Taiwan Photo Journal
Louis Garza was a Taichung ETA from New York, who works primarily as a writer. Early in the grant, he bought a refurbished Minolta X-700, and started shooting film photography. He took pictures of everything, from his students to his adventures in Taiwan. Check out his written work amongst the ETA stories, and if you liked this photo journal check out his fiction and other work here: https://louisgarza.weebly.com/.
A view from the fourth floor of Shangshih Elementary School in Taichung, Taiwan. I taught 4th through 6th grade, and had a blast getting to know the students. Dean Min was like a second mom to me, and the kids made every day worthwhile.
A view down Xitun Road from scooter back on my daily drive home from school. I drove down this road everyday unless I was heading somewhere else, and every day I’d stop at this light. Xitun Road is one of the busier roads in Taichung, and I’d often see students on the backs of their parent’s scooters whizzing past me as I drove home.
A student launches into frame, wanting to be included in my picture of the two boys behind him. It was my first day with my Minolta, and these were some of the 5th grade boys I always saw at recess.
Baozi steam at a bun shop close to Taichung station. The store is only open until 11am each day, but the place is always busy. The storefront pumps out baozi at 15 NT a bun and they are all delicious.
My host family and I went to a tea farm in Miaoli. Here, the father picks tea leaves with his sons, which we later made into our own tea. My host family was Hakka and took the day to show me around the county they originally called home.
A chicken stall in Taipei’s Ningxia Night Market. The chicken is delicious, and the line can get long, but the wait is worth it. The plain salt is the best flavor. It was originally found on a bar crawl, but each time I went back the meat seemed to be more tender. I don’t know how.
A-MEI Teahouse in Jiufen. The teahouse is said to have inspired Spirited Away. In the fog, it looks exactly like the first appearance of the bathhouse, and the crowds taking pictures reminded me of the spirits herding in to soak after leaving their boats.