[qudsia]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

yea I know that all big cities tend to be dustier and more polluted. Fact is, I lived in Pakistan and my friend grew up in Egypt. She's from Cairo, I lived in Karachi. My husband lived in Bombay for several months. All three cities are dirtier, dustier and more polluted than any big cities I've ever seen in the US.

then perhaps you haven't seen enough of the US.

<-- before you all accuse me of being mean.

[thejellymill]

Originally Posted by qudsia

then perhaps you haven't seen enough of the US.

<-- before you all accuse me of being mean.

Perhaps not. I've lived in a small city for most of my time here and only visited big cities. I've never noticed my allergies act up there as much as they have in Pakistan. Funny thing is, growing up in Karachi it wasn't as bad. However when I went back both times I got very sick with sinus problems after spending hours almost daily in heavy traffic with windows rolled down and breathing in the dirty air, then shopping in dusty areas like Jumah bazaar etc.

[sumiyia]

i've only been to like 4 major cities in the US, and haven't travelled outside of it... but air pollution-wise, i think corona, CA and the inland empire in general is pretty bad. and its not even a major city. probably because of the weather here and pollution from other cities just floats on over and it gets suspended in the air like jelly. jackson heights in NY was nasty as hell though. you know a place is dirty when your feet end up BLACK and smutty after walking 3 blocks in flip flops.

[thejellymill]

Anyway guys, I am going away for the rest of Ramadan inshallah and hopefully using that to break me of my islamica habit. I see that the subtly negative environment has not changed in fph, regardless of it being Ramadan. For whatever reason I didn't start my "Ramadan islamica break" when I was supposed to but I'm feeling more and more that now it's time.

Ramadan and early Eid mubarak

[qudsia]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

Perhaps not. I've lived in a small city for most of my time here and only visited big cities. I've never noticed my allergies act up there as much as they have in Pakistan. Funny thing is, growing up in Karachi it wasn't as bad. However when I went back both times I got very sick with sinus problems after spending hours almost daily in heavy traffic with windows rolled down and breathing in the dirty air, then shopping in dusty areas like Jumah bazaar etc.

ya small towns are the best - im from a small town in virginia and it is worlds apart from bigger, more urban cities. consider yourself lucky to be able to live in smaller cities in the US. i've NEVER had allergies before - only after moving to jersey have i developed them. i remember getting smog alerts in atlanta back in college where it was pretty much a bad idea to go outdoors when the alert was high. and jersey city is downright disgusting...as is most of NJ because of air pollution from factories/traffic, et al.

Originally Posted by sumiyia

i've only been to like 4 major cities in the US, and haven't travelled outside of it... but air pollution-wise, i think corona, CA and the inland empire in general is pretty bad. and its not even a major city. probably because of the weather here and pollution from other cities just floats on over and it gets suspended in the air like jelly. jackson heights in NY was nasty as hell though. you know a place is dirty when your feet end up BLACK and smutty after walking 3 blocks in flip flops.

ya dude! it's straight up gross in NY/NJ. it's like a habit of mine now to SCRUB my feet (and i literally mean scrub..with a pumice stone) every night. cause that's how disgusting my feet get every single day, usually just from minimal walking outside in flip flops.

i miss virginia. and being able to breath (without worrying about the nastiness i'm inhaling. or drinking. or ..bah).

[Salika]

Originally Posted by sumiyia

i've only been to like 4 major cities in the US, and haven't travelled outside of it... but air pollution-wise, i think corona, CA and the inland empire in general is pretty bad. and its not even a major city. probably because of the weather here and pollution from other cities just floats on over and it gets suspended in the air like jelly. jackson heights in NY was nasty as hell though. you know a place is dirty when your feet end up BLACK and smutty after walking 3 blocks in flip flops.

Ya, I think part of it is the weather? I find Damascus to be dustier than Miami but it's a more desert environment whereas Miami is more humid so it allows the dust to have full effect? I dunno... oh well.

All I know right now is that I'm huuuuuuuuuuungry

[sumiyia]

Originally Posted by qudsia

i think 'meanness' was read into my post. i just didn't insert an 'lol' or an emoticon in it - but it wasn't a mean spirited post.

i didn't think your post was mean-spirited either.




i like to include flowers in all my posts. especially the mean ones. it's like a thappar in disguise.


edit: i also like the word "chamaat." because if you think about it, thats the sound a thappar makes, no?





*thappar = slap



edit2: chamaat reminded me of fruit chaat.


edit3: this is probably my least coherent post on islamica ever.

[DramaRani]

I hear small towns are great for your skin. My sister used to live at the bottom of a mountain in CT. The two years that she was there, she never experienced any acne the way she had when she was in Baltimore. She claims it was the fresh mountain air and the use of an inexpensive soap from Trader Joe's.

[Aida]

Originally Posted by sumiyia

jackson heights in NY was nasty as hell though. you know a place is dirty when your feet end up BLACK and smutty after walking 3 blocks in flip flops.

Yeah, Jackson Heights reminds me of the motherland. I took a few Brits there during summer vacation and they were thoroughly grossed out but liked the outfits on display.

[displaced]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

Anyway guys, I am going away for the rest of Ramadan inshallah and hopefully using that to break me of my islamica habit. I see that the subtly negative environment has not changed in fph, regardless of it being Ramadan. For whatever reason I didn't start my "Ramadan islamica break" when I was supposed to but I'm feeling more and more that now it's time.

Ramadan and early Eid mubarak

I'm glad to be able to say I have not been part of any fph negativity (since the beginning of ramadan, that is). and I am proud of myself, dammit. being less harsh was my ramadan resolution.

[displaced]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

That's awful . From my experience Pakistan's dusty, dirty environment is horrible on allergies and sometimes allergies/sinusitis is so easy to mistake for a cold or the flu. I have a friend who is fine here in the US but when she goes back to visit Egypt (which she says is similar to Pakistan in dustiness and dirtiness) she gets a severe sinus infection every single time.

egypt is verrrrrry polluted. it's said (and this may or may not be exaggeration) that breathing for a day in egypt is the equivalent of smoking a pack a day.

but you know..my allergies and asthma are so much better when I'm there. they're much worse in the u.s. maybe it's the pollen. or maybe my egyptian-raised lungs like the pollution.

[afrakabob]

ugh, i've only been able to fast three days so far. i skipped the inactive bc pills so i'd have some more time to fast, but i think im about to get my period anyway.
possibly before iftar today.

[moonlightrose]

Originally Posted by DramaRani

I hear small towns are great for your skin. My sister used to live at the bottom of a mountain in CT. The two years that she was there, she never experienced any acne the way she had when she was in Baltimore. She claims it was the fresh mountain air and the use of an inexpensive soap from Trader Joe's.

Its the opposite for my friend..she goes to a polluted city and her face clears up like no other.

unfortunately, for me...pollution or no pollution, my skin is always pmsing.

p.s--I wish it would cool down here. its september, but feels like july

[Salika]

Originally Posted by afrakabob

ugh, i've only been able to fast three days so far. i skipped the inactive bc pills so i'd have some more time to fast, but i think im about to get my period anyway.
possibly before iftar today.

Mind me asking which brand you are taking?