aren't as important there as they are in China). As we leaned over the railing of the pavilion and talked, looking over the bustling city I felt really happy. It had been a long time since I'd felt this inspired and awakened. I told RenGuang how happy I was for all of us to have this chance to meet.
We then strolled around a bit more, sat down to have our shoes shined while I told him about my career option specifics and what my family has been up to. RenGuang told me about his job more in full. He started as a Chinese major, but switched into things like sales and then ended up where he is now working in an office for Changsha city government. He writes various documents and speeches for government officials, helps with the organization of various meetings. He said his job is very high-pressure, but he seems content.
I've felt very at home here, even since I arrived and that feeling increased over these short days. I am so glad to have had this opportunity, certainly is among the most meaningful in my abroad experience.