Pollution

I wrote this tid bit in my journal my first week in Quito:

The pollution in Quito is almost unbearable for me. I´ve never been in a city that is this dirty. When a city bus starts moving after having been stopped, a huge black cloud of exhaust spills out. This morning, about 30 minutes after I showered, I was standing on the sidewalk waiting for the bus I needed. Traffic was a bit heavy so some buses had to stop near me.
When they started moving again, I seriously wondered if my hair was still blonde.
-my eyes feel polluted
-my teeth feel as though they have a black film on them
-the q-tips white cotton is quite dark after i clean my ears-- even though I know it´s not healthy to use q-tips
-at the end of each day my throat is hurting and I think its a result of breathing in polluted air

Now, after 3 weeks of living in Quito, I do not feel the pollution on my teeth, in my eyes, or on my skin. I still hold my breath when a bus starts charging up along side me with its black cloud of exhaust trailing behind it. But, I´ve gotton used to the dirt and the black marks on the ceilings and walls caused by the polluted air. What once was the only thing in Quito to bother me doesn´t bother me all that much anymore.