Fútbol! and Columbus Day?

Last Friday, a few of us splurged on the $15 tickets to see the Ecuadorian National Soccer Team play Venezuela in a 2014 World Cup Qualification match. It was so exciting! After taking a quick 2-0 lead in the first half, Ecuador ended up winning the match with flying colors. I have never seen so much yellow, nor have I ever been covered in a rain storm of beer that fell from the sky when Ecuador scored a goal.

"Vamos Ecuatorianos, esta tarde, tenemos que ganar!"

And, to completely switch subjects, I live off the street called "12 de Octubre" and so, when the 12th of October passed, I was really excited to learn about its significance to Quito and to Ecuador in general. The park across the street from my house put up a ton of tents and had huge concerts on Wednesday night, and it was quite the gathering. Why October 12th? The only reason I understood is because on October 12, 1492, Cristobal Colón landed in the Bahamas and thus started the oppressive Spanish rule in most of Latin America. While the day was originally used to celebrate Columbus' arrival, it has since morphed into an activist day, where people all over the country fight for equality among the different groups and nationalities in Ecuador. Pretty cool. 

This is one of the main stages, set up with palm trees in the back. Bad picture, I know.

Rows and rows of tents selling things and trying to educate passer-bys on important things like water conservation and community activism.